New cub owner needs help....please....

[jakeesspoo]

New cub owner...where do i begin. I moved out a ways from town (Sandusky Ohio) to a little 5 acre spread in the "country" and purchased my first cub. I have a WD-45 I use to cut grass but would like to restore my cub and start using that. Its an older cub a 1950 something (im going to look up the year a s soon as im done writing this. I want to start to restore it but dont know where to begin. It starts right up without choke and sounds good but belchesout a white colored smoke. Remember i really dont know what im doing but am more than eager to learn. I would like to get the enigne running properly so i can strip it down paint it etc. Where do i begin? I figured I should buy a carb kit and condenser and points? The gas tank is rusty on the inside and the owner said radiator leaked but thinks he quick fixed it. I was going to do a compression test and then wait to see what you guys tell me to do next. Im not even sure the best way to strip the paint off. Sand it? Sandblast it? what do you recommend. I figured I should get everything replaced and running correctly before i painted it. I know I should also get the manuals on the cub and will order them tonight. I also have a tune up DVD on the cub but it doesnt get into much.Please help get me going in the right direction, I will do everything i can to make this tractor worthy of the respect it deserves. I know you may ask for pictures but im pretty computer illiterate and that may take me a while to learn how to do that... thanks Jake Im 26years old from northeast ohio....

[Bigdog]

Jake, First of all, welcome to the board. Rudi should be along with the welcome wagon soon so I'll save that for him.
I think you're on the right track. The white smoke indicates water in the combustion so we need to know a few things. Does it get better as it warms up? Are you losing coolant level? Get your compression check done (recommend both dry and wet test) and we will proceed from there. Getting the mechanical items corrected first is definitely the way to go. Go ahead and do the ignition tune-up and carb rebuild, they will need to be done anyway. Small items can be cleaned and prepped for paint while you have them off the tractor. Save the final painting until you are sure the seals are not leaking or there are other problems that would require dismantling the tractor.
I find that plain old oven cleaner is great for removing grease and oil. Scrape the excess off first then spray on the oven cleaner, let it do it's work and then rinse off. Never use oven cleaner if you do not intend to re-paint because it will ruin the paint too.

[Scott]

Jake,

Welcome to the cub forum. I sure Rudi will come in with he welcome wagon speil. I finished restoring my first cub a few months and since then have gotten another one and a cub power unit which is just the engine and a pulley used to bale hay or cut wood. They are very addictive. I would sugguest doing like you said and getting points plug cap rotor condensor plug wires stuff like that. You will have lots of fun with your cub. Dont worry your not the youngest person on this site I'm 16

[Scott]

Darn BD beat me know i shoulnt had gone outside

[Eugene]

Damn kids any way.

Jake:

1) I would do is drain all of the antifreeze out of the cooling system and flush with clean water. I would use clean water in the radiator until I solved the white smoke problem. My guess is a head gasket - but that can wait. The radiator may still be leaking - no use wasting antifreeze - and you don't want antifreeze in the cylinders.

2) Drain and replace all fluids.

3) Hold off on the carb kit. Perhaps the carb only needs adjusting.

4) Tune up. Plugs, points, condensor, timing etc.

Rudi has some excellent advise.

Eugene - twice his age - probably not half as good looking.

Welcome.

[Rudi]

Gee Guys, I am at a loss for words

Yeah, and horses fly don't they

Jake:

First, to the greatest forum on the internet, and to the Cub Family. You will find that all the folks on this forum are kind, helpful and just full of Cub info and knowledge. They also happen to be the finest folks I have ever met Especially when they got their funny bones all tuned up

A lot of what you have asked is the usual stuff that new Cub Owners need to find out, and most of it is covered in the Welcome Wagon. I did the welcome wagon so that I would not forget anything because there is so much information available now to help new owners.

Rebuilding the Carb is a good thing to do... and I would recommend that you read Lurker Carl's Cub Carb Fixes to familiarize yourself with the procedures. Before you do that you need to make sure that the rest of your fuel delivery system is in good repair. Check and make sure that your tank is clean of dirt and gunk. If not, then drain, purge, rinse. Decide if you want to do it yourself. ( I am hoping that one of the guys on the forum will document their next Tank Restoration Project for the Server, it would be useful - hint hint guys). If you choose to do it yourself, then I would suggest that you do a search on Cleaning Gas Tank here on the forum. Read the threads. But, make sure that you seal the inside of the tank with either Red Kote or POR-15. Make sure that you Fuel Sediment Bowl is clean and in good repair, including the shut-off valve. If not, then either get the rebuild kit, or as is most often the case, a whole new assembly. It is cheaper than the individual parts. Make sure it is from your Local CaseIH Dealer or an on-line dealer such as Carter & Grunewald. Again, that procedure is covered in Lurker Carl's Cub Carb Fixes.

You wrote:

It starts right up without choke and sounds good but belchesout a white colored smoke.

Well if you are real lucky, then you might have a small job to do. And believe me, if I can do it anybody can..... I had the same problem with my 48 Cub - Ellie-Mae. Ellie was belching white smoke and smelled like she was burning coolant. Got me plenty worried I can tell you. Anyways.. I ended up taking off the head and I found out that it seems to be just a blown head gasket. Ellie's Head - Am I in Trouble?, might be of some use to you. I am almost done. Whilst I was in there, I decided I was going to fix a few things as well, so it is taking me a bit longer than usual to get it done....

You wrote:
I know you may ask for pictures but im pretty computer illiterate and that may take me a while to learn how to do that...

As for that statement, join the group... we all were there at one point in our lives. If you have a moment and wish to read up on it, then How To Do Neat Stuff in a Post, might be of some help to you. Also, Picture Posting, may also be of some help to you in posting pics of your Cub.

Sooo, with all that said, I guess it is time for the Rest of The Story


Ok, so here is the spiel :

I would suggest that you read this thread: New Members and Visitors, Please READ Prior to Posting. There are many great links to informative pages such as the ATIS FAQ's 1 and ATIS FAQ's 2, The Best of H.L. Chauvin who has written very interesting articles on troubleshooting common problems with your Cub.


Also, you might want to visit the Cub Manual Server as there is tons of info on servicing, maintaining and re-building your Cub. In addition to this basic information, there are also a number of other useful tools available on the server. There is the Specialty Services page which has contact info for neat stuff like getting your seats recovered, buying quality Decals, Serial Number tags and a host of other neat items. Also there are the Parts Pages - both Used Parts Suppliers and New Parts Suppliers pages with links to quality dealers. I am always looking for YOUR favourite dealers for New and Used Parts to include here. These are intended to complement the businesses who support FarmallCub.com Website.

I would also recommend that you visit Binder Books and purchase the three most important manuals you can own for Maintenance, Repair and Rebuilding your Cub. These are the Owner's Manual, the GSS-1411 Service Manual and the TC-37F Parts Manual. Although they are available on the Cub Manual Server, it is better if you also have your own paper copy. Binder Books is the only Authorized IH Publication Reprint House and they have the best quality manuals available. Most other's are not of the same quality. Just a personal thought here, the I&T Shop Manuals, although helpful in some areas, really are not sufficient for the job. If you wish though, they are good additional reference works.

In addition to the above information, don't forget to check out the various articles that are available to help with your Repair, Restore, Rebuild or just your Maintenance Projects. There are a number of sub pages such as Electrolysis or Rust Zapper's, Maintenance Tips, Jigs and Techniques, Implement and Part Sketches and of course the Paint, Decals & Other Finish Questions which has the Paint Chart and the Paint Committee Decisions links.

I truly hope that you enjoy your Cub and that you will be a frequent contributor to the forum. Again, to the Cub Family

[Mike in Louisiana]

Yeah, and horses fly don't they

MOBIL sign of the flying horse

[johnbron]

Hey Rudi, With all the Greetings experience you are gathering You could probably hire on as a Journeyman "Greeter" at your local Wal-Mart store. He Hee.

[RedNed]

Welcome Jake
You will have the cub running great. Just post your questions here and in no time ,one of these cub-masters will hook u up...........

[Jim Becker]

If you use oven cleaner, don't let it get on the aluminum tags (serial plate, id on starter and generator). Oven cleaner will eat them up.

[Kodiak]

I'll just say Welcome Jake, your in the right place and I second what RedNed said, just ask and the answer will appear !

Ron

[Rudi]

JB:

Oooooh, one of my childhood dreams -- be a greeter at Wally-Mart when I grows up

NOT

I likes me job as it is...

[Mac from NS]

Well Jake that little cub is going to give you a lot of fun,don't be in a hurry,
enjoy fixing it up and if you can't post the pictures yet,at least take them.
Welcome to the forum.These guys know there stuff.

[Buzzard Wing]

You are lucky you got a Cub... I don't think anything on the internet, much less tractors, has such a good collection of folks as this board!
My project started as merely a fluid change and replace the ignition stuff and put it to work..... One thing lead to another and it ended up with a new skin and a couple of new shoes. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bu ... 7Small.jpg

I found oven cleaner to be very good at removing grease and stains. BUT only if you are going to paint. I didn't use it anywhere near the iginition or where it could possibly seep in (like the transmission). WEAR GLOVES (rubber) and a respirator may be a good idea too. I also found a gallon of degreaser at BJ's (like costco/sams club) works very well. The second cub is not quite as 'stained' and most everything comes off easily with that.


I would also recommend that you take a LOT of pictures... helps when it comes time to put it back together.

Remember to enjoy your project!

[allenlook]

Welcome Jake!

One important note: if you use straight water in your radiator, make it *only* temporary! Winter is coming to Sandusky.

One of the very common problems w/the Cubs is water left in the radiators over the winter, without any antifreeze, will freeze up solid and crack the "bolster" on the front of the tractor, which is the big iron casting the radiator mounts to and the same casting the steering wheel's gears are housed in. A big ugly, heavy complicated thing - kind of like some of us members of the board here.

It's all one big piece and a shame to ruin by forgetting to add the correct proportion of anti-freeze to your water.

If you insist on a carb kit to rebuild it, don't buy the one at TSC, there's some great carb rebuild info on the Cub Server Rudi referred to, I believe posted there by Lurker Carl.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!