Unstyled WC question

Did Allis ever offer the unstyled WC with electric start? A friend of mine just bought one and thinks it is factory electric start. I have yet to see it but he says it is beautiful. Paid 300.00 bucks for it. He makes me sick! Lol... He is a deere guy and said that this is one of the best looking tractors he has. I may be able to convert him...

I've heard about unstyled WC's that came with ring gear installed from the factory. Guys switched out the bell housing for one that had the starter hole, added a battery and were in business. Some fabricated a genny bracket, too.

My '37 has electric start, and appears to be totally factory.  I'll hafta look closer to verify, but there's indications that this one has never been disassembled.

I have a 36 that I personally converted

Dave, What "indications" are there that is was never disassembled? It would have to have been split to add the bell housing with the starter hole. I Know an older fellow that spent many years working on AC's and he said you couldn't buy a starter conversion kit till 1939. Allis was probably too busy using up starters and bell housing building new tractors to take time to sell a "kit". Late 1938 was the first styled WC and the first electric start WC.

well every JD guy needs a tractor that he can depend on . I'm sure it was an original WC electric start , but not on that tractor. guy told me once he had an all original 36 Wc. It had starter, alternater, & muffler went through the hood. Don't think it had a distributer though.But the lights looked pretty neat.

I went and looked at it last night. There is a lot of good and bad about this tractor. It is a 35 WC. Nice fenders and one really nice rear round spoke wheel. The other rim is shot. Front spokes are decent. Looks like the rimes where replaced. Some big ugly welds on the spokes. Someone put a distributor on it with lights and starter. Has a newer WD manifold on it with a hole in the hood for the muffler. Tank is nice. Pretty complete. I will end up with it sooner or later. Good start to a project.

Here's what my 35 looked like when I got it home.

Well, that is not the original picture but gives you some idea how bad it was. Transmission case cracked with rusted up gears, front rims rotted off and these were welded on 16 inch rims, rad shot and engine stuck badly.

The indications I see, are original paint that passes from engine to bellhousing without being chipped, cracked, or broken along the parting line... Apparently never even got a clutch job.

The one thing, however, that MAY be possible, is that mine is very late '37, or perhaps the rearend has been changed.  Perhaps I have a 'rare' bird...

Could be, but if they repainted it, they took it down to bare metal to do it...

When did they actually start manufacturing the '38 model-year tractors, and when during that M.Y. did they actually start offering the electric?  My guess, by the serial number, that mine's a very, very late '37... and again, it may be that the tractor is actually newer, but the rearend is older...