325 Alicia Drive, Cary, Illinois 60013
After many years of attending tractor shows and seeing all those
once old piles of rust transformed into something to be proud of, I
felt restoration was something I would like to try.
My daughter had her heart set on a ‘green one’, but my
cousin informed me of a McCormick Deering in desperate need of
restoration. It appeared to be a W-12, but after reading 150 Years
of International Harvester I discovered it was a Fairway 12, serial
number FOS838. According to the book, my tractor is one of only 600
ever made.
Needless to say, my cousin and I winched it out of the barn and
onto a trailer. When I got home, my daughter saw the rusty heap and
said, ‘It’s red!!’ Her tone was one of disappointment,
but as our project went on, that tone disappeared.
As I got into the restoration, I found that the block had to be
welded again. I installed the original sleeves that I honed out,
original pistons, and new rings. Some of the other parts, such as
valve lifters, rocker arms, oil pump, and governor shaft, were
taken out of an F-12 block I picked up from a friend.
Once the engine was completed, a friend and I dropped it into
the chassis, which I had previously painted.
I know there will be a few diehard International Harvester
collectors that will say a 1934 McCormick Deering should be grey,
but when I was sanding, I found not one flake of grey paint. I paid
close attention to areas behind seals, under gaskets, behind the
engine adapter plate, under the radiator, transmission cover-sit
was all red. After seeing this, I decided my tractor was going to
be painted with International Harvester 1250 red enamel.
I’m looking forward to making the shows this year, and
I’d like to thank some people who helped me make this happen:
Bob Hoffman, my brother; Bob Gillengerten; Bill Ackerman; Elmer
Gotschall; Arnie Jaeckel and Gordon Rice.
Now, on with my next project, a 1937 F-12.