New posts are on the way

I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with the blog this summer but I am hopping to get caught up soon. I have made a lot of progress on the tractor and I have taken a lot of pictures I just need to sit down and start posting.

Sring has sprung!

The weather is getting warm and I think the time has come to get back to work! I spent a few hours on Sunday getting the tractor ready for sandblasting. I had to make a wood cover for where the torque tube meets the transmission and plug some inspection holes but it didn't take long. After going back and forth a few times I think I have decided to have someone sandblast the rolling frame for me. I am going to see about a price this week. Amy seems to think it would be more expensive if I did it myself (she must know me pretty well).

It's been a little while since I've posted anything and I thought I would let everyone know I haven't forgotten about this project. I had some problems with one of my basement walls that needed some attention. I am hoping to get back to work on the tractor soon. I'm afraid if I don't I won't remember how to put it back together!

Q: How much does a 14.9"x 28" tire weigh?

I spent the afternoon on Monday removing the rear left wheel. I wanted to make sure it would come off easily when I take it to get blasted. The left tire is still fluid filled and I would like to drain it before I take it in. What I hadn't anticipated was the weight about 750 pounds! Now I am wondering how long it will take to drain 70 gallons through the valve stem.

I was doing some searching on the web today trying to figure out what would be the most economical way to proceed with the project. I need to sand blast, prime and paint the tractor. I have considered sending it out to be done but that is more expensive and I would like to do as much of the work myself on this tractor as possible. So I had thought about renting equipment but once again this is a little expensive and my garage really isn't big enough for that. Today while I was searching I found a place called Spray Booth Rental in Eudora that has all the equipment and materials on site. I can take the tractor there and sand blast it for about $80 (2 hours) and then they have a professional spray booth I can rent to spray the primer and paint for $100 (2 hours) and they have a painter on site to show you all you need to know. I think this is a great option that will save about 50% and let me do the work. The web site is http://www.sprayboothrental.com/ they have all kinds of different services and equipment available for everything from small pieces to restoring entire cars.

Helpful hint

Just wanted to let everyone know that any of the pictures shown, other than the banner at the top, can be clicked on to get a much better look, when you are done looking at a photo just click "Back" on your browser tool bar. Amy mentioned the other day that some of the photos are hard to see very well so I thought I would let everyone know.

Dissasembly finished!

Today I made some plywood plates to cover the transmission and steering box openings and removed the PTO shaft, rear step, seat and lastly reinstalled the frame rail. Other than plugging a few holes and making sure all the lug nuts will come off easily I think it is ready to go to the sand blaster.

Sunday Amy and I got the clutch housing and torque tube out in one piece.

In order to get the clutch housing and torque tube out of the tractor I had to remove the frame rail. I probably could leave them in but there would be a lot of area inside the frame that would not be able to be reached by the blasting or primer. Tomorrow after I get them out I will reattach the rail and begin plugging holes I don't want sand to get into.

Saturday I started by removing the blade and hydraulics from the tractor.

back from the car wash and all the dirt and oil is gone. The block is now ready for reassembly and paint but that is a little way down the road.

After removing everything from the engine I took the block to the car wash and cleaned it up.

Friday evening I wanted to get the engine block cleaned up and ready for new parts. I removed the oil pan and crank shaft pulley and then began removing the internal parts.

The engine is out

Today I worked on getting the engine out and on to the stand. The engine was putting some pretty good stress on the eye-bolts, I was glad to get it mounted. The old tractor is really starting to look bare. I'm hoping to have the clutch housing, torque tube and hydraulics off pretty soon and then it should be ready to go to the sand blaster. I better start ordering parts pretty soon since the engine is going to get a complete overhaul with new pistons, rings, sleeves, bearings, valves, springs, gaskets and a new clutch. The clutch was pretty worn but I expected that, I was glad to have caught it before it damaged the pressure plate.

Today I removed the gas tank, gas tank pedestal, battery box, carburetor, oil filter mount, and fenders. It's really starting to look stripped down now. I don't think it will be long after I get the engine out that it will be ready to go to Pickens to be sand blasted and epoxy primed. I told them that I would have the engine and sheet metal taken off when I sent it in. The sheet metal I will probably have soda blasted but I haven't decided yet. I'm surprised how fast it is going, I might be ready to do some plowing by spring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYH3q9nJ-fc This is a link to the original sales film for the WD45 back when this tractor was state of the art. You could do a lot on a little orange tractor back then.

Here's one with a different front end but very nice. I think Rod had one of these also. You can click on this photo and see the detail that went into this tractor. I don't think they looked this good new.

A little inspiration

Thought I might post a picture for inspiration. Hope mine will look this good.

One step at a time

I was talking with Amy today before she went to work about how I was looking at this project and feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm not a mechanic and the thought of taking apart and restoring an entire tractor seems a little formidable. I'm sure these type of thoughts come to us all when we embark on any large or difficult project but the conclusion I came to is that you can't look at the entire picture you have to break things down into small manageable pieces. I might find the thought of disassembling an entire tractor difficult but removing a water pump or changing a tire is relatively easy. So my goal is to focus on the task at hand and let the rest fall in line. Amy is always a good person to help me work things out. Having a good wife is a great blessing and I thank the Lord every day.

Cylinders

Inside looks pretty good. The rings are worn but the sleeves look good, no scars or cracks, at least on the top side.

Tear down continues

Next I removed the water pump, distributor, air cleaner, valve cover and cylinder head.

Tear down begins

After draining the fluids which all looked good I removed the hood, grill, radiator, alternator and intake/exhaust manifold.

A little dirt is to be expected

After getting it home it was time to begin the assessment, I think we might have a small oil leak! Not bad though for 55 or so years old.

Allis's new home

The first task at hand was to get the tractor ready to move. It was in Amy's parents barn and had been sitting on a flat tire for a while. The ballast (calcium chloride?) had leaked from the tire and rusted the rim through along with all the bolts holding it in place, but Amy's Grandfather Rod was a big help and we were able to get it off. I then found a used tire and rim on Craig's list and with a little work I had a tractor that would roll. Next I replaced the battery with my handy Tractor Supply gift card, thanks Mark and Karen, and it was time for a spin. I took the tractor out for a little drive way blading at Mark and Karen's, not the finest job they had ever seen but a lot of fun. Amy and I debated where would be the best place to store the tractor while I worked on it and we ended up deciding to bring it home. Saturday Amy's Uncle Bob loaned us his trailer which worked great, the trailer actually road better with the 4500 pound tractor on it, thanks Bob. After the 45 minute drive home we unloaded the tractor and pulled it into its new home.

The journey begins

Hello my name is Doug and welcome to my blog. This blog is dedicated to the restoration of my 1955 Allis Chalmers WD45. It is my hope that this blog will serve as a way for family and friends as well as other tractor enthusiasts to check on the progress of this tractor. This year for my birthday I received from my wife Amy's family my first tractor, thanks Karen and Mark. This tractor originally belonged to Amy's Grandfather Rod, he at one time had two of them and at some point gave this one to Amy's parents.
I am not a tractor expert, and until this September the only tractor I had ever driven said Sears on it. I enjoy things from the past and memories of family, these memories give a special quality to the things that belonged to our loved ones. I know that Amy's' Grandfather is very important to their family and to preserve a piece of those family memories is the best project I could have. I hope that people check in from time to time and enjoy watching this tractor come back to life.