It was now time to take the O apart for a good sand blasting and to repair and replace worn out parts. The engine was worn out and smoked very bad. It was an early model K161 and had the 2 7/8 piston. Since the block had to be bored I opted to use the 2 15/16" piston that was used in later versions of this engine. The crank had to be turned 10 thousands as well. It seems everything is worn out on the O!
Praise God the rear end was in good shape and only required seals, bushings and new rear cover gasket. These parts alone were $75. I disassembled the O down to a pile of parts and started to sand blast, prime, and do a thin coat painting of each part. After final assembly of most of the parts on the frame I will do a final painting. Rather than replace all the IH labeled bolts I am sandblasting them to help maintain that original look. The frame had several cracks where it bolts to the transmission. Welding and new metal was needed in this area. I rebuilt the steering column, and replaced all the tie rod ends. Since my tires and rims were shot and being on a limited budget I decided to put a set of wide tires and rims on the O. I bought 7/8" ID X 1" bushings to put on the front spindles so I could use my 1" bearing front rims that I had.
To be continued.
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