Archive through March 21, 2014

[tmcilvain]

Woot! Actually started this restore last fall. Here are some of the picts of when the engine first came out. She was a dirty girl resting in a barn after nearly four decades of use with no more maintenance than the oil services and an occasional spark plug. Full engine and carb rebuild are done. Frame and tin clean up/paint and reman'ing a wiring harness are on the agenda. Going for the wiring harness first, just so I can say it runs. Yes, the electric lift does work after a little clean up and tinkering. Suggestions on the wire sizes? Could not have done it without the help of its previous owner, an old I-H mechanic.

 

[tmcilvain]

New picture to share. This is the day it came home. Still work to be done, but the engine is rebuilt, new wiring harness installed, power shower applied. Next is the Hydro dump and refill with a filter change. then on to getting the tiller and mower deck operating.

 

[dschwandt]

Kieth, Get you a few of the bigger stick on felt stool leg pads next time at wally world. Cut a little triangle shaped piece the same shape as the grill nose and stick it on the under side. Works great!

 

[jgoodine]

Keith sure lookin good, personally I like cast iron and I like it rough or ruff in its original form just like IH sent it out 40 plus years ago

 

[bwittman]

David, Keith,

I use those felt stool pads, too. I use the 3-M brand. I think they stick a little better.

Keith,

Nice paint job. You have a very nice tractor!.

All,

I want to repaint my 1250 Nightmare. I did the white a couple of years ago, and it is holding up qui9te well. The Yellow is the original paint and is wearing. This may be a very stupid question. Does anyone prepare a rattle cans of paint with a hardener and/or a fish eye remover mixed with the paint? I think these would be important additives for a decent rattle job. I have never seen it.

 

[thoffman]

Keith,
More pix of the "Red" please!

 

[kostendorf]

Sorry Tom, that is a 129 owned by Adam in Indiana I was referring to the hood stop he made. I'm going to make one for my 1650.

 

[tzingleman]

"Now - I wonder what happened to ole Tim Z and his VW coil and who knows which condenser he ended up getting to put in his 124. I thought he'd report back by now."

Latest report is that I have all parts in hand, and I just need to get them installed. I was going to do it tonight, but I ended up farm-painting everything behind the parts... wouldn't have been able to use it tonight anyway. I decided to paint the bracket, and when I noticed it was still wet, I started painting other stuff.

I hope I can get everything hooked up tomorrow, and I may be able to get neighbors' testimony about how big the "BOOM" was.

I'm hoping to use it Sunday, weather willing.

 

[nbextermueller]

Bill J,

Just a comment, not really a correction. Both of your assumptions about cast iron are wrong. The molecules of paint and how the bond actually adhere much, much better to a smooth surface. Paint isn't "sticking better" to a rough surface, it just a hell of a lot hard to take off cause it has millions of holes it gets into.

And secondly, smoothing and polishing is what removes stress risers. Anything rough is more likely to crack and the same item smoothed. It's the reason we polish all the internal parts of race engines. Rough is BAD.

 

[bjamison]

Nic - B - you are correct. For what ever reason, I was associating the rough cast iron surface as similar to a peened surface. Don't know what kind if cast iron IH used and/or it would benefit from the process.

My thought on the painting was driven by more surface area for the paint to adhere too. Both interesting topics - thanks!

Terry M - nice 147. I see a 3 point hitch and maybe a tiller gear box? There's enough grease on that tranny to make it look like a later CCC tractor's tranny with their black paint. Looking forward to some pics of the finished product.

60’s again here today, if I get a chance, I might prep the 126 for mowing duty...

 

[abriar]

Tom, I posted some pics of my red 129 on Aug 18 in the Cool Cub Cadets.

 

[jharder]

Bill J,
At the end of the day it is yours to do how you see fit. Me I try to make every smooth as glass. But I see no problem with the guys that leave cast ruff. Totally your call.

 

[dfrisk]

BILL "QQ" J. - about 96-97% of IH's cast iron was gray iron, their foundry in Waukesha, WI poured some ductile, also known as nodular iron, pretty sure that was their only ductile foundry.

Had a nice l-o-n-g conversation years ago with a couple metlurgical engineers who worked for a company called "Metal Improvement Co", http://www.metalimprovement.com/ Yes, both gray & ductile iron could be helped a LOT by peening. At the time SON had just had a conn rod failure on one of his R/C engines, which was machined alum bar stock with pressed in 660 free machining brass bushings. The R/C "Boat Racers" who used the same size engines as our truck & buggy engines used to have rod failure EVERY run, well, maybe only 75-80% of the time. The company actually "peened" those conn rods. It didn't improve fatigue strength enough to run a rod twice, but at least they could make a full pass under power. Our little 1/8th cubic inch engines made around 1/2 to 5/8 HP @ 30,000-32,000 RPM. The boat engines were making around 1 full HP @ 40,000+ RPM.

KEITH O. - Yes, IH could have ground more casting parting line and casting flash, even improved their painting quality... and raised the already high price 25% for no real added value to the customer.

KRAIG - I only went to Travis's PD's twice. Took Ken U along both times, followed Wyatt the first time from Monona, Iowa to Travis'. Second time Hank Will went from WAY out at Gettysburg, PA, and pulled into the field just five seconds before we did. Since I always plow w/72 and my same plow, can't really say if the pic' you posted was from my 1st or 2nd Iowa PD.

 

[dfrisk]

JIM H. - Thank-you for Validating the way ME and 95% of the others here, and IH, and Every Other major equipment MFG company has chosen to paint cast surfaces.

Years ago I worked as casting buyer for a company that made food/chemical processing equipment. The "Sanitary smooth finish" added 25% to the price of a $100,000+ machine, plus at lease two extra weeks assembly process time. Luckily, the product line I later worked on was "fabricated", welded assembly, NOTHING was cast, all stainless parts. We had even tougher regulatory spec's to meet, which we did easily, quickly, and much more oost effectively.

Smearing pounds and pounds of Devcon liquid metal or Bondo on cast surfaces is a TOTAL waste of time and money. And the hours and hours of sanding & finishing time are a total waste of time, effort, sweat, and whatever else anyone can think of!

Thing I hate to think about is something like the mule drive tension pulleys can wear into the front lower edge of the frt axle casting on CC's and weaken it. If you fill those grooves, do you mention to a prospective buyer than the axle is NOT as good as it appears?

 

[dtanner]

Denny

IH gave us so much ! I for one will change (add ) what I need for the tractor I use it for to make my life easy . Sit back and smile at what you have . Nothing like a cold drink after some seat time on a great Cub .Heck park out more Cubs than you need just so your smile will be wider lol.


Put a fresh charged battery in my 125 today for some running time . I need the snow gone so I can get my drag ready . All the Cub engines I had built , I make them work breaking them in. Running hard and then cooling . I `am seeing great working engines I think .I believe in the break in runs . rings seat better if done in steps .

I hope I started something lol.

 

[kostendorf]

Thank you everyone for responding to the cast iron grill housing question. I learned a lot and now I know the people that enjoy these cub cadets know even though cast iron looks rough its actually a better or liked option for QL owners. And since I have both I have more options now.

 

[dtanner]

Why in a vidoe does the PTO seem to make so much noise . Found my no start was the switch plug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYsUVXm7FKc

 

[wshytle]

Don-

Does the basket pulley have any play? I know they can make noise if loose on the keyway.

 

[jharder]

Dennis,
It appears to me you totally miss understood what I was saying. First off I said nothing about trying to pass something off as it was something it wasn't. If I had a wore front axle on one I was going to sell I would replace it. Second I have painted tractors basically my whole life. with about 15 years being my only income. Did I sand the cast smooth on all those. No. Did I on the ones I kept no again. I was just saying on the front nose of a CC I would. But then again I am not doing the body work on a cast front end so again to each there own. Jim

 

[dtanner]

Wayne
It was nice to hear it run again. I just found the pto made more noise on the video than here running. I hope it warms up so I can get it out of the shop and get some seat time. I have the deck ready for grass : but I need to break this rebuild 12 K in with some weight to pull. can`t wait till it is tee shirt weather .