Making plans for my 2N

[Brokegunner]

Hey guys, 2 weeks ago I bought a 2N that
had been sitting for many years and started
working on it. I quickly got discouraged
by the amount of problems it had but I
trudged on and took them one at a time and
I finally got to drive it around our
property a few times today. I'm now
looking at the remaining items it needs and
trying to figure out a plan on what needs
to be addressed now and what can wait.

I won't go into all the details on what
I've done but here's a short list of the
work so far:
Completely rewired everything (except
lights)
New starter, switch, key switch, breakout,
ammeter, carb (cheap Chinese TSC one, I'm
planning to rebuild the original), complete
cooling system.
The engine runs pretty good, smokes a
little but that should get better with use.
The good thing is the generator, coil,
tires, engine, hydraulics, etc were all
good and it has a Sherman under/over trans.

Now the things I'm seeing that need to be
addressed are:
fuel tank
steering
exhaust
hood/grill

So taking these one at a time... I might
just go ahead and buy a reproduction tank,
as they are only $110 and im still within
my budget I set for myself.

The steering is where I need some advice.
The sector bushings are clearly shot and
I'm wondering if that is as easy to do as
it looks in the book? I can't seem to find
any write ups on doing the steering but I
don't think i'll have any problem doing the
work unless there is something unexpected.
Im sure I could put this off a little while
too.
The exhaust is also pretty basic, hopefully
the manifold is ok but again these are
pretty cheap.

Another question- if I find a
hood/grill/tank off a 9n will it bolt up to
my 2n?


<img
src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvp
hotos/cvphoto972.jpg"/>

 

[Caryc]

You don't say what the problem is with the exhaust. But, if you have a leak at the manifold, I certainly wouldn't drive it that way until you get the problem fixed.

You don't want to drive it until it gets worse and starts pitting on your engine surface or the manifold surface.

My 8N developed a leak at the exhaust. I could actually feel the air puffing from it when it was running. It also made a clicking sound. The manifold could probably have been resurfaced but since they are pretty cheap, I just installed a new one.

 

[ArleninOr]

Arvin, where are you located? I have a hood and fuel tank. No dog legs.

 

[Brokegunner]

Im in calaveras county, California.

 

[Brokegunner]

The exhaust has a 6" piece of rusty flex
pipe clamped on right at the manifold
junction, so I can't tell if the leak is at
the manifold or coming from the flex pipe.
Either way it's been that way for a long
time but I do want to fix it asap.

 

[ArleninOr]

North end of Oregon. Road trip? Can maybe get you a picture if needed.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley RIP]

Why did you replace all those parts without first determining if bad? What the heck is a 'breakout'??? By 'switch' do you mean the push button neutral safety starter switch by the shifter? Id bet you'd find most, if not all of those parts still good. Starters, generators, distributors, carbs, water pumps et al were designed to be rebuilt over and over. Is it 6V or 12V? Did it run when you got it? Good 9N/2N hoods and gas tanks pop up on ebay all the time. Be sure you get the right one -8N hoods are different. The 8N had a side vent for the air cleaner and the FORD script embossed on each side near the radiator. Grilles also were different -again model year comes into play but I recently saw a few real nice original ones.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

 

[Brokegunner]

Good morning Tim,

Why would you assume I replaced all those parts without testing? The only part I did not test was the generator cutout but since the tractor was sitting so long and the cutout was a crumbling pile of rust I figured $20 was a safe bet. I used the incorrect term 'breakout' for the generator cutout; I will edit my post to avoid any further confusion.

This tractor sat for many years in a field so the need to replace or rebuild some parts was expected, and no it did not run when I got it.
I have another tractor that is missing the starter, carb, etc, so buying the parts to get this one running have me good cores to rebuild for the other tractor.

The starter is in the process of being rebuilt, as well as the carburetor. The carb that was on it was a solid lump of rust so it took a full week soaking in carb cleaner before I could even begin tearing it down. The starter switch was not making contact so I drilled a 3/8" hole in the side so I could clean the crust out and spin the big copper washer enough to make contact and use the switch to spin the motor over. Even after cleaning it only worked half the time so a new switch was justified.

My current hood has the hinged fuel door and the tank filler is offset to the passenger side, which I'm not sure is correct for this hood? (The fuel door is centered but the filler is offset). The tank has been repaired a few times and is coated with fiberglass on the bottom which is now cracked and warping.

So far I'm in this thing $1000 and it runs pretty good and has 4 good tires so I'm pretty happy with where I am so far

 

[kylemorley]

Once the manifold starts leaking it begins to seriously erode the mating surfaces on the block, usually the ones at the end of the block. Once this happens, replacing or resurfacing the exhaust manifold is unlikely to fix the problem, and you can't fix it by resurfacing the mating surface on the block (even if you felt like doing a complete tear down to get access which you probably do not) because there isn't enough meat on the block where the manifold goes to allow resurfacing.

There is, fortunately, a procedure that usually works, which involves using a high temperature a manifold sealant Quick Steel to build up the eroded surface. Us a proper HT product like Quick Metal, which is rated for 2000 F, not a so-called high temp epoxy or silicone as these are usually rated for only 500F or so.

 

[Royse]

"Another question- if I find a
hood/grill/tank off a 9n will it bolt up to
my 2n?"

Bolt up, yes.
Dog legs may be different and the grill may not be "correct".
Check out [b:5ae580f531]this[/b:5ae580f531] site for ID history and details.
Compliments of and Kudos to John Smith.

The steering is as shown in the manual except I've never got
one to come apart as easily as it says they should.

Congrats on the new tractor!

 

[Brokegunner]

Thanks, i'll check that site.

I pulled the tank out of my 9n and
installed it into the 2n. It wouldn't work
with the hinged gas door as there are 2
divots near the gas cap that allow
clearance for the hinge arms. Mine were so
rusted they were falling apart so I broke
them off and the tank is working fine now.

Also made a new fuel line out of steel line
and used my fancy Eastwood double flare
tool to make the flared ends.

My neighbor stopped by and offered to let
me use his blade since he sold his tractor
so I went up to his place and picked it up
with the tractor and did a little grading
in my yard before the sun went down.
Im having fun!

 

[Royse]

If your 9N is early enough to have a snap in gas tank cover, you
should either use the whole hood or sell those parts to collectors!
This site and many others sell the hood, gas tank, gas tank door,
hinge kit for that door, etc. But the early originals are scarce.