Fuel line and rebuilt carburetor

                    The fuel is gravity feed from the gas tank to the carburetor.  Starting under the tank I rebuilt the shut off valve and replaced the fuel line to the glass sediment bowl fuel filter mounted outside the firewall .  The sediment bowl is the original one that cleaned up well and I replaced the gasket and screen.  From the filter to the carburetor is a new fuel line.
                      The carburetor is the original Zenith type.  I completely dismantled and soaked all pieces in carburetor cleaner, then blew out all pieces with air and wire brushed all main cast pieces .
I bought a carburetor rebuild kit from Burts Vintage Ford and carefully reassembled after painting the cast pieces.

                                       

Shut off valve and new fuel line under gas tank.

                                                                       

                                                    Rebuilding the Zenith carburetor                                        
                                           

painting of the main cast parts.

Sentiment bowl, fuel line and carburetor installed.

Radiator Shell

        This post is about the restoration of the stainless steel radiator shell.  I was bound and determined to use a genuine original shell, no matter how much work it needed.  For around $500.00, I could have bought a replica made in Taiwan, but that wasn't going to happen, not on this tractor!
         I spent 3 years searching for one that was in better condition than the original.  The original which was damaged and had many cracks and dents, were caused by "yours truly" as a young boy driving the Model A through the woods and around the fields of our property.
       I finally found a pretty nice one in Denver, Colorado at Burts Vintage Ford while visiting my daughter April who lives in Castle Rock.  I paid $100.00 for it.  It had a few small cracks and many minor dents down the sides.  The cracks I had tig-welded and then I spent 35 hours of lightly pounding out dents, metal filing, fine grit grinding, buffing and high speed bench polishing with 3 different compounds.  It looks great, if I should say so myself.  I'm very happy with it, and most of all, its an original "Oldie but Goodie".

                                                 Beginning of pounding and filing stage

I had to screw down the shroud to a table so I could metal file out the high spots.  Then, lots of careful filing so that I would not scar the stainless.

     

                   
      Then, I lightly ground and fine sanded the damaged areas.  When this was completed, I was ready for the high speed buffing and polishing.  I used a high speed bench polisher with 3 different compounds.

            Next, I installed the original crank hole door that I transferred from the original tractor shroud.  Believe it or not, I was able to reuse the tiny little copper rivet.  I then painted the bottom as it should be "flat black".

     After the polishing and painting was done, I riveted all new hood welting onto the shroud.
   

     Here it is, finished and installed.  Looks like new! Very happy how it came out.  The Ford emblem is also original and I reinstalled it at the top center area (as you can see in the picture).  The last step was to put on the new "Flying Quail" radiator cap.  My father was a big fan of hood ornaments and I know would have loved this.  I have old photos of the tractor, taken in the late 40's, which show a Flying Quail radiator cap he once had on the tractor.