Slightly OT - What a difference 50 years makes
 

I've been working on a late 50's Massey Ferguson tractor lately. Today, while thumbing through the service manual to find some specs I couldn't help but notice some major differences between procedures between back then and today.
First of all, this service manual is maybe 75 pages total, compare that to most any service manual today which is probably 300+ pages.
Second, and this is probably why the manual is so short, the manual assumes you have some mechanical ability. For instance, the section on brakes makes the statement "Brake shoe removal is self evident after an examination of the assembly"
Another good example of this can be seen in the attached pic. Look at the section for thermostat replacement....no big long winded statements about wearing the approriate clothing and personal protective equipment, disconnecting the battery, etc, etc, etc.....

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps2ec5f4d8.jpg

Ah, simpler times

Bobby

Do you suppose we would be considered jerks if we replied to some newbie's simpleton question with an answer like "the renewal procedure is evident"?

Oh well...:-X03

I have a '51 Motor Manual, just under 800 pages and it covers every American car (and some foreign) for almost 30 years, in enough detail to be useful. It too assumes some general level of competence.

I allway's needed a parts book to figger out how some of the damm things came apart ..like that one bolt inside you don't look for ..or they tell you about in the manual ..and the fact that lockwashers are not used everywhere ..and now ..it's all on a cd ,,I like the book

And how many pages are not required to cover safety interlocks and wiring.:-roll
And some folks think we're crazy for messing with this old stuff:-X15

I get some new woodworking tool, like my 15" planer I got last year, and the manual's first 15 pages are warnings just in case I am so stupid that I might try to put my hand in it with my wedding ring on and then call my lawyer with my other hand. The last two pages tell you how to plug it in and turn it on.

Bobby

I have that very same book - When it came in the mail I wondered why they would send just the cover pages
Operators Manual is the same way

Wow, how times have changed. One sentence to change a thermostat. No instructions to: remove hoses, use a proper container to drain coolant, dispose of used coolant at a proper recycling facility, wear safety goggles, let engine cool before servicing cooling system, use only approved gasket sealer, wash coolant from skin immediatly. How did people get anything done back then without a complete set of instrucions?

love old manuals
 

common sense + understanding = short manual

Have to admit, these days I tackle assembly of "pre-engineered planned obsolescence goods "long before I look at included manuals.This doesnot indicate a higher sense of learning. just long ingrained bad habits.

.......Picture of tractor Bobby ?

Tom

LOL...I know, when the manual came in the mail I thought the same thing. I opened the envelope and a skinny little "pamphlet" fell out...It contains everything you need though.

Here's a picture of the beauty, its a 1959 Massey Ferguson TO-35. I gotta replace a rear axle seal, repair the brakes, replace spindle bushings, and have the head rebuilt.
http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps91a5f6e0.jpg

Bobby

Mine's a 57 TO35
I have to replace the PTO shaft seal

Dick,
No problem, I'm sure that the seal replacement "should be self-eveident after and insepction of the assembly"

This is actually a pretty nice little tractor. It belongs to my father-in-law, his dad bought it new in 59. Its been out at the ranch and the last 20 or so years its been used hard and neglected. Father-in-law wants me to freshen it up a bit for him.

Bobby

I'm working on a '37 Buick. The shop manual, which I have on CD, is nothing compared to the shop manual for our trucks. It is many pages long but lacks any real helpful information, mainly it has not torque specifications. One example is for the bearing caps, it says to use a 7" wrench and tighten until it won't move. What if you have a 5' 125 pound mechanic on one car and a 6' 4"295 pound mechanic on the car next to each other? I doubt you will get the same torque from both guys. I was told they torque system didn't come into use until around '41, probably because fo the war. I have later Motor Manuals that list all the torque specs back to the mid '30s.

Answer, less lawyers and less government. If everything isn't spelled out today there's room left for legal action is something goes wrong.

In our racing if you are in Stock class you are required to have the factory shop manual available should anything be protested. The shop manual for the Solstice is in 3 volumes, each the size of a major city phone book, costs 125.00.

I would like to have it done before I find a 1964-1972 Ford Full Floatimg axels - 3;60 - 4:11