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Super 446 Build- Diesel Swap

5642 Views 93 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  Shtf45acp, 
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I will start slowly posting my Case 446 with diesel swap here which I'm going to call the Super 446. I'm currently half way through the build but I'll start from the beginning and post a little bit at a time until I'm at the current state of the build.

So a bit of background, I got into Case tractors this past summer. With the help of this forum my son and I 100% mechanically restored a 1988 446. That is our mowing tractor. We went over it top to bottom, and besides paint.... it is basically brand new like it was from the factory with the exception of a few mods like the TCV linkage and factory looking led headlights. It is a wonderful tractor and is quite amazing how nice it mows and how quiet it is while it mows.

So moving forward, this past summer I needed to remove a tree stump in my yard and my powerstroke F250 would not even budge it. So I rented a kubota BX23 with loader and backhoe. That little diesel tractor was absolutely amazing, but the $20k price tag was now. After the tree stump was removed, I no longer needed a loader or backhoe on my property but still wanted a diesel tractor.

In comes a excellent condition one owner 1982 446 that I drove 4 hours one way to Virginia from Pennsylvania to buy. It came with a plow and tiller. The gentleman who owned it said his father bought it brand new in 1982 and used it till he died in the mid 2000's. He himself never used it but it was in amazing condition and came with a book full of records and receipts for everything that was done. So definitely a good score.

So the plan is to completely redo the '82 446 and make it better at least in my opinion. I love to tinker and have the necessary skills and knowledge to do so. I know there will be naysayers but I honestly don't really care as it is my tractor and I already have a stock 446 to do things the Super 446 can't but it won't be many things. Please don't take this the wrong way, as this is a hobby and passion of mine always tinkering and making things better.

So here's the start of my 1982 Super 446.

I started with completely stripping it and cleaning everything. Nothing real special here but as I put it back together I started to replace little things that needed it and fixing little things as I went.





I put on some new Firestone tires all the way around. The fronts are the 16x6.50-8 tri-ribs from Miller tire. The rears are 8-16 Firestone Regency. I like these tires for the fact they aren't as steep of an angle on the bars and bite a good bit better in dirt. I do kind of wish I would have went with 9.5-16 but I still can down the road and put these on the '88 446.

I cleaned and the reamed the front spindles for a nice smooth turn. They were extremely gunked up with old grease. I also drilled out all the grease fittings and tapped them for 1/4-28 fittings. I also did the poor man's power steering on the front with parts from McMaster Carr.

The pivot pin was replaced on the front axle. I also did this on my '88 446, but on the Super 446 it still had some slack. I'm not sure if I want to try and fix that and how I'd go about it. Carefully slicing the frame from the bottom up and then pull it tight with some clamps, then rewelding it would probably fix the slop left but I'm not sure if it is even worth messing with.

What have some of you done to fix the excess slop on the front axle? It isn't much but with my OCD it bothers me.
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bobneumann said:
Looking great so far.

If you feed your 3 spool from the pto's PB, won't that mean that no oil flows back up to your flow control and then on to your TCV? I thought you'd have to feed your TCV from the pto's PB.

Bob
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Yes you bring up a good point which I forgot to mention. The 3 spool valve will be a closed center. This will not let it flow any hydraulic oil until one of the spools is used.

As you said if it was an open center all the hydraulic oil would just go the path of least resistance straight back to the return circuit via the 3 spool valve.

Talking to some of the engineers at the place I used to work, running the closed center should be fine. The only time it will see a high pressure would be when the tractor is really lugging down driving. Even then the the system has been upgraded to handle this pressure. So instead of the rear pto being the higher master pressure relief, it will now be the 3 spool valve. Then the rear pto valve set a little lower, then the TCV being a little lower yet.

As of right now the only foreseen problem could be is cylinder creep. Depending on the quality of the 3 spool valve, I may get a bit of cylinder creep under high pressure. This could be remedied by either a higher quality valve or a complete hydraulic shut off valve to the 3 spool.

One thing you could be correct about is which valve gets the return and power beyond on the rear PTO. I maybe have to switch them as of right now the return goes to the TCV, the power beyond goes to the 3 spool. So depending on which circuit gets priority, they maybe have to be switched so the tractor doesn't stop while using the 3 spool. I don't care if the 3 spool is a little slower as it is just for cylinders. I however do not want the tractor to stop while using the 3 spool.
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V
Interesting mods!

Got a question.. am i right in thinking this handle could be rotated to pull front/back? Might be slightly more intuitive that way if used for the top link. I can't tell from the pic if it would interfere with the next handle's silver 'body' or not.
Motor vehicle Automotive tire Hood Automotive exterior Automotive design


Hydraulic top link.. yes! Once you have used a power top link with a box blade you'll never want to touch a box blade without a power top link. Like if i told someone i used my box blade for this or that and they said "can you get on my tractor and show me what you're talking about" and they didn't have a power top link, id be like.. ehhhh.. let's change the subject lol.

I used an electric-over-hydraulic cylinder for mine on my small Kubota B6100. I bought two of them with the thought i'd put the other one on my Case but have not done so yet. Obviously real hydraulics is the way to go if you've got the valves and plumbing all planned out. I have thought about a 'tilt' link but haven't talked myself into it yet. Seems like a lot of hassle for something i wouldn't use that often, plus it would practically have to have a load holding valve or inline cutoff to keep from 'drifting' all the time. What i HAVE spent a lot of time thinking about, is modifying my next angle blade for tilt, manually. I don't have as much desire to tilt my box blade.

As far as the 3pt mower, I like the idea but i think a 'conventional' 3pt mower won't get you as far under a tree as you might like. If you extend it far enough rearward your tractor, with no loader, would need a ton of front counterweight. Going back to my b6100 (only a bit bigger than Case) with an FEL, 4' bush hog is no problem. On a b7100 i have (same basic tractor) with no loader, same bush hog plus 3x55lb weights up front, still does not have a lot of steering authority.

What i think might be a better idea in your case, since it would be hydraulically driven, is to front mount this mower. Maybe make it able to use the same lift mechanism you'll be building for your plow. The tractor is already heavier at the rear, plus the 3pt can pick up another 500+lbs, plus your head is further from that end of the tractor. If you draw a line from the top of the mower deck to the top of your head with the 3pt design, it really only gets you 3-4ft further under a tree before hitting your head on branches, than a mid mount mower! Draw the same line in the front and it's more like a 5-6ft difference, plus you could make the thing 'extendable' if you wanted. Something like a 2.5" square tube nested inside a 3" square tube, with a couple of crosspin holes, could make it extend by several feet pretty easily. If it extends AND angles up far enough on the lift mechanism, would also make it pretty easy to do blade repair/maintenance. And heck, you could still put 3pt brackets on it and use it that way too. Or maybe this is just too much scope creep. 😂
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I would love it if you would post a couple pictures of the dashboard, thanks
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Vigo said:
Interesting mods!

Got a question.. am i right in thinking this handle could be rotated to pull front/back? Might be slightly more intuitive that way if used for the top link. I can't tell from the pic if it would interfere with the next handle's silver 'body' or not.
View attachment 127835

Hydraulic top link.. yes! Once you have used a power top link with a box blade you'll never want to touch a box blade without a power top link. Like if i told someone i used my box blade for this or that and they said "can you get on my tractor and show me what you're talking about" and they didn't have a power top link, id be like.. ehhhh.. let's change the subject lol.

I used an electric-over-hydraulic cylinder for mine on my small Kubota B6100. I bought two of them with the thought i'd put the other one on my Case but have not done so yet. Obviously real hydraulics is the way to go if you've got the valves and plumbing all planned out. I have thought about a 'tilt' link but haven't talked myself into it yet. Seems like a lot of hassle for something i wouldn't use that often, plus it would practically have to have a load holding valve or inline cutoff to keep from 'drifting' all the time. What i HAVE spent a lot of time thinking about, is modifying my next angle blade for tilt, manually. I don't have as much desire to tilt my box blade.

As far as the 3pt mower, I like the idea but i think a 'conventional' 3pt mower won't get you as far under a tree as you might like. If you extend it far enough rearward your tractor, with no loader, would need a ton of front counterweight. Going back to my b6100 (only a bit bigger than Case) with an FEL, 4' bush hog is no problem. On a b7100 i have (same basic tractor) with no loader, same bush hog plus 3x55lb weights up front, still does not have a lot of steering authority.

What i think might be a better idea in your case, since it would be hydraulically driven, is to front mount this mower. Maybe make it able to use the same lift mechanism you'll be building for your plow. The tractor is already heavier at the rear, plus the 3pt can pick up another 500+lbs, plus your head is further from that end of the tractor. If you draw a line from the top of the mower deck to the top of your head with the 3pt design, it really only gets you 3-4ft further under a tree before hitting your head on branches, than a mid mount mower! Draw the same line in the front and it's more like a 5-6ft difference, plus you could make the thing 'extendable' if you wanted. Something like a 2.5" square tube nested inside a 3" square tube, with a couple of crosspin holes, could make it extend by several feet pretty easily. If it extends AND angles up far enough on the lift mechanism, would also make it pretty easy to do blade repair/maintenance. And heck, you could still put 3pt brackets on it and use it that way too. Or maybe this is just too much scope creep. 😂
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I already tried to rotate the valve, unfortunately it doesn't have any threads to do so and the one you see in the picture is a set screw for something internal.

As far as the top link yeah I can't wait.

I've also thought about making it work front and rear for the mower deck and is a very good possibility I will do so.
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Woody184 said:
I would love it if you would post a couple pictures of the dashboard, thanks
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Here's two. Let me know if there is something different you'd like to see.





I started this tractor before the diesel swap was considered so the oil temp gauge will probably get moved to a pod on the steering column. A water temp gauge will go next to the tachometer then. I'm not sure then if I'll run an oil pressure gauge or boost gauge yet either. A pyrometer would also be a good idea as well with the turbo. Oil pressure I could just run a liquid filled gauge right off the side of the engine block too.
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dundee222
Nice work! I did mine a little differently. Here is a pic to give you ideas/options for yours. View attachment 127849 View attachment 127850
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Dundee what are the actual gauges, I see RPM gauge but can’t tell the rest….
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dundee222
Onan oil pressure gauge, ammeter, hydraulic oil temp and hydraulic pressure where the original amp gauge was. 'Cept for the tach and hydraulic pressure, the rest are NOS so it would look somewhat factory.
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Radiator came in today. I had a Kubota radiator but it barely fit in the grill. So without major surgery it was a no go.

The current radiator I have is from champion radiators and is for a Austin Mini. I'm hoping since it will cool a 850cc to 1275cc 4 cylinder it will work for my 785cc 3 cylinder.

It was suggested by a few guys on Facebook who have done diesel swaps. It fits great in place although I wish it was a little bigger. The only other options at this point without majorly cutting the hood and grill are a race Mini radiator that has a thicker core, a full custom radiator or the addition of a engine oil cooler. So I guess I'll have to wait and see how it does once it is running.



I'm doing some engine work tomorrow so once it is back together and in the tractor I'll know what I have to work with for a fan.
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bobneumann
Shtf45acp said:
Radiator came in today. I had a Kubota radiator but it barely fit in the grill. So without major surgery it was a no go.

The current radiator I have is from champion radiators and is for a Austin Mini. I'm hoping since it will cool a 850cc to 1275cc 4 cylinder it will work for my 785cc 3 cylinder.

It was suggested by a few guys on Facebook who have done diesel swaps. It fits great in place although I wish it was a little bigger. The only other options at this point without majorly cutting the hood and grill are a race Mini radiator that has a thicker core, a full custom radiator or the addition of a engine oil cooler. So I guess I'll have to wait and see how it does once it is running.


I'm doing some engine work tomorrow so once it is back together and in the tractor I'll know what I have to work with for a fan.
Click to expand...
That looks great! I presume you're planning for a fan shroud? Because with a shroud the fan "sucks" air right through the radiator. Without a shroud, the fan just "swirls" the air in that general vicinity.

Bob
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The spal fan I'm ordering should just about cover the entire core area.
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dundee222
It appears more than adequate! It is surprising how little cooling these little diesels actually need. I run 2 Kubota V2203s [45hp] out of reefers, with one using the factory Carrier rad and engine mounted fan. The rad, while a 4 pass, is only a little over a foot square and cools it just fine even though with the engine working hard pulling the compressor at 2800 rpms.
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bobneumann
Shtf45acp said:
The spal fan I'm ordering should just about cover the entire core area.
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The circular circumference is the important part about a shroud. When the fan is running inside that cylinder, the air is forced to flow axially, through the propeller. Without it, a fan is only about 70% effective. 30% of the air just "swirls around" the outside of the fan.

You want your fan to make the air "travel" not just stir it up in place. And you don't want the fan to pull any of its air from this side of the radiator, you want to suck outside air inward through the radiator vanes. So the shroud makes the fan itself more effective at making the air "travel", and it ensures that all the air has to come from out in front of the radior.

I may be overthinking it. It could well be that your diesel will run cool, and 70% axial flow will be fine. But if it does struggle, I wouldn't look to add a larger radiator, I'd look to add a fan shroud.

Bob
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C
Bob is right, in building car the fan is into the shroud 1/3 and 2/3rds sticks out, helps in sucking the most air through it. Al air goes through and not around...................Curt
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I love having my own laser. I use it everyday to prep and cut all my materials for my sewing business. It will only engrave coated metal. It won't cut metal but I can cut wood, and acrylic plexiglass along with paper and cardboard. So making gaskets it works great for.



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dundee222
CHEATING!!!!
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So been about a week since I have been able to do any major work on the Super 446.

I pretty much finished up the engine. The only things I have left to do is rebuild the injectors and adjust the valves plus do a compression test for a base line. I tore it apart to a short block just to check everything because it was sitting in a warehouse for several years after it was pulled from the sailboat. I'm glad I did..... there was a lot of sludge in the oil pan which I'm just going to assume it was from sitting. There were spots left on the cylinder walls from where the pistons sat in place. You can't feel them but you can see them.

Otherwise the inside of the engine is immaculate and really does look like it only has 500 hours on it like the hour meter said.

I did have to clean/rebuild the entire fuel system though. The diesel dried in place and the injection pump was stuck. I unfortunately broke the rack to move it into postion so I could remove it from the block. I took it all apart soaked everything in acetone, cleaned it all up and reassembled it according to the service manual. Doing this myself saved at least $500 from what a few shops quoted me. I never did any major diesel work before but it really isn't nothing major or anything to be scared of. Follow the manual and as long as you have a decent mechanic background you should be fine.

Unfortunately the injectors are stuck too. I have them apart, and cleaned.... gonna give it a whirl to put them back together once the injector tester gets here. I may have to replace the needle assembly in each, guess it depends if they'll hold pressure or not. Manual says they need to hold 1650 psi for 10 seconds with out leaking. They pop at 1700 psi. New needle assemblies are $94 each from John Deere but a new injector is $195. There are tons of options all over the internet and eBay but I'm pretty sure three injectors for $100..... yeah probably garbage.

Anyway the fan came today. The motor is in its final resting place and thankfully everything will fit and I can keep the hood in the oem location which is great. It won't look weird at all. The only cutting I'll have to do is where the frame gets taller in the rear where the Onan originally sat. The brake pedal is definitely gonna have to be reworked but I'd rather that than moving the hood around and looking weird.

Lots of room in there between the fan and pulleys. So far I'm extremely happy with how everything is fitting. I just need to design the mounting plates and get it tacked into place. Then I run the fuel lines and add a return line to the fuel tank. Then I can test fire it!




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Oh I will also be figuring out something for a shroud. Unsure if I'll use this aluminum pan I made awhile back and just happens to be damn close or if I'll do something different.



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bobneumann
So as far as a shroud goes, I see what you mean now when you said your fan just about covers the radiator. That electric fan is built into a shroud. So as long as you have a small or no gap between that plastic shroud/housing and the face of the radiator, then you're getting full flow through your radiator equal to the area of that fan shroud.

So in your case, you could eke out a little bit more efficiency by adding a full rectangular shroud. But I'd be shocked if what you have doesn't work perfectly.

I was thinking this whole time you were just going to be running a fan off of the engines water pump or some such. With that electric fan integrated into that plastic shroud will do a great job.

And while I'm at it, everything else you've done to this point just looks top-notch. You're really doing a job to be proud of.

Bob
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I ended up doing the same service to the fuel system on my Kubota diesel and the injectors I got were cheap-o Fleabay ones and I ended with 2 of 3 working and the third one wept a small bit of diesel when it ran. I ended up paying about $120 for 4 injectors at the end of it all so they aren't too bad, they're super simple as they're just the fuel nozzle with what is essentially a pressure operated check valve. Only picky thing on the injectors on mine is the two halves of the injectors determines their pop off pressure so if they're assembled wrong they won't work right. If you plan on rebuilding them I would 100% get the nozzle tester, they aren't to expensive and save you a ton of headache in the long run. Looks like you got a gem of a motor though, should be plenty sturdy after you get it going!
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