Flathead Ford V-8 Repowers Oliver 66
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“When I got this tractor it was sitting out in the woods all rusted out and neglected. There were parts missing from the motor, the hood was dented up and the seat was mangled. I didn’t know if there was much hope it could run again, but I was willing to try,” says Lloyd Stetson.
He took inventory on the motor and decided it couldn’t be repaired. He visited a nearby auto parts supplier, who suggested that he try retrofitting the Oliver with a 1938 Flathead Ford V-8 that was in his lot.
“The motor was in excellent condition and even had a 3-speed transmission attached to it,” Stetson says. “I knew I could make it work by grinding down and cutting away some of the cast iron frame of the Oliver.” The Ford engine and transmission eventually slid in place, and with that success, Stetson tackled the gears, electrical system and cooling.
“The 3-speed car transmission worked fine,” Stetson says, “so I figured out a coupling system that mated it to the 6-speed tractor transmission. It gave me a tractor with 18 forward gears and a top speed of more than 40 mph.”
For the cooling system, Stetson used the existing tractor radiator and fitted new hoses through tees and elbows. He added a fan that initially ran on a 12-volt motorcycle battery. Later he rigged it to run through a resistor from the 6-volt tractor battery. The tractor’s black grill, which gives the Oliver a “Star Wars-type” look, is made from rolled screen.
Stetson says he wanted to make the exhaust system look special so he used 1 1/2-in. stainless steel pipes on both sides of the hood. “It sounds like a monster truck when I start it,” Stetson says, “but it purrs like a kitten when I idle down the street at local parades.”
The rear tires on Stetson’s 66 are conventional tractor rubber, but the fronts are car tires configured to the original Oliver rims. “The whole project took me something over 100 hrs., which I didn’t think was too bad,” Stetson says. “The result is a nice parade tractor and one that I can use in the Open class of antique tractor pulls.”
Unlike many tractor restorers, Lloyd Stetson isn’t committed to one brand. After rebuilding a 1939 Allis 11 years ago, Stetson moved on to a 1940 Ford 8N, followed by a 1948 Farmall Cub. The Oliver was his latest and most ambitious project. He hopes to move on to another tractor and another brand in the next year.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lloyd Stetson, 1605 Sampsonville, Rd. Enosburg Falls, Vt. (ph 802 933-5532).
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Flathead Ford V-8 Repowers Oliver 66 ENGINES “When I got this tractor it was sitting out in the woods all rusted out and neglected There were parts missing from the motor the hood was dented up and the seat was mangled I didn’t know if there was much hope it could run again but I was willing to try ” says Lloyd Stetson He took inventory on the motor and decided it couldn’t be repaired He visited a nearby auto parts supplier who suggested that he try retrofitting the Oliver with a 1938 Flathead Ford V-8 that was in his lot “The motor was in excellent condition and even had a 3-speed transmission attached to it ” Stetson says “I knew I could make it work by grinding down and cutting away some of the cast iron frame of the Oliver ” The Ford engine and transmission eventually slid in place and with that success Stetson tackled the gears electrical system and cooling “The 3-speed car transmission worked fine ” Stetson says “so I figured out a coupling system that mated it to the 6-speed tractor transmission It gave me a tractor with 18 forward gears and a top speed of more than 40 mph ” For the cooling system Stetson used the existing tractor radiator and fitted new hoses through tees and elbows He added a fan that initially ran on a 12-volt motorcycle battery Later he rigged it to run through a resistor from the 6-volt tractor battery The tractor’s black grill which gives the Oliver a “Star Wars-type” look is made from rolled screen Stetson says he wanted to make the exhaust system look special so he used 1 1/2-in stainless steel pipes on both sides of the hood “It sounds like a monster truck when I start it ” Stetson says “but it purrs like a kitten when I idle down the street at local parades ” The rear tires on Stetson’s 66 are conventional tractor rubber but the fronts are car tires configured to the original Oliver rims “The whole project took me something over 100 hrs which I didn’t think was too bad ” Stetson says “The result is a nice parade tractor and one that I can use in the Open class of antique tractor pulls ” Unlike many tractor restorers Lloyd Stetson isn’t committed to one brand After rebuilding a 1939 Allis 11 years ago Stetson moved on to a 1940 Ford 8N followed by a 1948 Farmall Cub The Oliver was his latest and most ambitious project He hopes to move on to another tractor and another brand in the next year Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Lloyd Stetson 1605 Sampsonville Rd Enosburg Falls Vt ph 802 933-5532
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