Author Topic: 9n serial number and year built?  (Read 7850 times)

Burt

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9n serial number and year built?
« on: October 17, 2009, 08:22:24 AM »
How can you tell the year a 9N was built by its serial number?

Mine is 157082 and I think it is a 1941.

Also, any help at all anyone offers is great because this is the first tractor I have owned ever.  It runs good and has 3 attachments that work also.

Thank you for any info.

Burt

Pete P.

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Re: 9n serial number and year built?
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2009, 02:52:35 PM »
Burt --

I don't have my SN book handy at the moment, but according to the SN archive on this site that's a 1944 model 2N.  The 2Ns continued the 9N serial numbers, so it's an easy mistake to make.  Some confirmatory clues --

1.  You should have a spring belt tensioner on your generator belt (new in about 1943, maybe late '42 when war restrictions eased and the 2Ns had electrical systems) The 9Ns had a simple hold down bolt in a quadrant.

2.  You should have an oil line to your governor; earlier models didn't.

3.  You should have bolts on the outside of your spindle steering arms with woodruff keys (new in '43.)  Earlier models had the bolts on the inside.

4.  You might have single rib fenders.  9Ns had double rib but I'm not sure when Ford went to single rib.

5.  The battery tray was changed from cast iron to steel in about 1942.

6.  The original Ford emblem should have 2N stamped in it below the Ford script.

7.  In mid-1944 the radius rods were changed from an I-beam style to a tubular design.

In any event she should give you many years of tireless service.

Hope this helps,

Pete P.
Harborcreek, Penna.

Burt

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Re: 9n serial number and year built?
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2009, 12:40:30 PM »
Pete:

Many thanks for your reply.  It is more info than I could get any other way.

It is a good tractor and runs great.  I have a few things left to do to get it "tuned up," even better.  I've changed oil and fluids, new plugs, new gas line/filter but am now struggling with the ganglion of wires going to the distributor.  It seems that two go INTO the distributor and 2 are external with protective plugs.


 Do I have to take the distributor off to change the plug wires?

Thanks again.

Burt

Pete P.

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Re: 9n serial number and year built?
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2009, 05:35:34 PM »
Burt --

That wiring doesn't sound right at all.  The coil sits atop the distributor and cap on the front mount models (which yours should be.)  The only wires should be one from the resistor / switch to the top post of the coil to supply current, and the four spark plug wires plugging into the distributor cap. 

The coil is retained by a snap bail -- move it forward (towards radiator) and it will allow the coil to be lifted off.  Next, unsnap the two spring clips retaining the cap and remove it and the rotor.  Note the position of the rotor (makes reassembly much easier.)  Then remove the dist. by removing the two bolts -- they take a 1/2" wrench.  The dist. should come off the front of the engine with a little persuasion; use the coil bail as a handle if you want.  Once you get inside it's fairly simple but be picky -- make everything 100 % and take no shortcuts.  Ns are not known for being forgiving when it comes to spark. 

Once you open her up, make sure points are really clean, gapped to 0.015 - 0.018 in.  Make sure the concave headed screw that the spring contact on the coil touches is also shiny clean, and the copper strap between that screw and the breaker point plate is good.  Make sure everything else is good and clean, then lube the cam lobes sparingly. 

Upon reinstallation, rotate dist. so that rotor is where you had it when it was removed -- dist. tang drive will only go in one way but lining up to the approximate location helps.  make sure coil contact surfaces, cap and rotor surfaces are good and clean and put all back together.

Next is plug & wire time, but that's fairly straightforward.  If you need new wires, you'll have to make them of course -- use only copper core wire, not this suppression stuff all the wanna-be parts stores have.  Every radio and television in half a mile will hear your ignition system but it will work and will stay that way.  For plugs, I use Autolite 437.

Hope this helps,

Pete P.

lha

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Re: 9n serial number and year built?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2009, 03:24:21 AM »
Assuming the # are right[as they are not stamped very well]you have a '44 2n,which would still have 9n#.There were subtle changes throughout the years,and parts taken from other tractors.You cannot really trust the serial#s completely as some of the motors were changed from 8n-9n-2n,and vice versa---lha

Burt

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Re: 9n serial number and year built?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2009, 09:30:08 AM »
Thanks to all, this tractor is a 9N that is a 2N if that is understood.

The wiring issue was solved.  Someone had put of two the spark plug wires into the distributor cap without replacing the cap plugs onto the distributor.  I replaced all of them after cleaning out the grit in the distributor cap insert holes. Each of the spark plug wires were a different make and probably replaced quickly in the field sometime.  One had tinfoil going into the distributor cap!  Only one had FOMOCO stamped on it.  Two were starting to crack a bit.

BTW, my wife got me a GREAT DVD on tuning up/restoring these old tractors:

Tune-UP for Ford Tractors
made by J&D productions, Inc. P.O. Box 38 Metamora, MI 48455


It's a great help for a newbie like me to actually see these tune-ups being done.  He covers identifying the years/models first, then tune-ups including the distributors on all the models and carburetor re-build and valve adjustments.  Since I have never done any of this, to a tractor, I really like the DVD and recommend it to other new tractor owners like me.

Burt
« Last Edit: October 29, 2009, 06:53:52 PM by 9nford »