D4 7J Restoration part sources

[Green Valley Tailseat]

I recently bought a 1940 D4-7J tail seat and am in the process of welding a cracked lower radiator tank. I figured it's the best time to also rebuild the water pump and fan pulley hub assembly and the rotted out lower radiator water tube. I bought a decal kit and paint color match sample from Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owner's Club. The decals are way off from the originals. Makes me wonder about the color match sample. i am needing help sourcing the following parts.
- fan pulley hub bearings
- water pump shaft with impeller
- water pump shaft bushings
- upper and lower radiator tank gaskets
- water pump to timing cover gasket
- thermostat gasket

 

[dtcohen]

The gaskets can be made fairly easily. Just buy some gasket material and a set of gasket punches. Bearings usually have numbers on them. A local bearing shop can usually cross reference them and get you what you need. I have also had success doing a google search for the number on the bearing. The bushings can be made at a machine shop. What is wrong with the water pump shaft? If it is just worn then it can be repaired by brazing and turning.

Working on old stuff requires a lot more "how can I repair what I have" type thinking than repairing modern equipment. The folks on the ACMOC message board are probably the best source of information on your tractor.

 

[Awhelan]

I have a D4 7J with water pump issues too. I started working on it years ago but never finished. And now that I look, this will be the 3rd time I've started on it.
Id like to keep the discussion here but, this is my last thread on it: http://www.antiquecaterpillar.info/index.php?/topic/18198-starting-d4-7j7/
The last thing I did was email Florin to try and place my order but I never heard back from them...
Here's a pic of the manual and some parts.
Let me know if you need anything else and please keep us updated on you progress and if you find any better sources for parts.
ANDY

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

The gaskets can be made fairly easily. Just buy some gasket material and a set of gasket punches. Bearings usually have numbers on them. A local bearing shop can usually cross reference them and get you what you need. I have also had success doing a google search for the number on the bearing. The bushings can be made at a machine shop. What is wrong with the water pump shaft? If it is just worn then it can be repaired by brazing and turning.
Working on old stuff requires a lot more "how can I repair what I have" type thinking than repairing modern equipment. The folks on the ACMOC message board are probably the best source of information on your tractor.

I'm prepared to do all of the above, but was just trying to find out what part sources may be available before i spend a lot of time making my own. The gaskets that will be a challenge, are the ones between the top/bottom tanks and the radiator core. They are longer than any of the rolls of gasket paper that I have seen in auto parts stores. The water pump shaft bushings are more complex than cylindrical bronze bushings. The inner one is threaded and has a hex profile for installing into the housing. I may look for hexagonal bar stock of a large enough size such that one end can be turned and then threaded and then bored to have an oil-lite bushing of the correct ID pressed inside. The pump shaft is pitted, if it were an available part, I would want to go the replacement route, because I am assuming that it is surface hardened and that welding it would have a negative impact on that.

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

I have a D4 7J with water pump issues too. I started working on it years ago but never finished. And now that I look, this will be the 3rd time I've started on it.
Id like to keep the discussion here but, this is my last thread on it: http://www.antiquecaterpillar.info/index.php?/topic/18198-starting-d4-7j7/
The last thing I did was email Florin to try and place my order but I never heard back from them...
Here's a pic of the manual and some parts.
Let me know if you need anything else and please keep us updated on you progress and if you find any better sources for parts.
ANDYView attachment 187087 View attachment 187087 View attachment 187088 View attachment 187089

Thanks for the response. I'll keep you posted. It appears that we have quite different water pump applications, when I get a chance, I'll take a picture of mine and post.

 

[Old Magnet]

Appears we are neighbors, living in Corralitos. I usually correspond on the ACMOC bulletin board. You can contact me through there. I have some new and used parts for the D4400 water pump.

 

[Welder Dave]

The water pump shaft could possibly be turned down and build up by spray welding if a replacement isn't available. There are different powered metals used for spray welding depending on hardness and application. That's how the shaft for the rotary swing cylinder on my 931B backhoe was repaired. I kind of doubt a new one was available and if it was probably would have cost a fortune since it has a fair amount of machining on it.

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

Appears we are neighbors, living in Corralitos. I usually correspond on the ACMOC bulletin board. You can contact me through there. I have some new and used parts for the D4400 water pump.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m also trying to get ahold of a guy with a D4-6U with blade for sale, we keep playing phone tag. He says it doesn’t run, I need to find out if that’s only because of sitting a long time, or if it has major mechanicals. Here’s a picture of my orchard, that may tell you how close of neighbors we are. The barn and driveway are photoshopped, that’s all I intend on building and hope the county will be agreeable to it.

 

[Old Magnet]

I'm just guessing but that looks to be on the Green Valley Road side across from the David Rose Orchards.
I'm on the ridge between Green Valley and Browns Valley roads, up from the Buak Orchards accessed from Meadow Ridge Road.

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

I'm just guessing but that looks to be on the Green Valley Road side across from the David Rose Orchards.
I'm on the ridge between Green Valley and Browns Valley roads, up from the Buak Orchards accessed from Meadow Ridge Road.

This should give you a better idea...

 

[Old Magnet]

Yes, that is the parcel I was thinking of. That big house just west across the creek is the Rose place, formally the Dietrich Ranch. I'm actually located at the end (dirt road) of Whippet Run. It is 1-1/2 mile from the Corralitos Market.
On that water pump the early version ran the seal directly on the cast iron housing. Later versions used a pressed in bronze seat. From your description seems like somebody modified the original to accept a bronze seal seat.

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

Yes, that is the parcel I was thinking of. That big house just west across the creek is the Rose place, formally the Dietrich Ranch. I'm actually located at the end (dirt road) of Whippet Run. It is 1-1/2 mile from the Corralitos Market.
On that water pump the early version ran the seal directly on the cast iron housing. Later versions used a pressed in bronze seat. From your description seems like somebody modified the original to accept a bronze seal seat.

Yes, I was noticing that it appears the bushing is also the seal. I had never seen that before, so wasn't sure. Seems like it would make for a pretty tight fit on the shaft to be effective as a seal, and therefore a lot of drag on the shaft...

 

[Old Magnet]

The seal seat bushing does not fit tight to the shaft. It just provides the seat for the spring loaded mechanical seal.

 

[dtcohen]

I'm prepared to do all of the above, but was just trying to find out what part sources may be available before i spend a lot of time making my own. The gaskets that will be a challenge, are the ones between the top/bottom tanks and the radiator core. They are longer than any of the rolls of gasket paper that I have seen in auto parts stores. The water pump shaft bushings are more complex than cylindrical bronze bushings. The inner one is threaded and has a hex profile for installing into the housing. I may look for hexagonal bar stock of a large enough size such that one end can be turned and then threaded and then bored to have an oil-lite bushing of the correct ID pressed inside. The pump shaft is pitted, if it were an available part, I would want to go the replacement route, because I am assuming that it is surface hardened and that welding it would have a negative impact on that.

I made the radiator tank gaskets for my D4-2t. I think I ordered the gasket material on Amazon. I am pretty sure it was just 1/16" thick cork gasket material

 

[Green Valley Tailseat]

The seal seat bushing does not fit tight to the shaft. It just provides the seat for the spring loaded mechanical seal.

Old Magnet, are you on Facebook? I created a D-4 7J 6U facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/969621826557607/