My refreshing of "Lewis" - a 1955 Cub from Oregon

[Hengy]

Hi all! This thread will chronicle my refreshing of "Lewis", my 1955 Cub. I bought this Cub from a member from Oregon, and after some finagling, he arrived in La Crosse, WI, where I was currently living.

Here he is on the final leg of the journey back to La Crosse (under cover of darkness)



As I typically do when I get a new cub (I have had a total of three thus far...still have two of them) I give them a "shakedown" and get them in basic running condition.

When tearing into it, I removed the distributor. As you can see from the picture, the governor was "slightly" out of time with the engine...



There were also a couple of busted off bolts in the radiator base....had to get those out so I could put the rad back on and get some coolant back in there...



Here is a pic of the 'shadetree' mechanic area where I was working on him... My wife didn't really know what to think at this point!



Well, in August of 2011, I loaded Lewis onto a Uhaul trailer and took him out to a mini-fest in Tomah Wisconsin at BillinWI's house and we started into working on him to finally get him running:

Rebuilt his carb: (Yes, I know that the fitting isn't original)



Removed final drive to attempt to fix brakes and to remove a speed reducer that was to go back to Oregon. This is when we found the broken implement boss on the left final, and it was decided to just button it back up until such time as I can replace the final drive. The fast hitch, you will notice has an different kind of diagonal link. I was thinking originally about replacing this, but decided to keep it just in case I end up with a rear mounted mower and needed to clear the way for the drive shaft.



I also had some REAL QUALITY help from Mark (Birddog), Todd (Twohlt) and Bill to straighten the hood and grill on this tractor, weld up new nuts on the back side for the light posts, re-tap holes for the doglegs and grill mounts. Here is what it looked like in August of 2011...



Finally got to hear it run and drive it for a bit. WOW... was the transmission LOUD... that will need to be addressed. The tractor ran very smoothly, but is smokey. It leaks oil from the front main seal Not the back as of yet that I can see.

Well, in the Spring of 2012, I took a new job that was going to relocate me back "home" to Pittsburgh, PA. It was time to load up my tractors (and the rest of the house) and get ready for my move.

Here is Lewis getting ready for the trip to Western PA:



And Lewis loaded on the cushy covered trailer for the eastward trip:



Fast forward to present day...September 2013. This fall is the official start to the "refreshment" of Lewis. It is my hope to have all of the mechanical stuff taken care of over the Winter as well as having the sheet metal painted by an auto-body friend of mine, so that next spring, I can get the cast parts painted and have him together by late Spring. There are major undertakings to get this accomplished, and I hope to be able to chronicle them here for all to see.

Thanks for looking all... Hope you enjoy the journey as much as I do. This is such a fun hobby!

Mike in Allison Park, PA

[TJG]

This tractor could be featured in Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days"! You'll have it humming by spring.

Todd

[pickerandsinger]

First 4 WD Cub I have seen... I actually like the look....I have a TO 20 that is similar .....Quite a journey....Dave

[Hengy]

It's pretty amazing, actually. This cub steers WAY more easily than Merlin does with his tri-rib tires. Must be because they are well inflated and have less drag on the ground. Don't know if I am going to keep the tires as they are or go to more traditional tires at the time of final assembly... what do you think?

[pickerandsinger]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....I think its cool looking, but the purists my disagree ...Course on my 53 I have the gas cap, rad cap and oil breather all painted black and oh my god, I painted it with IH Majic Red paint .....Sorry guys

[RUSSALL]

First 4 WD Cub I have seen... I actually like the look....I have a TO 20 that is similar .....Quite a journey....Dave

Russ

[RogerW]

That's neat. Some real thinking went into making it all work.

[pickerandsinger]

First 4 WD Cub I have seen... I actually like the look....I have a TO 20 that is similar .....Quite a journey....Dave

Russ

Russ,All I can say about your tractor is ....I like the headlights, I've just changed the clutch and now I'm converting to 12...I'll put on some black headlights ...Mine won't be quite so purdy though...But it will have a plow, but alas no 4 wd.. ....So there you go Mike, something to shoot for...Beautiful job Russ

[Groove Critter]

Mike,
That is quite a journey for a flat top 4 cylinder tractor. Thanks for sharing this post on Louie, Louie. I enjoyed the read. And, I dig those front tires as is.
Dave

[Groove Critter]

I forgot to add; Russ -That is quite a feat of mechanical ingenuity!
Dave

[RUSSALL]

Just a side bar, the four wheel drive cub is not mine . I saw it this summer at the rough and tumble in se Pa.
I was just trying to show Picker another 4wd Cub.

Mike I look forward to watching the refreshing of Lewis
Can't wait to see the progress.


Russ

[Smokeycub]

Looks like your ready to roll - so to speak - on Lewis. Like you said, good fun and a great hobby. It's nice to have you nearby and if you should want any help let me know, you're only an hour or so down the 'pike.

[Bill Hudson]

... It's nice to have you nearby and if you should want any help let me know, you're only an hour or so down the 'pike.

I feel a MiniFest comin' on.

Bill

[Groove Critter]

I would be happy to help too
Dave