WC Dilema

Check the mains with a plastigauge and if they are in spec go wiht it. Also make sure it turns freely after torquing down the main caps.

line boring my 45 was expensive 10 years ago

Like I said earlier in this thread, this is a family tractor.  I purchased it from the original owner in 1977, and as far back as I can remember, 10-12 years before that, as I was 17 in '77, it sat outside his corncrib to run his elevator to put earcorn in the crib.  It was his first tractor, then got relegated to "elevator tractor" after he upgraded to a WD, then later a D17.  He retired from farming in the late 60s, and I faintly remember him using the WC before then.  It was used to fill the crib in the fall, then he'd put a can on the exhaust and let it set, outside by the elevator, until the crib needed filled again.  It had sat for so long, the tires were rotted off of it when I bought it.  I would drive by on my way to town, and see it setting there, almost feeling sorry for the ole thing.  The horseweeds would grow up around it in the summer, and you couldn't even tell there was a tractor setting there.  After several attempts to buy it from him, he finally decided he wasn't going to use it anymore, and sold it to me for $25!  I was a junior in high school at the time, and this was my first tractor!  That's why I decided to restore a common ole WC, that'll never be worth what I've put into it!

If you aren't already using one, I suggest you get an Allis Chalmers Service Manual, not an IT manual. The AC manual is much more detailed and helpful.

You're a brave man! I would never tackle shimming a crankshaft with the engine in the tractor. I find it difficult enough with gravity on my side.

Edited by WF owner - 03 May 2023 at 10:34am

It was not uncommon for farmers to file or grind bearing caps in order tighten things up a bit. These bearing bores need to carefully examined; a dial bore gauge and someone who knows how to properly use it would be in order.

Some engine are tab to tab and other engines are opposite tabs. That's why I ALWAYS mark things. The book is correct in that the number aligns with the number stamped on the pan gasket surface. File on the main cap surface ?? You must be kidding......      Trying to plastigauge in-chassis with the weight of the crankshaft smashing the plastigauge doesn't really work either.

Edited by DrAllis - 08 May 2023 at 5:45pm

First of all, I would use an AC service manual, not IT. The AC manual goes into a lot more detail.

  I have several reasons for doing it this way. 1) My shop time is extremely limited for "toy" projects this time of year, as my time is usually tied up with repairs on machinery I need to farm with, and field work.  For me to "do it right", I'd need 2-3 weeks, which is only available in the winter. 2) I've got the head gasket issue sealed up and I don't want to remove it again. 3) The crank is hanging just fine with  the connecting rods holding it in place. 4) I figured this old machinery was designed for shade tree mechanics to keep it running.  The farmers that worked on these 80 years ago didn't go to the trouble to get the engine line bored, or checked over with a precision micro-bore gauge when it needed snugged up a little.5) Sometimes you have to go for it, and not get too uptight about things, to see what you can get by with.  I'd rather be lucky than perfect any day!

SEIA Farmer wrote:   ....The crank is hanging just fine with  the connecting rods holding it in place...  ...I'd rather be lucky than perfect any day!

Your luck will be enhanced if you make certain that the crank is pushed up snug against the upper main bearing shell when you do the plastigage thing

Project Update: Engine is all back together and runs well.  I went with a new set of .020 under inserts in all 3 mains, and put in the complete set of new shims.  I can tell it's turning over and running much more freely than before.  Yes, it can be done with the engine in the tractor, without removing the crankshaft.  Nearest I can tell, is I've got .004-.005 bearing clearance using the plastigauge, which I know is probably not the most accurate way to measure things, but it's all I got, and better than nothing.  The crank was sized, and the new bearing inserts should be uniform circumference, without being crushed from the shims removed, so I figured I've got a tighter engine than the majority of these old things that are still out there running with decades of wear on their bearings!