127 rebuild

[S.H.A.F.T.]

I rebuilt the engine of a 104, two years ago, so I feel comfortable rebuilding my 127 this winter. The 104 runs great now, smoked like a bandit before. But I have never done any metal prep. Could someone give me some pointers so that the painted surfaces of my 127 look nice when I am done? Should I strip everything with oven cleaner? Will that kill a large patch of yard? What kind of primer should I use under the Federal Yellow (I want them to be compatible). It is likely that I will be using rattle cans. I am not going for perfection, but I do want it to look nice. Remember that this is still my primary mowing machine.

Thanks,

S.H.A.F.T.

[Paul B]

I would first clean it with a good degreaser - I use the stuff by Castrol (sp) that is in the purple gallon jug, from Wal-Mart. Spray it on, let it work and then rinse off with a garden hose. It will remove some paint, especially rattle can paint if there is any. I then sand the sheet metal and or flat surfaces, wire brush the cast iron. You DO NOT have to remove all the old paint if it is solid and not peeling off. Prime with Rustoleum, gray, sandable, Auto primer, let it cure, wet sand, wash off the dust and sanding residue, wipe down with a wax and grease remover (you can get this in the auto section of Wally-World also) and then paint with the Case IH Federal Yellow. The rattle cans don't cover as good as that for spray guns, so it will take several cans, but I have painted more than one Cub Cadet , some with rattle cans and some with a gun, and I don't believe anyone can tell me which tractor has which paint on it.

[S.H.A.F.T.]

Thanks Paul. I will follow your advice. I will more than likely be seeking more advice this winter. I do need to mow with her one more time before she goes down. I did pick up a set of wheels and tires for it in the last week. The ones that were on it were loaded and rusted beyond repair. One more question. Can I still get the decal kit for the 127? My dash pan is still pretty good and I have a NOS steering wheel center!
S.H.A.F.T.

[Paul B]

Decals are available from several places. Cub Cadet dealer, Maple-Hunter, Cub Cadet Connection to name a few. The current decal sets have a decal to go on the dash, the metal one that came on it is no longer available unless you can find a NOS one. If yours is good, consider just touching it up because putting the dash decal on it does not look that good in my opinion.