6hp Craftsman Power Unit Restoration

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately this is NOT an update on the tractor but I figured I would post a few pictures of the bottom of the mower deck for everybody. Overall it is great shape, HOWEVER it does have a small crack in it on the right top corner in my 1st and 3rd pictures. My plan at least is to bondo and fix it up before it gets worse, although that could change but I will see what my stepdad thinks. I do plan on stripping the whole deck down and apart and sandblasting priming and painting the whole entire thing top to bottom. This is all for now, more to hopefully come soon.......

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4getgto said:
You might want to just weld that crack up and be done with it. Bondo has no strength and will be nothing more than cosmetic. Even being cast aluminum it shouldn't cost much to have someone repair it.
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Sawdust said:
If you do decide to weld that crack drill a hole at the end of it. This will prevent it from cracking more. I agree with Bill bondo won’t fix that.
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Thank y'all for the advice, I appreciate that. Welding might be the best option, BUT what about putting a little piece of metal there or something and screwing or welding the metal to the deck like my stepdad did with his deck? See pictures below.......

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Hi Folks,

While I'm currently battling a few health issues, I still got an update on the tractor. I'm getting ALOT closer to getting the tractor restored and getting it sandblasted and primed. I got the dash tower off, steering column out, belt guard off, information plate off, and all the wiring out. I ain't done yet though. I still gotta get all the tires off, the front spindles off, the fender mounts off, the transmission out, the hitch off, and TRY to possibly get the foot pedal off but I seriously DON'T think it will happen, AND get the deck completely torn apart and sandblasted too. I hope to have it completely torn apart and blasted and primed possibly by Thanksgiving if not Christmas since we are gonna have some warmer weather these next couple weeks. I am going to blast it, prime it, and paint it ALL myself. That is my goal but whether that happens is a different story. Here is what it currently looks like MINUS the belt guard and information plate being taken off since I took these pictures before I took them off......

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At this point my other Craftsman below, the 10 horsepower 857C has become a storage shelf with a bunch of junk on it from this project tractor and other junk I don't really have room for :oops::confused:. Oh well I'll get it off and cleaned eventually, I honestly really want to get it out one last time or 2 to run it around the yard or at least uncover it to put some stable in it so hopefully that will give me the ambition to clean it off. This is all for now though, more to come hopefully soon on the project tractor above......

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As a side question though, does anyone know where I can get this exact throttle handle in black that is circled in the picture?? The one on the tractor is broke pretty bad. The example below is from my stepdads leaf blower. Any help and sources would be much appreciated, thank y'all!

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Propane1 said:
That deck will make a fine job of grass cutting. Nice big opening to let the grass out. But after all your hard work, you may not want to get it covered in grass. Nice project.

Noel
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I agree with you Noel, it would do a great job of cutting, my stepdad tried mowing the grass with his tractor once he got the deck on after he restored it, and by the factory advertisement picture I have of the guy mowing too. My stepdad said he will never do cut the grass again with his tractor because he spent an hour cleaning grass from the deck. That said, oh no this project tractor will STRICTLY be ONLY for shows
 
1967Craftsman's said:
As a side question though, does anyone know where I can get this exact throttle handle in black that is circled in the picture?? The one on the tractor is broke pretty bad. The example below is from my stepdads leaf blower. Any help and sources would be much appreciated, thank y'all!

View attachment 61163
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Hi Everyone,

As a side note- I am updating these quoted post. I created a new separate post on where to possibly find one of these that I'm looking for on GTTALK and MTF, and a special thank you goes out to a member of GTTALK for finding me one. I sent it over to my stepdad and showed him and he said that was it as well, I think he may have ordered it for me as a Christmas present because he hasn't told me he ordered it. We shall see, I will let everyone know in about a month from now
 
I also got an update on the tractor too while I'm on this post, a small update but an update. I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper, and repainted the starter generator bracket using my Dupli-color Cast Iron Coat engine paint mentioned in post #70. The first picture is a before picture after I sanded it. Also as a couple side notes; I went to my local tractor supply and bought a pack of 10x12 tarps, and some sandblasting sand to use in the spring when I go to sandblast prime and paint the tractor myself in my backyard. I also finally cleared off my other 10hp Craftsman, took the cover off it, fired it up and let it run for a half hour last night as well. I hope to do more to the project tractor now in the fall and in the winter but I'm not sure how much I'll do since it is getting colder and I don't handle cold all that well, although I have propane heaters in the shed now. I don't know we'll see. This is all I got for now, more to come hopefully soon.

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Hi Everybody,

Not much of an update on the tractor lately, but I just wanted to let everyone know that today is the 1 year anniversary of when I bought it from the member of MyTractorForum. Thanks again to him for letting me buy it before he sold it to someone else, it means a lot. Here is what it looked like on his trailer below before I bought it and started tearing it apart as shown on page 1 of this post.......

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Here is the tractor a year later below almost all torn apart and ready for sandblasting, and priming, and painting. I can't beleive it went from the above photos to the below photos in just a years time, and I can't believe that much progress has been made in that short of time looking back at it. Granted there is a lot more to do and take apart. As I may have mentioned, I hope to and the plan is to have the tractor completely restored and back together late 2023 early 2024......

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MFDAC said:
Very cool little tractor! Looks like it was a very complete unit to start a resto on!

DAC
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Thanks DAC for the compliment. It was very complete indeed, and I would say even untouched and unmolested before I started tearing it all down. A survivor if you will as they say in the car hobby. I can't beleive it's been a year already since I bought it, man time flies.
 
4getgto said:
Can't wait to see it when its done.
And you know if you get this one done too quickly there'll be around one right behind it... ;)
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Like this one I saw on Feebay that is currently for sale for $250, which I would obviously try and get the price down on. Oh boy do I have a problem, and the problem is I need a stock pull tractor more than another show tractor because I wanna start getting into that. If I were to get this one though I would leave it alone in its original work clothes all patinaed and just get it running. I can't wait to see the one I'm working on right now all done though either so I can enjoy it sooner, and mainly because I got some kidney issues goin' on right now.......

www.ebay.com

Vintage Sears Tractor | eBay

Vintage Sears 10ph Tractor. Heavy gauge iron metal. Tires hold air. Motor has compression, have not tried to start.
www.ebay.com

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Hi Everyone,

I ain't worked on the tractor in a few months because its been so darn cold here, and we recently had our first snow of the year too. I do however have somewhat of an update though, I just tonight ordered a gas tank shut off valve. It is mainly for my 10 horsepower 857C Craftsman but I figured I would order one for my project tractor here and replace that one too while I am at it. The one that was bought is pictured below and will be here in 2-4 days. I do not believe it to be NOS as there is no box pictured, although it could be because it has a cardboard piece on it. I'm very curious to know, what say everyone??. I'm just too darn picky and love NOS stuff best for some stupid reason. I'm happy but I'm also not happy though because as soon as I saw this one I saw the one in my next picture below the link with a box, I'm gonna be angry about that for awhile for NOT ordering that one. Oh well. Anyway that is the update for the time being, nothing else has been otherwise. I hope to work on the tractor a little bit if the weather is warm enough. More updates to hopefully come soon.......



Picture of the one I got below......

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Actual ad link below..........

www.ebay.com

Tecumseh OEM 29683 Screw In Fuel Gas Tank Valve Petcock Fitting Threaded | eBay

Tecumseh OEM 29683 Screw In Fuel Gas Tank Valve Petcock Fitting Threaded Tecumseh OEM Fuel Fitting 29683 Replaces 30863 28571 27803. Tecumseh OEM Fuel Fitting 29683. Muffler 1/2"Pipe Tecumseh 27674 28396 30874 30911 33652.
www.ebay.com






The one I SHOULD OF got below with ad link.......

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www.ebay.com

Gas tank fuel shut off valve OEM Tecumseh, Troy Built roto tiller 27803, 29683 | eBay

TECUMSEH 29683. TECUMSEH 27803. TROY BILT 1703896. TROY BILT 1718029. Fits 1/4" ID fuel line. Replaces (OEM): ENCORE 363031. Scag 32"-72" Belt Drive walk-behind, 36",48" and 52" Hydraulic walk-behinds.
www.ebay.com
 
Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone's Christmas and New Years were good. Nothing done on the tractor as of late as it's been raining and cold most of time, but I do have some exciting news to share though. For Christmas I got some tractor parts from my stepdad, I got the fuel fittings above and yes they are NOS ones. See pictures below, and I got some other stuff I will share in a 2nd and possibly 3rd post. For now here are the new fittings, I got 3 of them. One for this project tractor, one for my 10 horsepower 857 Craftsman, and one as a spare. The next thing to do is put them in the gas tanks.......


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I also got a new voltage regulator as a Christmas gift from my stepdad. I looked at it and compared it to the old one and unfortunately it is wrong, but I guess it doesn't matter and I'll make it work. I took the pictures out of the box it came in BUT still in the protective wrap. If you look at my pictures in post #48 on here and these photos here, I think you will notice what I'm talking about.......

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THIS is just 1 of the 2 tractor Christmas gifts I am THRILLED about that my stepdad gave me. It's a foot pedal sleeve from what they call it in the owner manual. I'm thrilled about this gift because the tractor did NOT have one of these when I got it when they came with one, AND they are HARD to find by themselves and not cracked from my researching. My 10 horsepower 857 Craftsman had one when I bought it and my stepdads 10 horsepower 856 Craftsman has one also, so now this project tractor has one too. It's just getting me more excited to get the tractor all done and restored so I can put it on to see how it looks.......

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