To maximize my available space utilization, I wanted to incorporate the entire steering mount / dash panel into one assembly with the braces I had made for installing the front sheetmetal body, but with all the projects I’ve been working on during this last week I ran through a full spool of welding wire and will have to run out tomorrow in the AM before I can finish this piece that was only in my mind before today. 

In need of the small pillow-block bearing you see holding the steering shaft/wheel to the dash panel (click images to enlarge), I stopped by Whisler Industrial Supply (aka: Whisler Bearing) today on my way home from work with the the rusty steering shaft in hand. I got the usual “Can I help you?“ from the counterman when I walked in.

Well you know as well as I do that you never know if a counter person in a parts place will be more of a help or a hinderance anymore. Like when you walk into the auto parts store and want spark plugs for a 350 Chevy or 302 Ford and the kid needs to know, “Automatic or Manual Transmission?”… You know right then that you know his business better than he does, but you want what you want so you deal with it or go down the road next time, appreciating all that much more when you find a real professional.

The man that I bumped into today, Dieter, Outside Sales; is just such a professional, not only knowledgeable in his business, but also helpful, informative and courteous. The kind of old school approach to Customer Service you don’t find all too often.

Since I have the U-joints from the original PTO shaft, to move the steering from its original “driver’s side” location from when this was a truck to the center more like a tractor, all I needed was the one small part, but Dieter took the time to make sure I was getting exactly what I needed, treating me like a valuable customer. 

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There are Ford tractors. Why not a Chevy tractor?

Knowing GM, if Chevy made a tractor they would’ve used the same off-the-shelf parts they use for everything else. The only difference between a Chevy truck and a GMC (besides the additional $1500+ for GMC) is the rebadging & trim: Firebird/Camaro, Cavalier/Sunbird/Skylark/or load down that same anemic 88hp with heavy accessories and call it a Cadillac Cimarron.

If Chevrolet went into the tractor business, building four-wheeled work-horses from their already existing pile of schtock – unlike the two-wheeled tractors made by Harley – they might’ve looked something like this:

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I showed all the parts I used to make the tractor fuel tank in a previous post and the pieces for the brackets were included in the beginning of that write-up. Today I was able to get around to making those brackets.

I started out by taking the 2″ flat and bending it to match the inside of one of the four ”J” pieces cut from 1/4″ plate, welding it in place as I went along.

Then I took that assembly and welded the other side of the 2″ flat to another one of the “J” pieces. Like so: (notice the persuader)
 
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The tractor still needs a fuel tank and I haven’t been able to find something I like that fits. There’s space between the rails in the back but I want to leave that for PTO drive and some other accessories. Since the only other available space is to hang it on the outside of the frame-rail in plain view, I wanted something that didn’t look like a piece of pressed tin.

Here’s the parts I’ve put together:

• 12″ Pipe 20″ long – it’s every bit of 5/16″ thick O  
• 2 – 12″ circles cut from 1/4″ plate (tank sides)
• 2″ NPT short nipple (filler neck)
• 2″ pipe cap (filler cap)
• 4″ x 1/4″ x 12″ flat (drilled for filler neck, sending unit & vent)
• 1/4″ pipe x 2″ & 1/4″ elbow (tank vent) more in picture than actually used
• and an old Chevy sending unit w/ fuel pick-up tube
  
• Flat stock and “J” shapes cut from 1/4″ plate in top picture are for the mounting brackes

Cut a 12″ x 4″ rectangle hole centered in the side of the pipe for the flat connection plate:

Yes Ken, it would’ve been easier to just drill some holes in the pipe for the filler neck & vent and be done with it. It would’ve been even easier to strap a jerry-can to the side of the tractor; but it wouldn’t have been quite the look I was going for. :-)

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Just drove it out of the garage this evening… not anywhere near done, but being under it’s own motivation sure helps mine.