Massey Tractor Repowered With Ford Pickup's V-8
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"A few years ago, my dad dragged home an old 1952 Massey 44 tractor from the neighbors. The engine had seized and was in rough shape. I had an old 1974 Ford pickup parked in the back woods with a good engine. I took some measurements and found the tractor had just enough room for the pickup's 302 cu. in., V-8 small block engine. So I removed the Massey engine and installed the Ford. The project took the entire winter to complete," says Dave Loxterkamp, Hines Creek, Alta.
He used the pickup's engine, clutch, and electronic ignition. After installing the engine he connected it to the tractor's transmission.
"I dismantled the pickup's 4-speed transmission but soon discovered that its input shaft was too short and wouldn't work," says Loxterkamp. "So I went out to our parts shed and found the output shaft off a wrecked Massey 30 tractor. After making some quick measurements I found the shaft had the same number of splines as the pickup's clutch, but was a little bigger around and a little too long. A local fabricator, Wild Rose Fab, machined the shaft to the correct dimensions."
Next, he had to connect the Ford V-8 engine to the tractor's transmission. The Ford engine sat higher than the tractor's original engine and didn't line up with the transmission so he had to come up with a way to connect them. "I decided that a set of double no. 60 sprockets and a chain going down to the transmission's output shaft would do the job. This drive system works great."
He then custom-built new engine mounts. "It took a while since each piece had to be drilled, machined and welded to fit precisely," says Loxterkamp.
The V-8 engine was wider than the tractor's original engine so the tractor's steering rod had to be rerouted around the engine. "I cut 1 in. out of the steering rod and also had to make new brackets and add some new U-joints," he says.
The next job involved installing the pickup's electronic ignition. "I had to tag and cut all the wiring out from underneath the pickup's hood. Once I had all the wiring needed I laid it out on the shop floor, cleaned it, and tested it. Then I routed the wiring and got it hooked up. I also custom-built the throttle linkage and added some new gauges that I bought at an auto parts store.
"The only thing left was to turn the key and hear that sweet V-8 sound," says Loxterkamp. "The next day I took the tractor apart piece by piece. Once I had the tractor stripped, I washed it down and then my wife and daughter helped me prime and paint it. It took a couple days to put together, but it looks great and sounds even better."
He added custom pickup exhaust headers that really set the tractor apart. The headers were originally designed to go down and under the pickup, but Loxterkamp turned them upright to get the exhaust up in the air.
"I recently drove the tractor in a local parade, where it turned a lot of heads. The loud noise made by the headers even scared some kids. But overall, I get a lot of compliments on it. I've helped my dad restore 8 or 9 other tractors, but this one is my pride and joy," notes Loxterkamp.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave Loxterkamp, P.O. Box 622, Hines Creek, Alta., Canada T0H 2A0 (ph 780 835-8429).
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Massey Tractor Repowered With Ford Pickup s V-8 ENGINES Engines A few years ago my dad dragged home an old 1952 Massey 44 tractor from the neighbors The engine had seized and was in rough shape I had an old 1974 Ford pickup parked in the back woods with a good engine I took some measurements and found the tractor had just enough room for the pickup s 302 cu in V-8 small block engine So I removed the Massey engine and installed the Ford The project took the entire winter to complete says Dave Loxterkamp Hines Creek Alta He used the pickup s engine clutch and electronic ignition After installing the engine he connected it to the tractor s transmission I dismantled the pickup s 4-speed transmission but soon discovered that its input shaft was too short and wouldn t work says Loxterkamp So I went out to our parts shed and found the output shaft off a wrecked Massey 30 tractor After making some quick measurements I found the shaft had the same number of splines as the pickup s clutch but was a little bigger around and a little too long A local fabricator Wild Rose Fab machined the shaft to the correct dimensions Next he had to connect the Ford V-8 engine to the tractor s transmission The Ford engine sat higher than the tractor s original engine and didn t line up with the transmission so he had to come up with a way to connect them I decided that a set of double no 60 sprockets and a chain going down to the transmission s output shaft would do the job This drive system works great He then custom-built new engine mounts It took a while since each piece had to be drilled machined and welded to fit precisely says Loxterkamp The V-8 engine was wider than the tractor s original engine so the tractor s steering rod had to be rerouted around the engine I cut 1 in out of the steering rod and also had to make new brackets and add some new U-joints he says The next job involved installing the pickup s electronic ignition I had to tag and cut all the wiring out from underneath the pickup s hood Once I had all the wiring needed I laid it out on the shop floor cleaned it and tested it Then I routed the wiring and got it hooked up I also custom-built the throttle linkage and added some new gauges that I bought at an auto parts store The only thing left was to turn the key and hear that sweet V-8 sound says Loxterkamp The next day I took the tractor apart piece by piece Once I had the tractor stripped I washed it down and then my wife and daughter helped me prime and paint it It took a couple days to put together but it looks great and sounds even better He added custom pickup exhaust headers that really set the tractor apart The headers were originally designed to go down and under the pickup but Loxterkamp turned them upright to get the exhaust up in the air I recently drove the tractor in a local parade where it turned a lot of heads The loud noise made by the headers even scared some kids But overall I get a lot of compliments on it I ve helped my dad restore 8 or 9 other tractors but this one is my pride and joy notes Loxterkamp Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dave Loxterkamp P O Box 622 Hines Creek Alta Canada T0H 2A0 ph 780 835-8429
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