After using our 1948 Farmall Cub for a year, we wanted to make our lives a touch easier with a hydraulic touch control unit that was not available in 1948 when the tractor came off the assembly line. We found a non-running 1951 cub with a donor hydraulic unit, and a CB 22 sickle mower that we also wanted, and ended up with everything for 1k, since the owner was not interested in parting it all out.
The 1951 provided a hydraulic unit and sickle mower for us, and while we never intended to have a second Farmall Cub we did put in a little time to figure out what was wrong with the ‘51. The motor was not completely seized, but it was clear there had been moisture sitting in the head, as it was difficult to get the crank to move.
After a lot of penetrating fluids and rocking, we could eventually turn the motor over. We rebuilt the starter, and could eventually spin the engine over. After installing some new spark plugs, and cleaning some grounds, we turned the motor over and got some spark. An aftermarket carburetor got the engine running, but badly. It smoked and stalled under any sort of load. The valves were also sticking badly, but eventually worked free.
The symptoms all pointed to a blown head gasket, which was confirmed when we pulled the head off. We replaced the head gasket after a thorough cleaning and polishing, lightly torqued the head in place, waited a few hours for our head gasket sealer to finish setting up, and finished torquing down the head bolts.
The 51 roared to life, and of course, we have not only kept it, but slowly restored it while preserving its patina. A custom straight stack exhaust, new tires and rear wheels, as well as a new wiring harness and the 51 has proven to be a good and solid tractor for moving trailers and equipment.
This is how it started out…
