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AC WD45 
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Joined: 28 Sep 2009
Location: Mid Michigan
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 Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 9:15am |
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Actually, now that I look at it, the breather hose is right below the casting number. Maybe it doesn't have one?
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German Shepherd dad
1957 Allis Chalmers WD45
#WD234847
1951 Allis Chalmers WD
#WD88193
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DrAllis
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 9:30am |
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With all the things that appear to be a "diesel" chassis.....I wonder if it has the diesel ring and pinion (which is the same as a D17 and 15% slower) and then a D17 governor which is 2000 rpm high idle.....? then there's the PTO box gearing? Engine S/N is more behind the carb if I remember right.
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TomMN
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Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: Elbow Lake, MN
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 10:48am |
I don’t think any factory anywhere that had the idea of
making money building tractors would do this.
There were over 6600 WD45 tractors manufactured in 1957 those serial
numbers were 230295 through 236958 which includes this tractor the records say
it was built in 1957.
There were already 3,299 D17 tractors built in 1957 ramping
up to build 12,200 D17’s in 1958. To
even think they would run a WD45 down the assembly line in 1958 is absurd. The goal would have been to push and sell the
new line.
This looks like a diesel chassis that someone put a gas engine
from a D17 in; it looks like they did a very nice job of it. Does the serial number have a D on the end of
it? It still has the diesel front end on
it too, that would not be needed to put a gas engine in it. The curved down top frame rail can’t be seen
in these pictures as it would be right under the radiator, that could be straightened
with a torch though I suppose.
I don’t buy the story that it was built in the factory in
1958.
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AC WD45
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Location: Mid Michigan
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 11:08am |
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Somewhere, I believe in Norm's book? is mentions a few tractors (2-3) built in the very beginning of January '58. I'm guessing these where to fill back orders.
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German Shepherd dad
1957 Allis Chalmers WD45
#WD234847
1951 Allis Chalmers WD
#WD88193
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BurtIA
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Joined: 27 Nov 2009
Location: Amana, IA
Points: 121
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 11:54am |
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I'm highly skepical of this story. I would buy a story of making a diesel into a gas, that would also explain the D17N on the block. What Norm's book does say " The last WD 45 was built during the summer of 1957, after a run of 90,382 tractors". Nothing about any built in '58. They were already building D17's in '57 so building 2 or 3 WD 45's in 58? I doubt it.
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DaveKamp
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Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Location: LeClaire, Ia
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 12:03pm |
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Only reason I'd doubt DOUBTING it, is because...
...when you have parts still sitting on the manufacturing floor... you do what JEEP did...
...build 'em up with whatever's left, and get 'em out the door.
I have a 1971 Kaiser-Jeep Jeepster Commando with OLD STYLE frontend, AMC badges and all sorts of mismatched parts... and the original build-sheet and sales bill from 1972... and I've got a buddy that had one just a few serial numbers later that has the new-style frontend, but a 225V6 (ex-Buick)... they were just usin' up the leftovers.
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DrAllis
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 12:15pm |
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But, for only two or three units??? they'd been smarter to throw all the leftover parts into the "Parts" system and sell them over time.....
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DaveKamp
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Posted: 18 Sep 2011 at 1:31pm |
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Yeah, most would think so, too... but that was before 'just-in-time', robots, and quick-change assembly fixtures... so you're not talking about assembly lines that have incoming shipments that're used on same-day they rolled out the door. Those last three units may have been mostly assembled, sitting on bracket-stands in the queue-lot for weeks when the shift ended. To move them into 'parts' meant dismantling them, when it was much more cost-sensible to finish 'em up and send 'em out.
Changing out an assembly line at an ALLIS plant, happened like many others, with the exception that Allis would CONTINUE pushing products out the door... even while they were tooling up for the new model. All my local Deere, Farmall, and Case buddies said that Allis ALWAYS beated 'em out in changeovers because they had essentially NO time where they weren't pushing SOMETHING out the door.
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DrAllis
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Posted: 08 Jan 2023 at 8:40am |
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To entertain yourself on this subject, refer to a May 5th 2021 post by Dean from Iowa. In that post is the actual last WD45/236958 that rolled off the assembly line. A-C even made a sign that says so. So, this tractor featured in this particular post has had wrong hood decals, hood gauges added, diesel battery box with 12 volts, hand crank shaft was sticking out when built, etc. Not saying this tractor isn't thee same one. Just saying it has been changed quite a bit since June 5th of 1957 and was not built in Jan of 1958.
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Berickson66
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Joined: 30 Dec 2021
Location: IA
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Posted: 08 Jan 2023 at 7:13pm |
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went back to a post on may 5 2021 and it shows a plcture of the last wd 45 and there a lot of differences between this one and the factory photo. The battery box looks smaller, no gauge cluster on hood or battery box starting shaft clearly visible on front bolster.
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Berickson66
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Posted: 08 Jan 2023 at 7:16pm |
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Also temp gauge clearly visible sticking trough the hood
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garden_guy
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Location: Illinois
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Posted: 10 Jan 2023 at 9:47am |
Well I'll have to keep an eye on this thread, it is getting interesting.
 Pat the Plumber CIL wrote:
I have heard rumors of late WD45s that used D-17 parts,diesel hoods and dealers painting rims cream colors on new WD45's they had not sold yet.Would not put it past A/C to want to use stuff up.
Always like the look of a WD 45 with cream rims.Knew of a WD 45 over by Pittsfield with cream rims and seat.Lady that owns it says her husband bought it that way new.He never painted anything she claims.Imagine dealers had them and wanted to get rid of them,so they would "update" them. |
My one WD has orange wheels on one side and cream on the other... And it came from my grandfather, who as far as I know never had it painted. Not sure if he swapped parts from his D-17 or had to get replacements on one side or what, but it had been cream since the 80s (and likely well before that, but... I'm not old enough to remember before that lol).
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plummerscarin
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Posted: 10 Jan 2023 at 1:28pm |
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Have a WD45 here with cream fronts and rear centers. Also on that line of thinking have a disc painted and labeled DA but in many areas all over it the paint is flaking off and shows orange underneath
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Carl(NWWI)
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Location: NW WI
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Posted: 10 Jan 2023 at 2:31pm |
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We went over this last year. I picked up the second to last wd45. Built the same as the rest of them. All the correct parts. There’s a picture of the last one built in Norms book. Looks like a normal WD45. This one has obviously had changes along the way.
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IBWD MIke
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Posted: 11 Jan 2023 at 9:14am |
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The piece of the pie that's missing is a picture of the serial no.!
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DrAllis
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Posted: 11 Jan 2023 at 9:59am |
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I WOULD AGREE !!
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Carl(NWWI)
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Posted: 11 Jan 2023 at 11:28am |
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Doesn’t really change the outcome of the tractor. If it’s the last or not, it’s still been changed since it rolled of the line. And it looks nothing like the picture from 1957. Which is 100% proof of what it was, and what it currently has been modified too.
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Lon(MN)
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Posted: 12 Jan 2023 at 7:11am |
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The serial number can be questioned also. I have seen two WD45s without a number.
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http://lonsallischalmers.com
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DrAllis
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Posted: 12 Jan 2023 at 1:50pm |
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Any WD or WD45 that doesn't have a serial number stamped on the rear end housing, means it had the housing replaced with a new one at some time in its life. Reason for that was usually running the rear end very low on oil while doing heavy field work. Pinion bearings lock up and it splits the rear end housing where the bearings are located.
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Nathan (SD)
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Posted: 14 Jan 2023 at 12:26pm |
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Lon(MN)
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Posted: 15 Jan 2023 at 6:43am |
Thanks for posting this picture. How easy it is to rewrite history. Pictured is an Allis Chalmers with a 226 cubic inch engine with a snap coupler hitch. Now it is an alice chambers ---liter motor with two point. Sorry for the rant. My metric tools still don't work on this tractor.
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http://lonsallischalmers.com
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DrAllis
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Posted: 15 Jan 2023 at 6:51am |
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My "metric" crescent wrench still works well !!!
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IBWD MIke
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Posted: 15 Jan 2023 at 7:36am |
DrAllis wrote:
Any WD or WD45 that doesn't have a serial number stamped on the rear end housing, means it had the housing replaced with a new one at some time in its life. Reason for that was usually running the rear end very low on oil while doing heavy field work. Pinion bearings lock up and it splits the rear end housing where the bearings are located. |
Doc, assuming the change was done at a dealership, wouldn't they have re-stamped the number on the new housing?
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DrAllis
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Posted: 15 Jan 2023 at 7:43am |
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The three dealerships I worked at over 25 tears never had any number/letter stamps. Why would it matter anyway ?? Any experienced partsman seldom needed a serial number for repair parts. Same way with bare new engine blocks that don't have a serial number on them. Not a big deal if there isn't one.
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IBWD MIke
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Posted: 15 Jan 2023 at 7:58am |
Was just a thought. Probably not a big deal on a WD or 45. On other things, like my combine, serial number is huge. Must have been all kinds of changes over time.
Edit; Kind of hard to believe they didn't have letter/number stamps. There's so many of those things where I work it's unbelievable! Previous three jobs were similar.
Edited by IBWD MIke - 15 Jan 2023 at 8:00am
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