Tools and equipment
Having a big shed is a start when you want to restore large farm vehicles, says Colin. But being prepared to spend all the time needed to complete the project is essential. Colin estimates that it takes him about twoand-a-half years to complete each tractor restoration and this is usually spread out over five years.
His most useful tools are his collection of socket sets. He has several of these, each in a different size. The ones he gets most use out of are Whitworth, Standard American Engineers (SAE), National Course (NC), and National Fine (NF). Each has a standard size, and some refer to the thread sizes and diameter of the nut or bolt it is to be used for. The old ones are referred to in Imperial measures while others are metric, for his newer machinery.
His tool racks include a set of adjustable spanners and a set of pipe tongs: the adjustable type to grip various types of nuts and bolts. He uses an electrically driven drilling/ boring machine for drilling holes in metal, a floor jack for raising the vehicle, and an engine lifter — a small, portable crane.
When all else fails in trying to release a nut he grinds it off with an electric right-angle grinder, or the benchmounted electric grinder when that’s more appropriate.
Dealing with rust is a certainty in old machinery and this is where the gas welder comes in handy to heat the nuts before loosening them. But Colin’s secret rust-removing weapon is a bucket of diluted molasses.
“I was over the moon when I discovered that system,” he says. “We used to use molasses just as stock feed.”
The first time he tried it, he bought the molasses from the supermarket, which made it fairly expensive. He now fills a 10-litre bucket at the rural supplies store and finds it much cheaper.
The molasses mix that deals to rust is 10 parts water to one part molasses. Depending on the size of the machine part he’s dealing with, he uses a 70-litre household storage bin, or a larger box he made very cheaply from untreated wood and lined with heavy black plastic.
“The secret is to soak it for two weeks, then water blast it, and then go over it with a wire brush attached to a right-angle grinder. It ends up bright, shining steel!”
Then there’s the paint job: undercoat sprayed on, sand it down, then a topcoat with the correct vehicle spray paint.
Colin says you’ll want the right colour paints for replicas and you can usually get a good steer on these by getting in touch with vintage machinery clubs.