My 1945 Farmall A

I'm calling this one Vic


This is the first tractor I bought with the intention of restoring it. I was at a yard sale looking for a flathead V-8 to put in my 1950 Ford F-6, and this fellow had a bunch of flathead engines. I didn't buy an engine, but he had this 1945 Farmall A sitting behind a shed, largely disassembled, but with an uncracked block and an unstuck engine, though the front tires were shot and one front rim was rusted thru. I didn't buy it that day, but a week later I called and he hadn't sold it, so I paid him $400 and he delivered it to me. Upon closer examination I realized there was no air filter assembly and the fenders were not serviceable, but other than that it was intact. So far I have replaced both front tires and rims and cleaned the huge blobs of grease off the engine that had been intended to keep it from rusting, then shot it with a coat of rattle can paint. It will be getting further attention in 2002.

Why I called it Vic, the war-era tractors

International was not producting tractors for the most part during WWII. However, in 1945 it was decided to produce a limited number of tractors since demand was up and it appeared the war was nearing an end. The war era Farmall A can be identified by the cast iron gearshift knob. My A also came with a Fairbanks Morse FM magneto instead of the IH H-4 mag.


Photos

These picture were taken a week or so after I got it. The front of the tractor is under a tent-like shelter, so the light is atrocious. As you can see, there are a few parts not shown

Click on a photo to view it full size

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