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1/4 Horse Craftsman Block Grinder Restoration

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Farmall450

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Some of you may remember me picking up this grinder over a year ago from the hot deals section. Today I finished reassembling it after final long restoring it (albeit a different color). I was waiting for weeks for the humidity to drop below 80%; I'm glad I did the paint went on well. Rustoleum hammered silver and deep blue.

It got new bearings and a cord; I removed the glass eye shields, put them in the dishwasher, and replaced, using beads of set RTV to replace the gasket/spacer Craftsman used. Use caution - the tabs are fragile. On the inside, I just blew everything out. It looked good. Also, every bolt, tool rest, etc was wire wheeled prior to re-assembly.

I have decided to set this guy up for buffing (it doesn't have/didn't come with side guards, and I'd prefer the stone/wire wheel on a bigger unit, anyhow). Cripe has 6" buffing wheels on eBay for ~$5 shipped, in case anyone is interested!

Anyhow, glad to have this relic back in it's prime. :rocker:

Find it in the Official Block Thread
 

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Farmall450

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Didn't realize how bad these pictures turned out. Another reason for better garage lighting :lol_hitti
 

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Farmall450

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torqueman2002 said:
Nice Block.

Good colors, too.

I have a set of flanges/spacers from a 1/4-HP Block. PM me if you are interested.

:)
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PM'ed

dngrmse said:
Nice color combination. Looks great
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harleybuilder said:
Here it is.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157794
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pault28 said:
Me likey. Well done!
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Thanks guys! As far as color goes, I was shooting for American Airlines blue, as I painted on old Briggs 5S that color and it turned out great.

However, I didn't have enough left :(
 
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cbracer

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Costa Mesa, CA
Love it ! That's exactly what I want mine to look like.... only someday I'll get around to the restoration of it.
 
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danstead

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Western, Pa
Great Job 450!!

Really like the look of these older Cman grinders. Saw one a month ago for $40.00- looked half decent.

Is this a fair price for the older block grinders?

Thanks
 
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Farmall450

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danstead said:
Great Job 450!!

Really like the look of these older Cman grinders. Saw one a month ago for $40.00- looked half decent.

Is this a fair price for the older block grinders?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd say so. A hell of a lot better than anything you can buy off the shelf for $40 today, but as always YMMV. If it's beat I might have second thoughts at $40, but that's just me.

cbracer said:
Love it ! That's exactly what I want mine to look like.... only someday I'll get around to the restoration of it.
Click to expand...

Thanks! :beer:
Glad I finally got around to doing it; you will be too.
 
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Farmall450

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A quick update: I think this guy will be getting some buffing wheels, assuming a 1/3HP Block I have a line on comes through. Should be nice to have a pair; now I just need to decide if they'll be matching colors or not.

Mods, please move this thread to the Vintage Discussion if possible!
 
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CNGsaves

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Nice restoration job on the CMan grinder Farmall450 !! :thumbup:

Turned out great. Now you just need to find . . 1/3 HP, 1/2 HP, 3/4 HP, & 1 HP !! :D
 
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Farmall450

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CNGsaves said:
Nice restoration job on the CMan grinder Farmall450 !! :thumbup:

Turned out great. Now you just need to find . . 1/3 HP, 1/2 HP, 3/4 HP, & 1 HP !! :D
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I know...it's a sickness. Do you have any blocks?
I will probably accumulate a variety of each size...:sad:
And then spend way too much money on duplicate wheels :D
 
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Bennylava

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Cleburne, TX
Only problem with all these restored tools is, you wanna use them. Then paint eventually gets chipped, and the tools get filthy. Not long before it looks like it could just be original, that didn't see too much use. That wouldn't stop me from restoring it anyway, but that is what I'd be thinking once I went to start using the restored tool.
 
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Farmall450

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Bennylava said:
Only problem with all these restored tools is, you wanna use them. Then paint eventually gets chipped, and the tools get filthy. Not long before it looks like it could just be original, that didn't see too much use. That wouldn't stop me from restoring it anyway, but that is what I'd be thinking once I went to start using the restored tool.
Click to expand...

Well, this one is a princess. I have other unrestored ones for the bulk of wire wheeling and grinding.
 
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