[AT] Small UPDATE: '47 B

Wed Jul 15 16:11:17 PDT 2020

Steve,
Steve,

On the battery cable you should be able to go with 2 AWG. Some go down to 1 AWG if the length is not that long. If you can find a cable made for something like welding, that would be ideal since it would have more strands of wire and would be more flexible than standard wire. 

Most other wire would be 12 or 16 AWG, mostly likely 16 AWG. Making a new harness is not that difficult. Attach one end of the wire to a starting point, then route it where you want it to go, taping it wherever you can with masking tape or using existing wire/harness clips. Leave extra wire at both ends for a final length adjustment. Do this with all the wires and when you’re done, tape the wires together with electrical tape at each junction to form the harness. Finally either sleeve it with plastic or web sleeving, or wrap it with electrical tape. Don’t do any crimping of terminal lugs until you’ve got the harness positioned where you want it. Cut the ends a little longer to make terminating easier and allow for repairs next year. You should be able to find a picture of a harness on the internet to give you an idea of what you're shooting for. A lot of parts dealers will have pictures.

As far as the hole in the air cleaner cup, that can be soldered closed, providing the hole is small and not the size of a quarter. Clean the areas until the metal is shiny. Then, using a soldering iron, not a torch, melt some solder onto the cup. Use the soldering iron to drag the solder slowly around and over the hole, making sure the solder bonds. You can keep dragging the soldering iron around until it looks good to you. The soldering iron will only heat a small area at a time, so you can smooth out the solder to your liking without causing it to keep running off. Old fashioned bar solder, the type used for doing gutters back in the day, works best.  I’ve fixed several items this way, including small metal gas tanks for tillers, mowers, etc., and never had any leaks. With the fact that you can get to the inside surface, you can try soldering on both sides of the hole.

Carl

----- Original Message -----
From: STEVE ALLEN <steveallen855 at centurytel.net>
To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
Sent: Wed, 15 Jul 2020 16:37:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [AT] Small UPDATE:  '47 B

YOU asked for it!

My son has been called back to work as of next week, so we have been trying to get a number of things done--especially he has because I am in the office every day.  In addition to keeping up with the grass and making preparations for an ACW re-enactment on the 25th/26th (assuming it actually comes off and isn't cancelled), he has been doing more work on the '47 JD B.

We had tested the starter, and I told him to begin looking at the battery cables and wiring.  He called me out to review his findings.  The negative cable that goes to the starter may be original.  The terminal on the starter end looks to be in good shape, but the connection is under a bunch of dried dirt and oil.  The battery connection is junk.  We pulled I out, and we are going to at least replace the ends.  I may replace the entire cable.  I am not sure what gauge it is--is there a way to tell?--and I want to make sure that we have a GOOD circuit.  The positive (ground) cable is just junk.  We're definitely replacing it.  Since we had to take off the battery box, I told him to clean it up.  He freed up the seat so that it adjusts again--that hasn't happened since 1980, at least.  We're debating getting a replacement harness for the wiring:  the original wiring is mostly gone, and the cobbled-together replacements are cut and dangling.  

We know the generator needs work, but I have to find a shop.  The one that used to be around here is long gone.  I'll bet the regulator is junk, too.  Since it is a Mag tractor, we don't *need* those features just to get it going, we have time to decide.  Speaking of the mag, we need to begin collecting the necessary parts to overhaul it.  The inside is not rusted or gunked up, but it is dirty, so it will get new guts.  The coil in it was replaced among the last thing I ever did to the tractor 'way back when, so am not worried about it.  We'll need new wires, plugs, etc.  In fact, I want to put new plugs in all three.  

Let me therefore ask a dangerous question:  What's everyone's favorite 2-cylinder plug?

Anyway, the carb just needs to be reassembled, and we can put the intake system back together.  Oh, actually, we need a new air cleaner oil cup, for he found a hole in the one on there.  It's always something!

OK, so that's the latest at our place.  Now, it's someone else's turn ;-)

The "original" Steve Allen
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