At the end of 2014 I had some time off from work so I decided to break into the Ford 8n and fix the brakes and lift cylinder. I removed all the top end of the lift assembly and had to replace the follower pin that rides on the cam for the float control. Spoiler alert: despite my best efforts at tightening stuff up, I still can't properly use the float control with the float lever in the down position. I also replaced the PTO shaft seal while I had it torn down and the fluid drained out.
Hydraulic Repairs
I had the most common problem with my lift arms. They would lift fine but would quickly drift down. With a scoop bucket of dirt I could hardly get it dumped before I wouldn't have enough clearance. That's after stopping, putting it in neutral and dropping the lift control and picking it back up. I also had an issue with adjustment where I was not able to work the control lever in the range and had to leave the top bolt out to run the control lever way past the top.I removed the seat and top top cover based on a video I saw on you tube. I replaced the friction pad, control lever bracket (it's cast aluminum so it didn't come off in one piece) and a few other parts. Added in some washers to tighten up the internal linkage and replaced the piston and cylinder. I went with the rubber o-ring style piston instead of the original steel rings. Something had broke in there at some point and some pieces of steel wore deep grooves in the cylinder and piston/rings. The pump had been replaced at some point which is likely from a major breakage in the transmission housing. I inspected most of that but did not replace anything there. Bought a 5 gal bucket of mineral oil from Napa and was on my way to lifting things and holding them up.
Brakes
One of the brake drums was badly damaged as a result of the pads being worn completely away and the steel scrubbing on the drum. Had to order a new one of those along with the shoes. I did replace the brake springs. I was missing a spring, the left side gets an extra spring. I should have taken pictures and videos of assembly but I was anxious to get it put together. I replaced the felt dust seals and rear axle seals while I had it all apart.Videos
Here are some poorly narrated videos of the project. Pardon the mess in the shop, it's still getting settled.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM6Uf94UU-w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjGzCceSo-8
