Thread: Shonky's '58 Series II SWB

Pics as promised!











Note the flat rear tyres... I had to dismantle the wall in order to get the damn thing in the shed, and it was about 3" too tall! Didn't have the time to pull the roof off either...

Some of you may be interested in this also:

Its a Fordson Major Diesel. Don't know the year but the engine was rebuilt in 1961 (according to a plate on the side...) so it is at least that old!

Lovely old tractor. Kicks over first time, every time and blows less smoke than our '96 Patrol. Brakes are nigh on nonexistant though...

I went up to the farm on Monday and Tuesday and had a rather productive (albeit painful) two days of dismantling.

I have now denuded the beast of it's hardtop, tailgate, seats, windscreen and seatbelts.

I know none of those things are particularly hard to do, but being in a shed with very little head room above the roof, and also being largely on my own I thought it was a pretty solid effort.



The roof was fairly easy to do, although the bolts along the top of the windscreen were a little frustrating at times. Note that I have also removed the glass to lighten the load, as my dear old mum was the only one around to give me a hand lifting it off!

It looks weird without it's lid...



The tailgate and windscreen were of course too simple for words but the seatbelts... argh... whoever installed them did so with the nuts on the outside and didn't use bolts or nuts that afforded any level of corrosion resistance. I will have to grind them out at a later stage (no power in this shed ) In the meantime I had to just slash the belts. Oh well.

The seats weren't too bad but those split pins in the backs were horrible. The fact that it was fairly dark also didn't help.



With the windscreen off, the rust along the top of the firewall that I had been valiantly trying to pretend wasn't there, became painfully obvious.

(sorry about the pics - low MP camera and crap light)



Mind you, I don't think it matters anyway... my firewall is swiss cheese. Methinks I need a new one.



A bit like my rear crossmember:

Thanks NM!

Yes, I noticed the project section this morning... Domestic blindness. :P

It's a learner's attempt at a serious resto - which is half the fun!

I was planning on getting a rear member from Four Wheel Drives in Melbourne, but I'm still sussing out where I can find a firewall from, or if I can fix it myself (after I buy another welder. And move it into a shed with power... hmm...)

The truck is located near Capertee/Glen Davis (about 1hr North West of Lithgow - towards Mudgee) and I live in Sydney (Baulkham Hills) during the week for work and study reasons.

It's very frustrating! Sometimes I come home from work and all I want to do is have a tinker but I can't!

If you wouldn't mind, could you move my post into the Projects/Tutorials section?

Thanks for the post too. It's always good to know that I'm not just posting this for me to re-read!

Some of you may be wondering why the entire front end has been removed, except for the Left wing. Well the answer is quite simple. I can't get the blasted thing off!

I can reach the bolts with an extension socket but it feels like the captive nuts are no longer captive (it just spins incessantly). Because they are inside the firewall I'm not sure how I can get them out (short of putting the grinder through the door pillar ).

Any suggestions?!

Mate, you have a serious project there. I am sure that you will enjoy it though and, when it starts to look like the 'other one' in the picture, you will be very happy. Always glad to see someone else keeping the old series vehicles going

My Dad has a Fordson tractor just like that. It doesn't do too much work these days but it does still cut timber and drag things around his paddock when needed. They are a great old work horse.

Thanks Troy!

You may have noticed the LRM sticker on the windscreen in some of the photos. That sticker I think came with the first LRM Mag I ever got - which featured your old Landy! I had just got my old girl at that stage and your story was a great inspiration to me! I was reading it just a few weeks ago when brushing up in preparation for getting properly stuck into the resto for the first time, and it served to once again reinspire me.

It's a small world, isn't it.

The 'Major is certainly a keen worker. When I have time I will have to do some digging into IT'S history! As I said its a lovely old trackie. Just does everything it's told (except braking! :O)

Great project ya got there - second the new welder, dunno if you have checked the chassi but if the rear crossmember is the way it is (alot like my IIA) there is a good chance that the chassi, especially around gearbox crossmember and rear spring hanger mounts will need surgery to remove some serious cancer - again like mine..... it's all part of the fun though