A brief background on my question. My father and I like to go up to the classic tractor show in Temple every Summer. You can run your tractor in the tractor pull if you wish. We own several classic tractors (still working on the family farm/ranch) and this year we've had the urge to enter our '52 Ford 8N. It's already got higher compression than normal due to a slightly milled head and "other than stock" pistons. Aside from a straight pipe making a U (exhaust manifold points down and towards the back) and coming straight up the side... we don't have anything else done. Supposedly people don't run the Ford 8N's in the show because a larger Massey technically fits into the same class they're running and the Fords kinda get slaughtered. I love an underdog and want to "Hot Rod" our Ford to maybe have a chance at winning this year. My question to the banger guys/gals is what can I do to the combustion chamber to improve power? Change the shape of it, smooth it out? I know it sounds stupid on an engine that I don't think turns more than 2000 RPM... BUT... it's geared so low that any little bit of horsepower you gain is actually noticeable. As it is right now, if you take it up to full power and dump it in 3rd, it'll do a hell of a wheel stand... let off the throttle slowly, and it gently touches down. Don't ask me how I found that out... but it involved a slick cowboy boot and a slicker clutch pedal (whoops). Any thoughts? We already have a HAMB decal on it. That's gotta be worth atleast 10 horses... maybe more? (Not my pics... just to give you guys an idea of what i'm working with.)
you will likely have an rpm limit. so with that in mind, TORQUE is really important. Now consider what is involved with pulling...TRACTION. You will need evenly balanced tires without much tread. Usually 1/4 to 3/8" is all we run. Having the front edges of the bars sharp is key. We hook the front of the tractor to an immoveable object and spin it in reverse to sharpen the bars. Also, move your hitch in tight to the rear end...they may have rules about this. You don't want the front end to lift when the pulling gets tough. Ideally, it should lift just a few inches. That also means you will need some moveable weight. getting the balance correct will take practice. horsepower is only a small part of successful tractor pulling. good luck. PM me if I can offer any assistance. And remember, there are two kinds of tractors pullers...losers and cheaters. I like to win!
Acquire another cylinder head and have a good welder build up the combustion chambers with brass. Smooth the chambers out with a die grinder, and use a burette or some other type of CC measuring device to match the volumes for all the chambers. Be careful not to build up too much over the valves. You need someclearance with the valve at max lift. Check that with a piece of modeling clay on top of the valve with the head gasket removed. Jerry
Hey thanks a lot for the responses guys. I especially liked the idea of acquiring another head to CC and work on. The comment about losers/cheaters is right on the money. I've seen some tricky stuff these 70+ year olds pull at the tractor show. It always cracks me up. What do you guys think of combustion chamber shape? I'm a complete newb to tractor pulling... what type of hitch is usually ran? We just have the original 3 point on it now.
There are some gains to be found with your ignition curve...initial timing and speed/amount of advance. If you are willing to do internal mods, a reground cam & better springs work, too...although I have to admit that the pulling cams I've seen are generally not for Fords, but those green & red things. As Jerry mentioned, pay attention to the existing shrouding of the valves, even if you don't fill the chambers. Probably the best advice I can give you is to find a local stock puller who will give you guidance (and who's worth listening to). As Bobwop said, horsepower is by no means all of it...traction & weight "management" is probably more important. You'll be surprised how quickly you catch the bug....and there lies the road to madness. Two blown Rodecks & two Allisons lie in your future...ask me how I know.
Hahaha... don't tell me that man! I thought I didn't have enough time already... and i've still got projects on the back burner I haven't touched in almost 2 years. Well, i'm going to play the weight/ traction game first and see how I do with a really good tune on the engine... then i'll see how I do in that class to get a base-line for performance. Then over the next year i'll start tinkering with it a bit more playing with the cylinder head, and possibly make a header and intake for it out of tubing. I'm thinking long tubes and pretty small primaries should help out with the torque. I just have to make sure I don't go too big with the tubes. We've got a couple of those Green Things... JD60 and a JDA (styled front end)... those things always do great in the tractor pulls. Just when you think that old 2 cylinder is done... they claw another 50+ feet at about 5RPM haha....
I have an 8N and pulled with it a couple times. I trimmed some weight (took off 3 pt setup, shortie exhaust pipe, very little in fuel tank, . . . ) and jumped down a class.
The Brumfield head for the Model A is supposedly the best for making power. You should be able to google that and get an idea of how you could reshape your chamber.
absolutely check the rules first, but I would be shocked if they would not allow the 8N to pull in even the lightest class, likely 3500#. Get rid of as much weight as possible, then lose some more. You will not be able to pull off the stock hitch setup due to safety issues. You will need to work up a drawbar similar to the bigger tractors. Make certain you build it strong and have it pull from as far forward as possible. You will again wish to consult rules about the length, but keep it as short as possible. You should have at least 3-400# to play with. Use small weights so you can adjust and have brackets that hang weights up front, along the belly and just behind the rear axle. Keep them as low as possible. Figure out how to get tons of rpms by reworking your governor. You will likely have a limit, but find a way to exceed it, yet not get caught during tech inspection. Run a free-flowing muffler. You will lose a bit of power, but the extra rpms won't be noticed and you will fly under the radar as a "stock" tractor. You have lots of "free" things you can do before you spend big bucks on horsepower. Watch and learn. Find an old guy that is successful and hang with him, throw his weights for him, learn about balance, tire pressure, strategy, track position, how to ssstttrrreeetttccchhh the rules. Make sure you like it and if you are lucky, he may even put you in the seat. That is how I started 25 years ago. Today, I am the wiley old vetern that never has the most power, never has the most smoke, but scares the shit out of the big money guys. I can't recall the last time we weren't in the money, but it was only last year that we got kicked out for cheating. They couldn't prove it, but the kangaroo court convicted us. Of course we were.
LOL... bobwop, you crack me up man. Time to get tinkering! You're right about the rules, gotta check 'em out to see exactly which class I fit into and how to "bend" those rules. This tractor show is pretty small though... so it may just be a run what ya brung type thing. I never really paid attention to if there were actual classes or not. I just assumed it by the huge differences in size and output of tractors that were pulling. Thanks for the info everyone. Time to play.
You might be surprised at how easy it is to hide nitrous oxide systems on older tractors. ...not that I know anything about that sort of hooliganism. ...that can be legally proven.
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