Picked up my first Cub project, may be too rough...

[Waif]

Peck away at the engine. With patience it might go alright , or if you're lucky it'll go easier than anticipated and after running ' the rings have enough meat to reseat..
A little rust or corrosion or even carbon can hold with a surprising strength.
Without knowing what all is stuck , you'll know more with an hour or two's effort.

Not much to the steering. A gear can be flipped if one end is worn sometimes and get function back.
There are set screws in the arms that can get the ends worn on , and allow the arms to slip. Some get broken.

[JustJim]

If it was legitimately under a shed roof for all of those years, I'll bet there's a very good chance of getting it free with less effort than you would expect.

Pull the hood/tank, clean all the dirt from around the spark plugs, then pull the plugs and start soaking those pistons. I like idea mentioned here in the past of jacking one rear wheel off the ground, putting it in gear, and then rock that tire a couple times a day. If that doesn't get it, you'll have to pull the head to apply a little force to the pistons.

It's certainly worth trying! And, while I'm not the expert so many here truly are, if you get it freed up, don't despair if the compression is low. I have two Cubs, and the one I'm currently running has pitiful compression - but it runs well and mows fine.

Good luck!

[Barnyard]

Pull the starter and with a pry bar on a flywheel tooth, see if the engine will turn backward.

[ricky racer]

Too rough? Your tractor looks to be nice and straight, and should make you a really nice tractor if you decide to put the effort into it. My '53 was in rough condition when I purchased it and it took a lot of work to go through everything to get it to where it is now. My Cub's engine was not stuck but it was a non-runner and needed rebuilt. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

As purchased:

After copious amounts of elbow grease:

[ScottyD'sdad]

I've unstuck some pretty stuck engines. Penetrating oil in the cylinders, and attempted turning a jacked up wheel, usually works. I made a steel tool the bolts on the rear hub, and gives you more leverage to turn with. (I actually hump up nd down on it)
Good luck!

Ed

[SamsFarm]

Surely your new tractor dont look "too rough"!

[Richard Goetze]

Sweet looking cub Ricky

[Brandon966]

Well I worked on it a little today. Removed the mower and hood in preparation to pressure wash and remove the plugs to get penetrating oil soaking. Whew this thing has had a rough previous life…

I managed to get 3 plugs out but one broke. I can see into the cylinder on one of them and there is some junk it, other two seem clean.

So now I’m onto removing the head and seeing if I can get the engine to turn over. I’m scared of removing the head and breaking bolts, I have them all sitting in pb blast for now.

[Mht]

If you have an impact wrench that will be your best bet getting the head bolts out. Turn it down to where it just barely impacts the bolts and take your time. Turn the power up slowly and let the impact wrench do its job. If the impact wrench doesn’t work the first time just apply more penetrating oil and let it work for another day and then try the impact wrench again. If you don’t have an impact wrench use a hammer and a big punch and smack the head bolts real hard then try with a socket or regular wrench and see if they will move at all. I personally have the best luck with my air impact versus a socket and breaker bar. If you do happen to break a head bolt they are several ways to get the broken bolt out. I find that welding a nut to the broken bolt usually does the trick and after it has cooled completely it usually threads right out. I have a shop with all the above mentioned tools and understand not everyone has those resources. Take your time, that’s the best advice I can give you.

[Barnyard]

When you use the impact, rattle the bolts back and forth instead of just trying to take them out. Rattling will often times allow the bolts to loosen.

[Don McCombs]

I have them all sitting in pb blast for now.

Don't get impatient. Give that penetrant plenty of time to do it's job.

[Matt Kirsch]

I didn't notice if anyone has mentioned this yet but the hood is correct for a 1950. It has the ribs on the sides indicative of a 47-54 tractor.

A 58-63 would have a smooth sided hood with an aluminum (or stainless? I can never keep it straight) emblem on the side, or holes for said emblem.

Replacement grilles from IH would reflect the style of the Cub being produced at the time. So that grille may have been replaced in the 58-63 timeframe, OR it could have been a grille that the owner picked up at an auction and installed.

[Barnyard]

I didn't notice if anyone has mentioned this yet but the hood is correct for a 1950. It has the ribs on the sides indicative of a 47-54 tractor.

This was somewhat touched on on the first page.