Recent content by DSDispatch

Removed the hood, battery tray, and much of the cooling system. The radiator was pretty beat up, so I found a replacement and ordered that. I already have a new thermostat, hoses, and clamps in hand, so a cooling system upgrade is on the way. Feels like the restoration really started once I...

Does anyone know what these nuts on the right rear fender of my L345 are supposed to be used for? The Messicks parts diagram shows no attachments on the fender. What goes there?

Removed the inner, reflective liner of the headlight assembly to fit Par36 bulbs in the stock bezel and frame. Came together pretty good!

Here is one of the stock headlights with the bezel removed. I'm planning to install some sort of aftermarket LED. Sure would be nice to use the stock bezel too. Now off to the inter-webs to find something useful. If you've done this already, like this guy, please post up what LED you used.

It's not perfect, but it is good welding for my purposes. I used a high-temp flat black from Home Depot.

Used a cutoff wheel to remove the top of the muffler and separate all the JB weld from the useful portion. With the muffler and exhaust stack off the machine and cleaned, I was ready to begin thinking about how to reassemble. A friend owns a nice CNC plasma cutter and made me this handy...

Out came the grinder and the drill. The secret here is to have fresh, sharp drill-bits. We started with an 1/8" pilot hole and worked our way up to 5/16" through 2 more steps. We shop vacc'ed away metal shavings as we went and used a rag to keep metal shavings from falling down in the...

Like many units of this vintage, the 3' exhaust stack was knocked off the top of the muffler. The previous owner used JB-weld to attempt a fix, but it didn't hold. I put PB-Blaster on the muffler mount bolts for several weeks and they still twisted off with a wrench. I later found out how soft...

My L345 came without a hood pin. This part is discontinued. Anyone have a source or ideas on how to build a latch to keep the hood from flopping around when I put this thing to use? Hole where pin secures hood...

This little tool met its maker after attempting to remove the front of the drag-link. Fortunately, Amazon delivered this handy set a few days later and the link was swiftly removed. Link to kit: Orion Moto Tech 5-1 Ball Joint Separator

The right rear fender required only minor touch-ups for my standard of repair. Isn't perfect, but came out looking good.

Things are coming along... Before: After: I ended up using the Yellow Implement spray-paint from Tractor Supply. I'm not sure it's "mustard" enough, but I'm happy with the result.

Am trying to remove the left side brake pedal. Both are on the right side. Specifically, i need help understanding what tool and procedure I should use to remove the pin that goes through the rod. My .pdf service manual is truncated after the wiring diagram and so doesn't include the...

Went by my local dealer today to pick up another can of "old" orange. They have a restored 80's vintage tractor in their showroom and I snapped a photo of the yellow pedals. I've got to say, I don't like the yellow on the throttle lever and foot actuator. Has anyone else seen this on...

I'm working on sourcing the ROPS. Can you share any information on the type of valve I'll need? I don't think sourcing hoses will be a problem - I have a lot of oilfield and equipment vendors nearby in ETX as well as my local dealer.