A lot has gone on here the past two weekends, except it has been difficult for me to blog about it because of all the thunderstorms we have been getting around these parts. It seems that bad weather makes our AT&T DSL connection fail intermittently 'round the clock, and it is often "down" more than it is up. It just keeps going in and out all the time, and could drop out at any minute, so it might take several attempts to get this post completed. Just for the record, everybody, AT&T DSL ~~~ not too reliable if the weather isn't perfect, and not too reliable if the weather is perfect but has had some imperfect moments within the past week or more.

That being said, a lot has gone on here in our garage. I will try to tell it through pictures. If interested, you can click any picture to get a better view. I have learned a bit about engines this past week, and so has Little Son. Who knows? Even some of my readers might find it interesting. After all, life is homeschooling, and the other way around.

Before I begin, I have to say that this project is / has been another demonstration of Self-Reliant Man's diligence, patience, creativity, longsuffering (mine, too, on this one), resourcefulness, patience, intelligence, analytical temperament, patience, pragmatism, persistence, and patience. Not to mention his self-reliance. Yes, he truly does display the gifts of the Spirit in these situations.

Now where was I? Oh yes, pictures and captions.

You know, this tractor rebuild project has kind of been like a pregnancy here, with a very long, agonizing labor. It has been at least 8 months in the works. I don't know, yet, whether we will forget the pain when it is truly all over. This remains to be seen. I certainly hope that the tractor's better functioning will make our lives more controllable and predictable on the weekends.

But what about the pictures (I can hear you asking)? Stop yapping, and show us the pictures!

I would have by now, except I am still waiting for them to upload.

Hold on, now.Little Son definitely got in the act where he could. Here he is showing his new wrench skills by extending the legs on the borrowed engine hoist.
When hoisting a 400-500 pound engine to mount to a fixed tractor, you have to get it lifted and positioned as level and straight (on all three axes) as possible in order to attach the bolts. So Self-Reliant Man has rigged up some fancy rope tricks using blocks of wood and various fancy knots he found in the K volume of World Book encyclopedia.
Of course, nothing goes perfectly on the first attempt (Self-Reliant Man has learned to accept this reality much better than I have) and it took a few repetitions and adjustments before everything was level after lifting off the ground.
By this point, we had it very well lined up and held in place by long screwdrivers until the bolts could be fastened. I was actually able to help with this step (when I wasn't taking pictures).
I think it was about all joined up by this point.
This is a rare look inside at the brand new cylinders and valves. Yes, all the sleeves, pistons, valves and rings were replaced with shiny new parts.
The head and gaskets were attached in an elaborate, painstaking procedure. There were 18 bolts that had to be connected in a specific sequence to ensure an equal and complete seal. Each bolt had to be torqued in stages, too. First, to 30 ft-lbs, then 50 ft-lbs, and finally to 70 ft-lbs. The, after the project is done, and you are breaking in the engine, you have to go back at two or three points and retorque all of the bolts. This is a big deal, and you don't want to skip any of these steps if you don't want to blow the gasket out.
The front set of wheels went on, and the tie rods had to be connected. Then, the fan and belt. Also, the oil filter, alternator, distributor, carburetor, and all connecting lines and hoses.
This has been Self-Reliant Man's weekend uniform for months, now (when we're not at church).
At times, Little Son has tightened up less critical bolts (not the head gasket!) and held items in place or reached his smaller hands into tight spots to tighten nuts. Here, he is helping with the air filter.The grey, pipe-like structure (on left) had to be mounted next. This is the manifold (for air intake and exhaust). This item would cause us trouble a week later on.
This picture shows the alternator (center bottom), the distributor (black box in lower right corner), and all the spark plug lines, as well as the air and exhaust lines (red or rusted pipes on the left). I am feeling really good seeing all these pieces get reassembled. It is much better then the nausea and headaches which I felt when it all got taken apart in the winter.
Here is the radiator, reattached. Yes, it looks like it has seen better days, but a replacement is costly, and might not be as well made as the original.
Nice new radiator hoses. This tractor is an extreme juxtaposition of brand new parts, and of very old ones. Color tells all.

That was all on Memorial Day weekend. This weekend (yesterday), the steps were finished.
One of the steps we had to do was to mount the hood. The hood contains the gas tank.
Little Son was able to steer the lift as the hood was moved into place.
Yeah, we know. It's a rusty old hood, named Ford.
Affix the front grille and the new steering wheel...
Just look at that smile. There's a little girl who has faith in her daddy's abilities.
Then....... start her up! And yes, the engine did start successfully and sound good!
and there was much rejoicing

..only to reveal, within minutes, a significant technical problem, in which the engine would stop whenever the choke was shut off.
and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth

This puzzling technical problem kept Self-Reliant Man thinking and trying things the rest of the day. I will spare you the details, except to say that he formulated a hypothesis at dinner yesterday, and decided to make the needful changes late last night. He was still in the garage at ten o'clock.

Today, upon trying again, everything went as it should. So today we are following the recommended break-in procedure.....
(re-torquing the head bolts, with Little Son's help)

....... and right now the tractor is being taken for a spin around the property for an hour's worth of engine break-in time. This is biblical. It was recommended in the Antique Tractor Bible (see previous post).
What a wonderful sight this is!And Little Son felt it would be prudent to follow along behind for a few laps, "In case any parts fall off!" as he put it.I guess one of the many unexpected pleasures of this day is seeing the empty space in the garage.

I am so proud of Self-Reliant Man! We shall certainly celebrate his major accomplishment!

This is homeschooling at its finest, at least at our house!