WILL IT RUN? 1945 Ford 2N tractor restoration [Part 1]

This 76 year old Ford 2N tractor has been sitting for several years without running. So obviously we’re bringing it back to life and are ready to put it to work on the homestead.

It’s been at least four (maybe six or seven) years since this tractor last ran. After taking an inventory on what we had and what we didn’t I was ready to get this project underway.

★ 1945 Ford 2N Antique Tractor Restoration:    • 1945 Ford 2N Antique Tractor Restoration  

Step 1 was to remove the “good” tires from the parts tractor and put them on the project. There was a little more headache in this process than expected but we got it done without bloodshed (a major accomplishment for me – I am my father’s son). I replaced one wheel, the shredded one, outside in the driveway so I could roll the tractor into the shop. I really appreciate my friend, Austin, coming over to help with that task, as my wife, Megan, was not up for the challenge. Once the tractor was in the shop I replaced the other wheel.

I’m a big proponent of sharing my mistakes so others can learn from them and the ol’ tap-tap-tapperoo on the wheel studs really boogered the threads up. I planned on including that in this video but lo and behold the video file was corrupt, so I had to remove it. Be cautious when using hammers to remove stuff because the chances of catastrophic failure are high. But once the studs were removed and replace the wheel went on and we were set.

Prior to putting a battery on the machine I sprayed fogging oil into the cylinders and turned the crank pulley a few times to make sure the engine was free (it was). Fogging oil lubricates the cylinder walls and on an engine that’s been sitting for a while that’s a necessity. I have a friend who works for a battery distributor and he hooked me up with a great deal on a refurbished battery; I love saving dollars.

After mashing the starter button a couple times it became apparent that 1. The exhaust pipe was full of water and 2. I had no spark. I removed the exhaust and dumped that out (rain cap has already been ordered, check back for another video on that in the future). Then I ran through the lightning system and replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coil, and rebuilt the distributor with new points (0.015” gap), etc. Make sure you polish those points – a dollar bill or a brown paper sack work great. Using a spark plug test light I determined we had spark to all four cylinders.

I was impressed with how fast this tractor fired up after sitting for so many years, and it feels great. We’re so excited to put this old tractor to work around the farm but there are still some repairs to be done; fixing that sticky left brake, replacing the sediment bowl, fuel line, and carburetor, installing the air cleaner, and accessorizing just to name a few. We hope you’ll subscribe to the channel and follow along as we continue to work on this project. Thanks for watching!
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