[AT] JD Distributor vs. Magneto - NOW: Let the Resurrection Begin!

[STEVE ALLEN]

List is slow and time to report.

I have a piece of Cecil's rain today, so stuck inside.  The tractor is in the (very wet) driveway :-/

We did have a good afternoon to work yesterday.  

Started by having my son pull the battery and clean up inside the battery box, full of remnants of the plywood seat bottom.  The battery is on the charger, but I'm afraid it is too far gone.  Date 2006; who knows when it was last charged.  Had him remove the cheapie cable that was bolted to the side of the box.  We'll get a heavier one and bolt it to a box mounting bolt into the casting beneath.

Next set him to disconnecting all the wiring at the generator to clean up the connections.  He did a good job.

I worked on the fuel system, meanwhile.  I managed to get the old fuel line off, but, when I tried to put it back on to finish draining the tank, the body casting for the sediment bowl broke.  Rats.  But, wait!  I have another for the B. . . .   Managed to dig it out only to find it has the wrong outlet.  *sigh*  Back to Rats.  Ordered replacement.  

Next, tried to get the float bowl off the carb.  I don't want to twist off the stem, so I didn't pull hard on the breaker bar.  No movement.  Well, I thought I'd try the air impact.  I retrieved the tool, laid out the hose, filled the tank, and went at it.  Nada.  Tank/compressor is obviously not up to the job, and the tool itself is a cheapie. . . .

Well, for another project, we needed a soldering iron, anyway, and some wire and a few other doo-dads, so:  off to town!  Harbor Freight and Menards, here we come!  Came home with an electric (NOT battery) impact, a soldering iron, and a cleaning brush my wife needed.  Wire and shrink wrap not available at either place.  Kid at the "Electrical Desk" looks at me like I have six eyes and four ears when I ask.  Not a clue.

Well, back to the carb:  exactly 1.2 seconds on the new impact, and the bowl nut spins off like a charm.  Yay!  Threads crappy looking and the inside of carb filled with sediment.  Boo!  It has obviously been recently massaged as the idle and power needles are brand new.  Needle and seat look real good; the float appears to be set well and not leaking.  So I flushed the crap out of the bowl, blew out the inlet screen, and ordered some gaskets.  I *hope* to avoid having to take the thing off to really go through it.  

Oh, yeah:  and the brake.  As we were cleaning up, I thought I'd whack at it with the impact a bit.  One of my dad's legacies is a good set of 8-pt sockets.  They are at least as good as anything sold for impact, so I mount the right size and go after the adjuster, a little tightening, a lot of loosening:  NO GO.  I didn't have time to haul the torch out of the shop to the garage, so I am not yet discouraged.  I will apply heat next time.

All in all:  progress on the electrical front, progress/set-back on the fuel, and no movement (literally) on the brake shaft.  Call it three baby steps forward, two back.  But I have a new tool--can't be an entirely bad day, can it?

Still need before attempting to start:
New sediment bowl, put in new fuel line, replace carb bowl casket.
Install new positive cable; steal a battery from something to test with.  Maybe pull the battery out of the pick-up and put a new one in it . . . .?
Empty last of old gas, put in some fresh.
Polish points.
Check/fill fluids.
Check compression relief valves to see if they work and are closed.

Of course, the brake shaft still needs attention.  Will try heat a few times, then move to electrolysis.  I don't want to short-cut, but I also don't want to expend too much till I can prove the old guy runs and works.  

Back to the office tomorrow.  Gonna be a ghost town, but there is work that beckons.  Pesky job keeps getting in the way of important stuff.

The "original" Steve Allen