It's been awhile since I did anything of significance on a tractor. Well, a few days ago I did get a guy's David Bradley garden tractor's engine running, but that doesn't really count. Today I decided to install an original Oliver radiator and grille halves on this tractor that I had gotten off somewhat of a parts tractor I'd bought six months ago. It should have been a simple process of swapping parts from one tractor to the other. Well, an hour job took four hours. The final product though is so nice.
The first of many issues was getting the fan belt back on after swapping some pulleys around. The belt must be just a tiny bit too short, so I had to use a socket wrench to turn the crank pulley and walk the belt back onto the upper pulley. The bolt size on the crankshaft is 1-1/8". I had a 3/4-drive socket the right size but it wasn't deep enough. Ok, so I looked in my stash of three or four large random deep-well sockets and I happened to have the right size. I took it out to the tractor and..... it didn't fit.
The radiator has an integral fan shroud that acts as a support that bolts to the radiator shroud/nose shell. The nose shell basically holds the radiator in place. Several months ago I got out most of the dents in the nose shell and today I bolted the radiator back into the shell. That in itself is an ordeal due to the awkwardness of both parts. I then took the assembly out to the tractor and attempted to install it. It was then that I realized the radiator has to be unbolted from the nose shell in order for the fan shroud lower lip to fit past the fan. Now for the first of many times unbolting the radiator from the nose shell.... Did I mention it's an ordeal to reassemble the nose shell and radiator? Oh yeah, I did.
I got the radiator positioned correctly in relation to the fan and proceeded through the ordeal of bolting the radiator back into the nose shell. It was then that I realized the nose shell and radiator couldn't slide back far enough to line up the nose shell mounting holes with bolt holes in the frame, as the radiator shroud contacted the crankshaft pulley. Off came the radiator once again.
After a bunch more messing around, I realized the mounting holes in the sides of the fan shroud made the radiator sit an inch too far back in the nose shell. I don't quite understand that unless the Row Crop radiator sits different than the Standard's radiator.
At some point in time I had an epiphany... Sometimes it just takes longer. I could just slide the radiator further into the nose shell and drill new holes in the shroud for the nose shell mounting holes. That worked well and I got the radiator bolted back in place. I then bolted the radiator/nose shell to the frame. Cool, it's almost done.
But wait, there's more. I realized that I need to tip the radiator/nose shell forward to get a very short piece of radiator hose onto the upper neck of the radiator and engine outlet. I was able to get the two mounting bolts loosened again and got the upper hose installed. Now back to reinstalling the two bolts holding the nose shell to the frame. I didn't mention it before, but getting the bolt in place and tight on the right side of the nose shell was horrible. My hand almost didn't fit into where it had to go, and once in the right area, I could only use the tips of my fingers to manipulate the bolt into the threaded hole.
Finally, just one more hose to put on, the one from the bottom of the radiator to the inlet of the water pump. Problem is, it was another area my fat little mitts barely fit. It's been one fight after another. The job is finally done though, and after putting in coolant, I didn't see any leaks. That's always a win.
I thought it would be fun to show the iterations of this tractor's front end appearance during the time I've had it. This first one below is when I got the tractor. It had a radiator from a Toyota or something, and no nose shell.
This next one is after I bought a nose shell off eBay.
This next photo is after I bought new side panels from Lynch Farms. I also have the rear panels but they aren't installed yet.
And one final photo with the "new" grille sections installed (and the nose shell from the 60 Row Crop tractor).
I put the "eBay" nose shell on the 60 Row Crop so it doesn't look so much like a parts tractor. There is also the aluminum radiator in the nose shell that I'd bought on eBay for the 60 Standard back before I could find a real Oliver radiator. I figured if someone wants to try and get this tractor running again, they at least have a radiator that fits.
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