Funk Conversion

Mark777

Member
Ford Lovers...

I saw this a few months back on E-Bay. His reserve was $25K and although it might be one of the nicest restorations I've ever seen on a "N" I don't know if it sold or not...

Anyone remember this one?

Mark
 

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  • Funk 8N.jpg
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Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Beautiful 8N. I have a soft spot in my heart for the 8N's. I had a 1952 one. It was my first tractor. I sold it to upgrade to the Kubota.
 

shinnlinger

Member
I will say I did consider purchasing a neighbors 2 N and bolting in a flatead and dualing it up, but then I woke up...but if I could get 25 large for it I might reconsider.

Curiously, the neighbor is selling it because he bought a Lamborgini. Its A 4x4 25 horse CUT with snowblower and FEL.
 

Mark777

Member
bczoom is correct. The factory never really offered the N models with a six or eight cylinder equipped tractor......but:


Back in 1948 the Ford tractor owners were looking for more power to be able to pull a 3 bottom plow instead of the standard 2 bottom. A fellow named Ollie Glover of the Glover Equipment Company in Milford, Illinois started converting the Ford N's to use the 95 horsepower industrial 6 cylinder Ford engine. A chance meeting with company representatives led to his teaming up with the Funk Aircraft Company of Coffeyville, Kansas, and Funk began manufacturing and selling the conversion kits for the N tractors. About that same time, Delbert Heusinkveld was installing the 100 horsepower Ford V8 engines into 8N's. He met with the Funks and convinced them to make the kits for the V8 as well as the 6 cylinder. Most of the Funk conversion kits were sold and installed on new tractors right at the dealer. The Funk production records were lost in a fire in the early fifties but estimates place the number of flathead 6 cylinder kits produced at around 5000, V8 kits at only 100 to 200. A limited number of overhead valve 6 cylinder kits were also sold before production of the conversion kits stopped in 1953. No one knows how many original Funk Fords are still around as many were converted back to their regular engines in the decades to follow. It seems the highly collectible Funks of today were held in low regard for many years and used tractor dealers found them difficult to sell. The Funks are easy to spot by their raised and extended hoods which accomodate the larger radiators. Kits to convert 8N's to V8 power are available today. Check with www.staufferv8.com .


Mark
 

Mith

Active member
Do any of you guys know anything about the add-on gearboxes you could get for the Ford type tractors?
Think they were called something like sherman?.
Could get a creeper box, higher range box etc that bolted in between the clutch and the main trans?
 

Mark777

Member
Mith,

Here's a quote from one of the more popular web-sites that cater to the N clan:

"Sherman transmissions were offered as a dealer installed option and were available
in overdrive (Step-up), underdrive (Step-down) and dual range over/underdrive models.
Most singles had a shifter lever on the left side of the transmission, but some were
offered with a cable shifter for a short time. Since the cables rusted and froze
up easily, they were soon dropped from the Sherman options."

And I attached their picture for a look-see :mrgreen:
 

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  • Sherman.jpg
    Sherman.jpg
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Mith

Active member
Ah, thats the one. Care to add a link to that site? I remember reading it a while back and enjoying it.

Weren't they used to slow the speed down to allow for the use of a rotavator behind the N's.
You cant have too many gears IMO!
 
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