The restoration of a John Deere legend COMPLETED

[JD600]

I actually got called away from my desk before i actually got it sent, then i forgot all about it. Sending it now.

DE

[80spitfire]

Ha no problem D! I'll try to give you a call on Sunday if I get a chance.

-Brian

[80spitfire]

Alright fellas, it's time I finally update this with some new stuff. I'm happy to show you guys a new picture tonight that I'm quite proud of. Tonight with the help of a former racer/Deere Mechanic the motor finally was bolted into its final resting place. I had never aligned clutches properly with a universal clutch alignment tool so it was a huge help to have a friend help me with it. I would've loved to have done it months ago, but I just had a crazy hectic summer at work. Fortunately, the clutches are aligned about 100 times better due to me waiting so I'm glad I did. I plan on working on the Dator as much as possible in the afternoons when I get out of auto school so hopefully this beauty will be coming together quite quickly now. Unfortunately though, I won't be able to work on it again until Friday since I'm going to be in Phoenix for the national pest control conference for work, but as soon as I get back I'm going to work on the Dator as much as I can. Stay tuned guys because this thread is about to get real interesting!

-Brian

[ICCSF 108]

All that nice work & we only get one picture?

Grumpy

[80spitfire]

All that nice work & we only get one picture?

Grumpy

Well I was gonna post more pictures, but when I looked back through my last pictures unfortunately the motor was the only thing that was new Soon there will be lots of shiny parts on it though and don't worry you guys will get to see them all!
-Brian

[JDT]

Keep up the great work Brian.

[skoalmint]

LOOKIN good Brian .Brock

[80spitfire]

Got to work on the Dator this weekend a little bit. Didn't get a whole ton done, but progress is progress right? I'm actually really enjoying taking my time and just enjoying the assembly process. It's a good thing I don't mind having it take long because it definitely is due to fitment issues. I've had to notch some holes on a few cosmetic pieces thanks to a combination of bodywork, the belly pan swap, and some of my aluminum parts being homemade reproductions. All in all though, it's still going pretty well. Here's some more pictures for you guys. I hope to have more for you by the end of the week!

Thanks,
Brian

[80spitfire]

Got a little bit of work done on the Dator over the last couple of weeks.

The belt guard with a NOS belt and belt clips was mounted just like it was originally on my sled,
I also got the dash installed with the NOS tach and speedo and I also got the NOS handle bar heaters installed. Still a little bit more left to put on the dash, but it's coming along quite nicely.

I finished putting the rear end together with all kinds of NOS goodies. Wish I would've gotten a better picture, but it was pretty dark out at the time.

Lastly, I got the radiator kinda half mounted in for plumbing purposes. I'll be tightening it in to place once I get all the hoses figured out.
I spent the better part of the morning today running around getting some radiator hoses, fuel lines and a few more things. I'm waiting on a couple coolant fittings to come from the warehouse, but I'm hoping to get going on the plumbing as soon as those show up. Also, I have a set of real MIkuni carb boots on order to replace the junk that't on the sled right now. Hopefully when those show up I can run all the fuel lines and hook up both tanks too. Stay tuned guys and I'll update you as assembly progresses.

-Brian

[80spitfire]

Spent some time on the Dator again Sunday afternoon and was able to get most of the plumbing squared away. I got all the of the lines ran except one and I think they turned out pretty darn good. A big thank you to Dustin (JDXSpec) for helping me out with the plumbing schematics! The only part of the plumbing that I wasn't able to finish was the lower hose from the jug to the water pump. Unfortunately I can't use just regular 1' radiator hose because of the compound bends, so I'm trying to locate an original Deere one. If anyone has one that they would be willing to give up for my project I would really appreciate it.

After I did some plumbing I was also able to put on the temp gauge and the Mikuni carb boots that I ordered. I didn't get to the fuel system yet because I decided to wait until I can put on the choke cable and plungers at the same time as the fuel lines and tanks since I noticed that it might be a bit hard to get the plungers adjusted just right when the carbs are mounted. I'm sure I could do it with them on, but I don't really wanna pull the carbs off a thousand times since they're such a good tight fit with the real Mikuni boots. Once my plungers come in the mail from New Breed I'll get all of the fuel system finished.

Anyways, here's a few pictures of this weekends progress. I wish it was more, but at least it's something right?! I decided to include a picture of the hose I need also less the aluminum foil which is, believe it or not, tied on with mechanic's wire lol

Thanks,
Brian

[JDXspec]

Looking good Brian!

[80spitfire]

Since it's been over a month now since I've shown you guys some pictures I figured it's time to show you what me and the Dator have been up to. In my last post I mentioned that I had been having trouble finding a hose for the sled. Fortunately, I was able to get one recently from a fellow board member. It was used and a bit dirty, but after I cleaned it up and retaped it I think she looks just like new. With this hose now on it means that the sled is 100% plumbed except for the overflow bottle which I'm still working on finding a good mounting spot for it since the 78 cooler now covers where it originally went.
After the coolant lines were plumbed I moved on to plumbing the fuel lines. I got those all plumbed and installed both tanks.
The seat was the next part on the list to get installed. The seat had to be made 100% from scratch as my seat was missing when I got the sled and a 78 LF/Cyclone seat was in its place. I think John did a wonderful job making a new one!
Once the seat was installed it was time to mount, in my opinion, the coolest part of the Dator; the twin stinger pipes. These pipes are in absolutely beautiful condition. A far cry from the rotted out ones I got with the sled! I also installed the rest of the clutch ducting and the NOS tool pouch with NOS tools and NOS spark plugs inside of it.
Finally, the NOS twist grip and Kelsey Hayes juice brakes were installed.
Here's the sled as it sits tonight.

This sled is getting so close to being done I can already see the Waconia plaques hanging on my wall! All that I have to do to the sled yet is bleed the juice brakes, tie up the wires and cable on the handle bars, apply a handful of decals and foot pads, put in the air box, install the hood with the headlight and windshield installed, and finally logo up the hood. It sounds like a long list, but it's nothing compared to what it once was. I'm getting so excited to see what this thing is gonna look like when it's done! Hopefully I'll be able to find some time to work on it this weekend and you guys will be seeing completion pictures soon.

Thanks,
Brian

[fastl82vette]

That thing is beautiful!!! Great job! Can't wait to see the final product.

[JDT]

WOW! You got my vote.

This is so NICE!!

Super job.

[80spitfire]

Thanks guys! I'm glad you like it!

-Brian