# Fire In The Hole



## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

I bought a super 77 a few years back. I took the carb and sediment bowl off as it was full of jelled gas and let it set out behind the buildings up at the farm. I loaded it up and brought it to my shop at the house last week. I hooked up a battery and while grinding away with the starter I shot starting fluid into the manifold and she started up. I just cleaned out the gas tank and rebuilt a carb today and as soon as I can pick up the fittings to put togather a gas line, I will fire it up with real fuel.


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## Bigdog (Sep 18, 2003)

Gotta love those old Ollies! We never had one when I was on the farm but some of the neighbors had them and they were workin son-of-a-guns! Sounds like another easy one DickL!


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

The oil is like transmission grease so I want to change the oil first. The estate I bought six tractors and this being one of them told me that it had not been used for several years but could not tell me why. I am not holding my breath for a running tractor with out needing an overhaul. I will except it though if it happens. If it needs an overhaul I will make a puller out of it.
YT must be down??


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## JimD (Sep 17, 2003)

*ytdown*

must be. I thought maybe Kim finally figured out how to block me :duel:


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## parts man (Sep 24, 2003)

Dick, that's great!:rockin: I love the sound of those Ollie sixes!! their sooo smooth, they just purr.:thumbsup:


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

its good to be able run them without filling everything with gas. i use propane from my torch set and acetylene at a buddy's shop. you can run them quite a while this way and is easier on things than starting fluid.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

I rebuilt the carb and put on a new gas line. Drained the oil out of the pan or rather drained the grease out of the pan. It ran out thicker than transmission grease. I put a coupla gallons of gas in the gas tank then I put a gallon or so of diesel fuel in the crankcase and started her up for a few minutes to try to thin out the crud in the lines. I put in new SAE 30 weight oil but didn't change the filter. The alternator was froze up so I swaped it with another one that I had laying around. Started her up and adjusted out the carb. Some smoke but no miss and it still has the old many year old plugs in. I can not detect a knock on the crankshaft but after two hours of running it is easy to tell it is not getting the valve train lubed. The tappets clatter to beat the band. The power takeoff runs anytime the engine turns over and leaks oil out the rear seal. I will take the valve cover off in the morning and blow back thru the oil line feeding the valve train. Setting as many years as it has and the oil as thich as it was I am sure I will find the lines solid cruddy grease.
I will get up in the seat tomorrow and check out the gears. I might even have a tractor when I am done. I will get some pictures tomorrow as well so yall can see the old duffer Oliver.


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## parts man (Sep 24, 2003)

I use a gas tank off an old riding mower if I want to run a tractor and suspect a dirty gas tank, just hook it up with some rubber gas line.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

Yup, I have a gallon can with an outlett soldered in the bottom with a hose on it for a quick try with real gas if the tank is in bad shape. This tank is in good condition. I used the staring fluid before I put a carb on it.

Took the hood and valver cover off the super 77 this morning. started her up and no oil was bubbling out the top of the rocker arms. I removed the oil line that feeds the rocker arm assembly and oil was just oosing out. I dumped a gallon of diesel in the crankcase and in about two minutes the oil started to run out. I got a brain storm and grabbed the jug of Sea Wash and poured in a quart to see what would happen. I put the oil line back on when the oil mixture started to squirt out about an inch from the line. At idle there is no oil bubbling out the front three rocker arms, at a quarter throttle oil is now bubbling out all rocker arms. The engine has been running about two hours and has quited down some. I am going to drain the mixture out and put in new oin again and see what happens. It probly has bd bearings or bad oil pump. I am just playing around with it, I plan on rebuilding the engine next spring. I have way too many winter projects at this time.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

This is the ugly bugger Super 77 I am playin with

Oliver Super 77


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## Martie (Sep 16, 2003)

Dick,
Is there any reason tractor people can't use ATF (10% by volume works pretty well) to clean out some of the crud? I had a hydraulic lifter happily tapping away in a Plymouth automobile I used to have, and within 60 seconds of a mechanic friend adding a 1/2 quart of ATF, there was no more tapping. He claimed it was VERY high in detergent, but that the lack of suitable lubricating qualitys make it unusable as a lubricant in engines. I've used it off and on over the years to quieten a valve train, never seen any evidence that any damage was done. I DON'T add it with each oil change, BTW; just put a little in if I think it's needed.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

Martie, 
Transmission fluid will do well in hydraulic lifters as they stick collapsed and leave a gap between the rocker arm and valve stem end which makes the noise. These old tractors do not have hydraulic lifters and the noise comes from eather a lack of lubrication and or to large of a gap between the rocker arm and valve stem. Transmission fluid can be added to the gas for extra valve lube and a cleaner without harm. It is a good injector cleaner for fuel injected cars as well.
I use diesel fuel for upper lube in my large gas tractors when working them hard. About a quart to the tank of gas.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Dick,
Your Super 77 ain't ugly to my eye. You have a fine looking machine there and I've seen a lot worse brought back to their glory. When I was a wee lad and folks still farmed in north NJ (1956-1966 or Pre-Condos), my neighbor had an Oliver among his stable. That was his plowing tractor, as it had more power than his others. I can still remember the distinctive sound it made, different from his other machines. sort of smooth and deep throated. At this point in time, I can't tell you what model it was, but it was the only one around for miles. Everyone else had IH or Deeres. Looking at your photos today reminded me of Mr Bundt's tractor. He is STILL farming his patch of ground at age 71? but the Oliver is gone.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

(He is STILL farming) Joe, you got to be joking he is just a little bit older than me. {:^D


Joe's got ta be a kid. mumble mumble mumble hee hee, gees Still farmin mumble mumble. Haaa ha hee hee.

Joe thinks 71 is old mumble mumble.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Dick L _
> *(He is STILL farming) Joe, you got to be joking he is just a little bit older than me. {:^D
> 
> 
> ...



  One problem with the internet. You have NO IDEA how old the person is your talking to.   

[I remember thinking 40 was old. Now that I am almost there, it seems a little younger ]


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

Yup ya never know how old or how fast the fingers are on the keyboard or how many fingers are used to type a message.

Just funnin with ya Joe. Don't be afraid to fun back.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Absolutely no offense taken Dick. I'm 47 and maybe last year or so I FINALLY figured out that I DIDN"T know everything and should have listened more to my elders over the years. It would have saved me a few headaches. Why I marvel at Mr. Bundt still farming is that with land prices being what they are in NW New Jersey ($125,000 per acre), he could have subdivided the farm and retired a millionaire years ago. He did give up the dairy operation and now just raises beef. Less work that way and he and his lovely wife can finally go away for a day or 2 without finding someone to milk the cows. I've heard a dairy farm is much like a minimum security prison. The farmer is there EVERY day with no end to the work. Hopefully the food is better though:smiles:


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## parts man (Sep 24, 2003)

Farmers that truly enjoy what they do never really retire. How can you retire from your favourite hobby? It's like an addiction, I know I'm hooked!
Money really isn't a motivating factor or they would never have been farmers in the first place!!


Dick, I don't think your tractor's ugly either, lots of potential there!! The tin I could see looked good and straight, rust is what sand blasters were made for!!


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

I drove the old girl around a little this afternoon after regaping the tapits. The gears all seem fine. The brakes are froze and the pedal will not move. I took the antifreeze down to -22 F so I will put the hood back on tomorrow and set it out with the rest of the Olivers till spring.


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## parts man (Sep 24, 2003)

Dick, you got another one for your winter project? Be nice if you could post pics of the process, I'm always looking for tips.


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## Dick L (Sep 15, 2003)

I will do that. The one taking up the space in my south bay is a 1944 Allis B. I might not have used the correct way to show progress but I edited the Allis post when I added the pictures where I pulled everything out of the transmission and cleaned and rebuilt it. I have an Allis B puller and another Oliver 77 in the north bay with parts stacked in to where you can't get at them at present. My center bay has a 1925 Chevy and a 1/4 scale Cessna 180 with a 4 cycle engine.


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

how about some pics of your other olivers dick


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