Sacrificial lamb

[George Willer]

I've been forced into a decision. While cleaning Scruffy's old engine getting ready for a re-build, I discovered the dreaded weld on the block. It was very well disguised, but that means I won't be investing in that engine for a replacement for the '48 I recently acquired.

So... I think the 154 will have to become a donor. I was pleased with how well it runs... it shouldn't require much work at all. Naturally, the front pulley, flywheel, and some accessories will have to be changed, but it should be able to use the increased horsepower to pull MH ponies around!

I expect there will be a lot of extra parts that can find a good home with some of our Cub friends.

[Jeff M]

Wow--that's a pretty substantial-looking front hitch! Must have belonged to someone who had trouble backing up a trailer.

[BOB K.]

George, I did the same swap from a 185 to a 49 cub. Wasn't hard to do just swap over the parts you said plus the hyd. pump and air cleaner. The only thing I found was that you don't use the crank case breather tube that go to the air cleaner. The block does not have the port for it. My setup worked out great. Bob K.

[Rudi]

George:

That 154 seems to be in almost too good a shape to be a sacraficial lamb

I hope you find another parts tractor real quick. That one looks like it had definite possibilities

[George Willer]

George, I did the same swap from a 185 to a 49 cub. Wasn't hard to do just swap over the parts you said plus the hyd. pump and air cleaner. The only thing I found was that you don't use the crank case breather tube that go to the air cleaner. The block does not have the port for it. My setup worked out great. Bob K.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. I think it will be worthwhile to add the port for the tube, a pretty simple job. Do you notice an increase in power?

[George Willer]

George:

That 154 seems to be in almost too good a shape to be a sacraficial lamb

I hope you find another parts tractor real quick. That one looks like it had definite possibilities

Here's an idea, Rudi... I could put the engine with the weld with the rest of the tractor and make a good project for someone (not me). That weak point isn't a problem the way the engine mounts in the 154. What do you think?

[Jack Donovan]

Now I'd buy that Idea"

[Rudi]

Hey George:

Sounds like a good idea! In any case a 154 with a welded C-60 block has to out do any stock Craftsman, so in my case it would be one heck of an improvement.

That is a project I could get me head wrapped around..

But seriously, I have seen a number of Cubs around here with the same problem and worse. That crack if welded properly should hold for quite some time as long as the tractor was used and not abused I would think.

Would it be a viable project? Or would it be a headache waiting to start hurtin?

I would be curious to find out how many Cub owners on this forum actually have Cubs with a cracked block, especially in that area.

[Bruce Sanford]

George
I have one with a cracked block as well,but I have a good block with two stuck pistons in it.It!s going in a tank next week.Then I will make a decision on a switch since my Cub will not be doing any heavy work. But I also happen to know a very good welder who has done many of these blocks.Decisions,Decisons

[George Willer]

Rudi and Bruce,

I have a couple blocks that haven't been broken, but they'll need some expensive machine work to make them useable... Work that I can't do like boring, pistons/rods, and valve seats/guides. I would never invest that money in a welded block, except for use in something like the number series where there is no strain on that weak point. After all, the failure rate is rather high, and no welder can make that weak point as strong as it was originally without adding ugly external bracing. That's just how the metalurgy works.

I have repaired blocks internally by extensive machine work, but I doubt they or the welded ones would survive a blow like caused the original break.

The more I think about it, the better it sounds to put an inexpensive project package together for someone.

[BOB K.]

George,
I put it in a 65 cub that the engine was worn it barely ran. The engine was sitting for years in a feild on a parts tractor. All I did was cleaned the head, valves and lapped them. It runs great with plenty of power. I would say it has juat about the same power as the 51 Cub engine I had completly rebuild. The 184 engine had flat top pistons and the engine never was worked on. I thought the later engines from the # cubs had domed pistons?

[Jim Becker]

My parts book for the numbered Lo-Boys shows only domed pistons. I suppose they could have started with flat ones but dropped them out of the parts book later on.

The Cub book shows domed pistons starting with number 264568, which must be an engine number.

[George Willer]

Thanks, Jim. I don't have a book that covers it. The tractor is a '61 (014732) and has an IH carburetor with a modified choke system like the Zenith. The engine number is hard to get at, but appears to be FCUBM 271141, so it should have the domed pistons and be slightly more powerful. It should make the '48 into a sweet tractor.

Do you know whether the starter/generator is 12 volt?

[Rudi]

George:

The more I think about it, the better it sounds to put an inexpensive project package together for someone.

Sounds like a good plan, and would be a good starter tractor for someone! Might be an idea worth ponderin over.

See y'all in a week or so, off to Ottawa

[Jim Becker]

My information shows all 154s as 12 volts.