what's wrong with my super c??

okay. i have a project tractor i'm working on.
it is a farmall super c, serial# 104204. there is no water pump on this machine, and the casting dates make no sense.

on platform: 3 * 5 * W
on torque tube: 5 * 3 * W
on hydraulics housing: 8 * 6 * T
on engine block: 2 * 8 * Z

according to others on this site, the Z in the date code mean it wa cast in '54. the engine also has a stamped serial number behind the distributer/governor assembly. it is 204708.

any help at all would be great.
thanks-

Nothing "wrong" in strictest terms.

What it sounds like is a '51 Super C that had the motor replaced (from both the serial # and the casting code) at some point with one of '54 vintage. Not sure how to explain the T on the hydraulic block. That block was common with the Super A, so MAYBE it was just one that was there and put on the original tractor, but just as likely that it was replaced, too, with an earlier one from a SuperA. Only speculation, but there could have been a problem with a blown seal on the hydraulic pump that led to the ruination of motor and hydraulic block, as one possible scenario.

If everything fits and works, there's nothing "wrong."

Something not right, all Super 'C's' should have had a water pump but the 'C's' did not. Maybe someone else can clarify these codes. From 1951 on these engines had water pumps, but serial number says it is a 1951 model not a 1954. Maybe the early Super 'C's did not have a water pump.

well, you answered it as well as i hoped someone could. everything fits well enough. i do appreciate your comments.

how about the water pump - i am under the impresion they would be standard on the super c, but i am not seeing it at all.

If the cooling system is clean and flowing it will work OK without water pump. Even if pulled moderately hard. Just don't overfill or it will spit out excess. It does sound like someone put a super 'A' engine in it, the later models of Super'A' or 100 etc had same engine size as a Super 'C'

It does sound kinda odd that there's no water pump.

I don't know how familiar you are with the 113/123 motor you've got, so forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know. That's not my intention.

The water pump on the motor, if it's there, is not behind the fan in the middle of the block like most auto water pumps. It's actually at the inlet to the block, connected to the lower radiator hose. A motor without a pump will have a straight inlet there.

If there's a water pump, look at your belts. The rear belt should run straight between the fan pulley and the generator. The front belt, if there is NO pump will run from the crank pulley to the fan and no where else. If there IS a pump, it will be a longer belt that runs between the pulleys on the crank, the fan and the water pump. Standing by the generator and looking, if the forward belt is angled out toward the left side of the tractor and runs close to the inlet to the block, it will be running around the pulley on the water pump.

Another clule would be the brace that holds the top of your generator. With no water pump, that brace will be a straight piece of steel with a slot in it. If there's a water pump (or used to be) that brace will have a curve to it.

HTH

thanks. there's a lot i don't know, and i appreciate folks who do know.
the belt from the crankshaft pulley drives the fan and a slipshod installation of a 12v alternator. the lower connection is shaped like a sort of s curve and has a short length of hose going into the radiator. there is no evidence of a pulley.

There's obviously been some cobbling going on -- not unusual on a tractor that worked for a living.

If there's no sign of a pulley anywhere near the inlet to the motor and the lower radiator hose, it's a pretty safe assumption that you don't have a water pump. The pump (they're still available) bolts up to the very same holes in the block as the simple, no-pump, inlet. If there's no pulley there, there's no pump.

As long as there's no thermostat in the outlet (between the head and the upper radiator hose), the lack of a pump should not pose a problem in any but the heaviest work for your tractor.

i only intend to run a sickle bar mower off this machine, so long as it can hold up to that, then things should be alright. i appreciate all the responses!

one more question, though - what would be a fair price for a wide front axle setup for this farmall super c? i have one quote at 1500.00, just wondering if anyone has ever purchased or went shopping for one -

thanks again-

A brand new, heavy duty Schwartz wide front axle to fit a Farmall M retails for less than $1,500.

A used wide front axle for a Farmall C should not be worth more than about $500