Ford 9N Powered By Flathead V-8

Ford 9N Powered By Flathead V-8 REPOWERED EQUIPMENT Ernest Godbee has rebuilt and refurbished more than a dozen old tractors in recent years “I have red green and yellow and gray and red ones but I think my favorite is a repowered 9N Ford with a flathead V-8 ” Godbee says “I’ve taken it to tractor shows with 200 entries or more and always finished in the top 10 ”     When Godbee started working on his 9N the original engine was seized and the frame and wheels were badly in need of paint The tires were in poor shape and the hitch was missing a few parts     Godbee says he could’ve bought a kit to install the V-8 but he wanted to keep the look and the lines of the tractor more original so he built his own replacement parts “It probably took me longer going this route ” Godbee says “but the end result turned out real nice ”     First he located a flathead V-8 from an old Ford gas delivery truck and mated it to a Sherman step-up transmission Godbee says “The original 3-speed probably would’ve worked but the synchronized 6-speed is smoother shifting and nicer to drive in parades ”     Godbee made the bell housing adaptor plate and produced longer drag lengths for the tractor’s steering He also made two new eyelets on the original radiator and then connected it to the V-8 He used the tractor’s original clutch and exhaust manifolds from a Chevy engine     “The bolt pattern worked just fine to face the openings up rather than down ” Godbee says “so now I’ve got vertical pipes on both sides ” He used the tractor’s original battery case and dashboard gauges and kept the new hood level by using a small gas tank from a boat He completed the project by making a hood extension making new pieces for the hitch and straightening the footboards and the front bumper New tires were mounted before the tractor was sandblasted and given two coats of acrylic gray and red paint     Godbee says the whole project took him about 8 months but “it’s time well spent because now I’ve got another really nice parade tractor ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ernest Godbee 210 Ato Road S E Milledgeville Ga 31061 ph 478 452-8790; Godbee@windstream net

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