Hah, you thought this thread was dead, din't ya.
So doing my usual morning "slurp cawfee and cruise Craigslist" routine this morning and spotted a John Deere LA about 15 miles from here. For those that don't do tractors, that's a 1940's vertical 2 cylinder aimed at VERY small farmers and truck garden operations. 12 HP flat-head gasser, basically an overgrown, overbuilt garden tractor.
In and of itself, the tractor doesn't really interest me, tho they do have something of a collector following. Advertised as loose but not running, starter ring gear shot, governor stuck etc. etc. but "easy fix". Where have I heard that one before?
However, in my devious, warped little mind, it strikes me that it might be a transplant candidate for that dandy 2 cylinder diesel out of the Shibaura. Now a diesel LA would be cool! If I can get a response out of the guy, I'm at least going to take a tape measure and go look at it. I have a BFH and a welder, I can MAKE the engine fit, I'm more concerned about the tires and wheels. The perfect situation would be to put the wheels and tires, or at least the tires, off the Shibby on it.