1952 Ford 8N

I'm restoring my first tractor a 52 Ford 8N my uncle gave me from Georgia. Looking for any info on where to start and what do do. I have started by stripping it down changing fluids new distributor new carb new starter solenoid and so on. I'm cleaning up the wiring. I think it's a good idea to get it all up and running before going to paint. Any suggestions on this project would be appreciated.
Also I put a new radiator on what coolant should I use I've read just a premixed 50/50 antifreeze is okay? Any thoughts on what fluids are best for an 8N would help too. I put sae 30 oil in but may change to Sae 20 since it gets cold here. I'm in Illinois.

If you are "restoring" it, it would seem to me to be pretty BIZARRE to toss the classic USA-made carburetor, the distributor, and
the starter solenoid, and replace them with crap from "The Land of Almost Right"!

Of course, whether it be a car or an old tractor, the definition of "restoration" is pretty broad.

That being said, in the overall plan of your "restoration", what did you determine was irreparably wrong with your classic USA-made carburetor, distributor, and starter solenoid, if I may be so bold as to ask?

I hate the term restore because to do a true 100% restore one has to make it as it was the day it rolled out of the factory and most call a restore a simple fix what is not working and slap a paint job on it and call ti restored which it is not.

Like the guy are car show saying his car is 100% original and he had aluminum valve cover on it. The year that car was made there was not or ever was aluminum valve cover offered for it at the dealer ship so it could not be 100% original. I called him out on that and boy did he go crazy but he was wrong since it did not have them when new

Welcome Lake Country!

I don't know how far you have stripped it down, but my suggestion would be to go after what is obviously wrong, finish the wiring, put it back together, get it running as best you can. Then put it to use, get some seat time, listen to the engine, drive train, work the hydraulics, check for oil leaks... In other words, get to know the machine personally, learn it's good points and bad. Then you can decide how far you want to go with repairs.

But before going any further, invest in a shop manual! It will more than pay for itself in mistakes not made! When you get it, devote some time to reading and studying it, get into the mind of the designer, read even the parts you don't find relevent to what you are doing now, because that info will come in handy later.

As for restoration, that is a narrow term, reserved for the few elite that take their hobby to the extreme. That entails a complete tear down to the last nut and bolt, reassembly to exact factory specs with only factory parts. I would highly discourage this for a first time endeavor. A good way to get discouraged or run out of funds before the job is complete.

Your best bet would be to fix what is wrong, concentrate on oil leaks, do a thorough cleaning, invest what you can in paint. That way you will have something that is practical to still use without fear of getting it dirty, and still be able to take it to shows and parades. That way, you can always go deeper later.

Good luck, keep in touch, there are mo dumb questions. Youtube is your friend!

PS. The antifreeze question, yes, regular green antifreeze is fine for this tractor. Flush it thoroughly, drain and refill 50-50%.

There is a Very good board for the N Series
Fords here at Yesterdays Tractors. I suggest
you ask your N specific questions there.
Click on the link below.
That said, remember that while the Ns were
great small tractors that changed farming in
a profound way due to the 3 point hitch,
they do lack the features like live
hydraulics, live pto, power steering and
other features that tractors just a few
years newer will likely have. So I would
suggest that before you go too far and sink
too much dough into your tractor you make a
decision about whether this tractor will be
just a toy (which is totally fine) or a
tractor you will use for mowing, plowing
back blading and other tasks. If the latter
then I suggest you don't overspend on it and
start with a little newer model which won't
cost more to restore but will do much more
work for you.
Have fun and welcome to YT.
N board

(quoted from post at 21:51:12 08/06/17) If you are "restoring" it, it would seem to me to be pretty BIZARRE to toss the classic USA-made carburetor, the distributor, and
the starter solenoid, and replace them with crap from "The Land of Almost Right"!

Of course, whether it be a car or an old tractor, the definition of "restoration" is pretty broad.

That being said, in the overall plan of your "restoration", what did you determine was irreparably wrong with your classic USA-made carburetor, distributor, and starter solenoid, if I may be so bold as to ask?

Click to expand...

I suppose I used the term restore loosely for a purest like yourself. What I was looking for was some suggestions for this project. Might I rephrase things and say I am trying to get an old 52 8N up and running and looking good. I have no intention on trying to make this a show Tractor just something to work on and have a fun time with. Looking for suggestions on what trans fluid to use what coolant is good for these old tractors and any tips from someone who may have some knowledge on these tractors.

Hey Steve thank you very much for the reply. I appreciate your suggestions and I think that is what I'll do. Get it running good and have some fun with it before I go any further. I have the service manual parts manual and owners manual and have been reading and studying these. I have also been watching a lot of videos of others working on old 8N tractors. I guess I used "restore" loosely. I am looking to have a nice running tractor for fun parades and hay rides. Thanks for your tip on the coolant.
I have another question on the transmission fluid. When I drained it first it was empty besides a lot of water I think got in the fill cap by the shifter. Before I fill it is there anything I should do to make sure all the water is out? And are the synthetic trans/hydraulic fluids okay to fill the trans with?

dig that carb out, and use it. Have fun. I love mine.

i agree, rule of thumb on fords, what it had when you got it is much better when rebuilt, than buying new offshore stuff,i know from experience, fix it, thats how you learn and get to understand it, dont just toss it and buy new, a 8n is as simple mechanically as a tractor gets. Henry ford designed his tractor " to be understood and repaired in the field, by farmers used to farming with horses" you can run a computer, which means that ford is easy for you, buy the owners manual and service manual, available right here on this site, and dig in, people on the 9, 2, and 8 n board here will help you with every bit of it, just ask any question, the only dumb question is the one you didnt ask

There are 3 drain plugs to completely drain the transmission/hydraulic fluid out of that tractor
I just did mine, a 1950 8n. I did all mechanical work and ran it about 10 hours to make sure everything worked and no leaks before I
started painting it. Google is your friend, if you google something like "how to rebuild a 8n steering box "you can find all type of
information There are other sites but for some reason I don't think we are allowed to post a direct link to them.
Good luck there is a lot of knowledge here and they helped me tremendously.

Wow your tractor looks great thanks for the info. I have two of the plugs out I'll have to find the third today and open that as well. I have the manuals so I'm on my way. Thanks for the help I'll drain that other plug today.

RE: Trans fluid and water.

I had the misfortune of submerging my 8N in water for about 3 days. My solution but NOT recommended by anyone but me.

Put the drain caps back on. Mix up a batch of fluid from a gallon of diesel fuel, and a gallon of cheap hyd fluid. Fill the case with that, and run it for a short time. Operate the lift a few times to cycle fluid through the lift asm. The diesel fuel is modestly hydroscopic and will pick up some of the remaining water. Drain and refill with non-synthetic quality Ford M4864 type fluid. There are other options but this is a good compromise for your temperature.

Again, this is my method only. My trans and lift work well today. It's also a good idea once you get the new Ford fluid in to run the tractor for several hours, and may even leave the fill cap loose which will help evaporate any water left in the case by getting it plenty hot. If you have a PTO attachment like a bush hog, now would be a good time to go clear some land.

As for your coolant, you need to read the back of the coolant label and find the temp chart. It will tell you what ratio of coolant to water to use.

Now, as for getting your old coolant out, this is going to be a hassle. Here's what I did and again NOT recommended by anyone but me.

Remove the coolant from the radiator with the drain cock at the bottom. If there is a drain cock on the engine and not a plug, do not use the little handle to drain the engine. Remove the drain cock itself. It may be frozen to the block if it's been in place a long time. If it breaks off, you will need to go to a tool store and get an "EZ out" to remove the old drain threads from the block(ask me how I know). Once you have the drain cock out of the engine block you may be wondering; 'hhmmm, why is no coolant coming out of the engine?'. The reason is because the crud has built up inside the cooing passages of the engine for 60 years!

Take a coat hanger and straighten out the loop end. Jam the coat hanger wire into the drain hole and wangle it around some, to loosen the crud. Water and coolant will begin to flow. Keep jamming the wire around in the block to get as much fluid as you can out of there. Now you need to decide how much crud you want to remove, and how long you want to work on this. You can use a small hose adapter to force water into the block from the drain hole. Then, use the wire jam method to drain that out. This water will be somewhat cleaner than the first drain. Keep flushing until things look good.

Leave the drain plug out, then close the rad drain, and fill with clear water. Start the engine, and let it come up to temp while you are adding water to the rad, and draining water form the block. You can also leave the rad drain open as long as you continue to add water to the rad and don't let it run dry.

Once you are satisfied that the engine and rad are fairly clean, and you are now filthy with old coolant, the joy of cleaning your cooling system is done. Turn off engine, Let all the water drain out. Add a new plug to the engine block, close the rad drain. Follow the directions on the coolant jug and fill with distilled water and coolant. Do not top the rad off. Leave about 2" of air gap in the rad for water expansion as it gets hot.

Run the engine, and check the rad coolant level regularly as there will be air pockets in the engine that will be burped out. Run the engine all the way up to working temp, and carefully check the coolant level. If you want to get fancy, and check the operation of your radiator, the temp of the bottom rad hose will be about 25-30F cooler than the top rad hose. It is wise to keep the stock fan shroud on the tractor. A lot of them are removed, or cut up, or damaged. A good fan shroud will help move a lot of air, and keep the tractor at the right temp, which also helps oil pressure, and fuel econ.

Great tips I appreciate it. I'll get to work on the coolant system and see how bad it is. Thanks again.

Unless you live in an area that the temps get to 40F below that 50-50 premix will be fine, Just don't get for the new cars, it is good for down to 35 below and forget the extra high priced single weight oils. The cheapest 10-40 oil from an auto parts, farm supply will be just fine in the engine And oil bath air cleaner. A universal hydrolic oil is what you need in the transmission-rear end-hydrolic system as it is one resevor and 1 fill but multiple drain plugs. Just look for Ford rated.

In addition to service, parts and owner's manuals, do a search for books on "how to restore Ford tractors."

Look for one by Tharran E. Gaines. It's good light reading. Have fun with it!

Thanks for the info appreciate your help. I bought a 50/50 mix today.

I use "resurrected" keeps me out of trouble with the purest.

(quoted from post at 14:45:12 08/07/17) Thanks for the info appreciate your help. I bought a 50/50 mix today.

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You are paying a lot extra for a jug half filled with de-ionized water.

Yes you pay a bit more but you do not have the hastle of trying to get it mixed corectly and not having 1 gal that you mix at 60-40 and the other at 40-60 with one jug being good for 40 below and the other only being good for 25 below. Only buy premixed anymore due to trying to get it mixed correctly. And my time is worth something, if nothing more than having time to set and rest.