1945 9A Restoration

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 09:53 AM

I'm going to attempt to show my restoration process...mainly via photos as I'm not a great writer.

I've learned a lot doing this..made some mistakes, started over, etc. But in the end...I'm very happy to have this classic up and running again.

Picked up this gem in a downtown Houston boat shop that was going out of business. A 1945 9A, Catalog 444A with 4' bed. The owner even threw in the old metal desk for free!

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:07 AM

I utilized the Ilion South Bend Resoration guide and their rebuild kit.

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:09 AM

After complete disassembly and cleaning...I began the search for original SB paint colors. Finally landed upon this photo from some thread or another...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:15 AM

After a trip to Sherwin-Williams, I had my custom paint, new brushes, tape, and an x-acto knife in hand. Time to start taping and painting!

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:18 AM

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:23 AM

Even got some of the original tools...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:27 AM

Everything painted and ready for reassembly...

Baked everything in the sun over several days for good measure...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:30 AM

Before putting it all together, I needed to address the steel desk. I'm 6'-0" tall, so I wanted the working height of the lathe to be about 40", and the desk was about 7" short. So, I broke out the welder and fabbed up some risers out of an old bedframe I had laying around.

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:34 AM

Desk now at the right height, time to start putting parts back together.

I bought a 36" x 24" galvanized drip tray off Amazon.

EDIT: pan is actually 47" x 25"

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:41 AM

Headstock and tailstock

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:46 AM

When I moved to the quick change gearbox, I noticed this page in the service guide...

So I made the modification, and began reassembly.

Somehow I didn't get photos of the change handles or lead screw reinstalled...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:47 AM

Apron going back together...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:50 AM

Saddle...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:51 AM

I polished the dials, and filled in the lines/numbers with a black crayon, then sealed with clear coat.

**DavidR8** · 10-31-2019, 10:55 AM

Great job!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 10:57 AM

Horizontal drive unit...

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 11:08 AM

At this point, it was mostly back together, but I discovered that the spindle was a little too snug, so I had to go back and shim the headstock a little on each end to get proper clearance. That was an adventure as I ended up having to machine a bar to fit into the bolt holes so I could pry the old shims out and get new ones in. I managed to crack the headstock on the outside of the bolt hole and about had a stroke. Luckily it wasn't in a critical area, so I just drove on and got it shimmed up.

While I had the spindle out, I also upgraded the felt thrust washer/spacer to a roller needle bearing setup.

**SLK001** · 10-31-2019, 11:14 AM

Did you spray any, or just brush it?

Also, good idea to get a chip tray as BIG as possible for your lathe. Chips have a habit of going EVERYWHERE!

EDIT: You should have gotten the 25" x 47" drip pan. You'll wish that you had later on.

**lonestar308** · 10-31-2019, 11:15 AM

Now for some motivation. I had planned on using the original 1/4 HP GE motor and Furnas switch, but I really wanted more control over speeds, so I opted for a new motor/VFD combo. Picked up a Teco/Westinghouse 3/4HP motor and L510 VFD from Dealer's Electric.

https://dealerselectric.com/Package-...0-101-H1-U.asp

Now I'm no electrical guru, so I had to figure out how on earth I was going to get all this fancy electronic stuff to work. Thanks to YouTube, I found someone who had already done the work for me...

Clough 42 Lathe Variable speed upgrade YouTube

Armed with that tutorial, I went to work and ended up with this...