Farm Equipment - Buda = Money Pit

Buda = Money Pit

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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15247
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Topic: Buda = Money Pit

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Subject: Buda = Money Pit
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 7:31pm

Sheesh, I'm kinda stuck now. What started out to be what looked like a simple head gasket job just keeps on growing. In my last post, I found out that I needed the counter bores sleeved. It was just too rusty to fix any other way. Off to Midwest Cylinder Head in Nevada Ia. OK, $100 per hole, I think I can swing that (Gulp). I checked my messages tonight and they called. 10 head bolt holes have cracks around them. Got to be welded or find another block. Something tells me $100 per hole isn't going to cover it anymore.

Are there any good, ready to go 262 blocks out there? Old style with the water pump on the head. Or do I just bite the bullet and fix mine? I don't want to buy another machinist's nightmare that's for sure.

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

Replies:

Posted By: Dave(inMA)
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 8:01pm

Brian, that sounds really painful.......sorry that it's turning out that way.

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WC, CA, D14, WD45

Posted By: Butch(OH)
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 8:07pm

Decent 262 blocks are lots easier to find than 230s. Watch out for "good" though some's good is other's not so good. You are right about them being a money pit. Years ago I said on here dont even think about starting on one (6BD230) unless you have 5K sitting around to stick in it and I was chastised for it, I stand by it today. A person cant get by with the things we get by with on a B125, or W201-226 when dealing with a D230 or D262.

Posted By: ACscott
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 8:12pm

Sounds just like my D19d seemed like a easy head gasket fix then the head was cracked beyond reapir, luckily I found a good head but it was not cheap and its still sitting in my shop waiting for me to buy the complete engine kit, because I dont want to go back into it again.

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 8:13pm

I guess it's a good thing for quite a while I lived like, as Dave Ramsey says it, no one else so later on I can LIVE like no one else. The eating rice and beans thing as he says. Midwest is known for being experts when it comes to welding cast iron. Still, this is getting to be a little tough to swallow...

I guess the good thing is at least my head was in good condition. It's sealed up in a plastic bag waiting to be installed. I'm right about $2K so far. The way things are going, Butch might be pretty close with needing $5K.

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

Posted By: ac crazy
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2010 at 8:29pm

its only money you cant take it with ya when you die.... after all what other good reasons do ya have for working so hard for peanuts? if ya cant spend it on a good tractor project?

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If i can't fix it i won't.

Posted By: Nathan (SD)
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 1:03am

I went through this same BS. Our D17D was dropping a sleeve every couple years. Engine had new bearings and rings in the late 80s (poor mans overhaul) and then only saw light use after that until 1997 when my wife dad got it and started using it on a daily basis again. Starting in 2000 corrosion started to take its toll. Fixed one dropped sleeve then the next year another one. I was able to get the AC cutter made for the job and do it myself. I was shimming with stainless steel wire and they were holding. 2 years went by then it started taking water and also running hot if you worked it. This was during the winter and this tractor was the only tractor that fit in the barn for feeding so he kept running it. Weather got nicer so we pulled the head again. Another dropped sleeve and one at the right height but cracked up and down, top to bottom. Taking the caps off the rods revealed a little too much antifreeze time on the bearings. 2 used sleeves, cut and shim, polished the bearings and back together. Looking into a total overhaul at this point.

I statred getting prices of $5000 and up. This is a 1957 tractor that had rarely seen a shed until 1997, hops out of third, no power sreering, and many dents and scrathes. I just couldn't see spending $5000 on a tractor that wouldn't bring $4000 even with a new engine. We put a 226 in the diesel chassis.

Even if we would had parted with the $5000+ the end result would have been a new engine based on 1940's technology. These engines were a old design by the time AC got them. I looked around and found Cummins 4bt engines with warranty for $3500 - $5000. A 30 year leap in technology with twice the service life and 20 more hp for the same money. The decider vetoed my idea and went with the 226 for About $1100 by the end of the conversion.

I do appreciate the guys that spend the money to keep these tractors historically accurate. It is done out of pure love not financial gain. We need examples for the future generations to appreciate. I just aint one of those guys. Tractors around here all work for a living yet. Sometimes you gotta look out for yourself and sacrifice the machine.

Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 4:21am

If you cannot seal the head bolt holes as well the upper sleeve bore then the head gasket will not seal, the wire shims will work until the wire flattened out then the sleeve goes back to working in the bore that is why it started eating coolant and drops the sleeve that shim should be cut from shim stock(flat) and then sealed with a silicone to keep it solid.

On the Buda, I would call that one a day and give in, a repower to another engine variety may be the next better shot at keeping the tractor, I have assembled welded blocks and they do not respond well to temperature swings or the pounding of a engine being worked hard.

Posted By: Kraig (WI)
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 6:06am

I rebuilt my D17D a couple years ago. Yes, it was not cheap, but I did it right and I use mine for field work on 40 acres. If you deside to stop pouring money into it, I could use an exhaust manifold and maybe a few other parts. Let me know.

Kraig (WI)

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7010,D17D,WD45,WD,WC,WC,B,
Gleaner K,60,66,72

Posted By: Lester
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 6:23am

All that work and money put in these diesels was the main reason one could buy these engines real cheap years ago before all the collectors started bidding them up.

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 5:46pm

OK, the latest is I have several gas 262 blocks and 1 early diesel block to choose from. The "guesstimate" from Midwest was $1200 to $1500. A replacement block is $500 + any machine work it might need.

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford