The engine fits now to make a hood fit as well

 Quite a few weeks earlier I posted about the build of my diesel 1050.  With the big diesel motor on the frame there was no way to fit the original hood on.  In the first place the engine is almost five inches taller and the fuel tank and muffler stick out around two inches on the sides.  I love the look of the Bolens front grill so that is the still the basis of my hood.

I cut the front grill off from the hood and my boss and I started building the framework that would soon be the hood.  Everything that the framework is made of was all used material that we had hanging around the shop.

As seen here I used the rear of the hood up against the dashboard and mounted it with nuts welded on the inside and so it is easy to remove and put the battery in and out.  It also gives a solid place for the new hood frame to rest on.  In this picture there are no cross members from front to back. I added the cross members so when something gets set on it the hood wont bow down.

The next order of business was to put a grill in the front for good airflow.  I used a piece of covering for old cast iron fin pipe that we had at the shop and once the whole thing is painted I will hand paint the grill black. 

At this point the hood is merely set on top but I will be welding it in the next few evenings.  Like I was saying about the used parts, the sheet metal has been hanging around the shop for years.  My boss's father had saved a large Burnham boiler years back but ended up sending the cast iron to the scrap yard but the jacketing had gotten tucked above the garage.  The jacket was large enough that I was able to make my hood out of just one panel. 

With a front view here you can see the big gaps next to the grate,  I plan on getting the sheet metal completely welded to the frame and then putting more of the fin tube grating in those gaps.  Another important part will be cutting in a hole for the exhaust out the side of the hood and making a stack to go onto the side.

The view from the back the hood doesn't look bad.  I am also toying with the idea of putting a cup holder on the right side of the hood and just making a plug to fill the hole when it isn't in use.  I also hope to put the latches on tomorrow and get some closer pictures of the sheet metal welded to the frame and the hood open and working.  I also need to put a chain to keep the now heavier hood from snapping the hinge off and bending the hood. 

Just a snapshot of the next project just to keep everyone interested.  I will be building brackets for the estate keeper snow blower so that I don't do like I did with the mower and take all summer to fix and not get to use it because the grass is done growing.  This project is second to my hood right now so updates will be tacked onto other posts slowly.  Next time hopefully the hood will be welded and the tractor will come home to have the hood painted.