Achto 28,023 #26 Posted July 4, 2019 3 hours ago, pullstart said: It’s what high school shop teachers are for! I learned s valuable four stroke cycle method as a teenager... mix two thought together they stick for a long time! 3 hours ago, adsm08 said: That's how you teach the 4-stroke cycle to horny teenagers in high school and college. Little phrases always help when learning. One of my favorites is the placement of stock push rods on a Harley Davidson Evolution engine. From left to right the colors are purple, blue, yellow, green or pu$$ie brings you grief. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 56,341 #27 Posted July 4, 2019 Your father-in-law left you a real gem! It is one of the best looking survivors you would ever find. Enjoy the journey and thank you for sharing it with us. 17 hours ago, 870express said: I immediately felt compression at the exhaust. That is a good thing, How about the intake, there should be a little suction felt at the inlet when the engine is turned over. 21 hours ago, pullstart said: Something I read here and will surely make sense to you after it sat for 50ish years: if you find that a part is rusted or stuck in place, have some patience with it. Don’t expect to free up in minutes what took all so long to get stuck in the first place 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,143 #28 Posted July 4, 2019 If you consider buying another "parts" tractor just for the rim... these original rims are becoming so elusive... that it almost worth the effort to sandblast that rim and weld it back up. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #29 Posted July 4, 2019 2 hours ago, AMC RULES said: If you consider buying another "parts" tractor just for the rim... these original rims are becoming so elusive... that it almost worth the effort to sandblast that rim and weld it back up. You guys must have missed the first photo of the rusted out rim, so here it is again showing the front side. The whole front side was totally gone. So there was no hope of saving that rim. But now that I think about it, I might be able to weld a new front side on it from a cheap generic 8-inch rim. Whatcha think?? It might be worth a try because that 1/4-inch hub offset is hard to find. I could still weld the back side bead back on. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,143 #30 Posted July 4, 2019 Easily doable! Like a "true" restoration... is refurbishing them factory original parts. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #31 Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, 953 nut said: How about the intake, there should be a little suction felt at the inlet when the engine is turned over. The intake was not easy to cover with one hand while pulling the start rope with the other hand. There was no noticeable suction when I tried it. Anyway, I'll sort it out when I get the engine on the work bench and take the head off. Edited July 4, 2019 by 870express 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #32 Posted July 4, 2019 4 minutes ago, AMC RULES said: Easily doable! Like a "true" restoration... is refurbishing them factory original parts. Man, that was a tough lesson. But I'm learning slowly - don't take actions that will be hard to reverse. Take my time and think it through. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,143 #33 Posted July 4, 2019 Welder up! Think of the story that rim will have to tell. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RandyLittrell 3,885 #34 Posted July 4, 2019 17 hours ago, Achto said: Little phrases always help when learning. One of my favorites is the placement of stock push rods on a Harley Davidson Evolution engine. From left to right the colors are purple, blue, yellow, green or pu$$ie brings you grief. I already have my 4 yo grandson saying lefty Lucy, righty tighty! Randy 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #35 Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) The exhaust valve was stuck. After spraying with penetrating oil and working with it a while, I got it freed up. Now it lifts and reseats normally. Also looks like someone tried to work on it at some point, the head gasket was cut with a dull knife. The exhaust port was full of dirt and insects, as a result of leaving the exhaust pipe off for 50 years. Edited July 7, 2019 by 870express 1 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 63,271 #36 Posted July 7, 2019 Great work freeing it up! Now just some cleaning and you can get it buttons back up! Many people resurface their cylinder head by using a piece of tempered glass (flat surface) and sand paper then running the head across until the surface is completely cleaned up. I use WD-40 as a cutting fluid when I do it... some others may chime in with what works for them. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #37 Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) "Many people resurface their cylinder head by using a piece of tempered glass (flat surface) and sand paper then running the head across until the surface is completely cleaned up." What #grit sandpaper do you use to resurface the head? Edited July 7, 2019 by 870express Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 63,271 #38 Posted July 8, 2019 6 hours ago, 870express said: "Many people resurface their cylinder head by using a piece of tempered glass (flat surface) and sand paper then running the head across until the surface is completely cleaned up." What #grit sandpaper do you use to resurface the head? Start with 400, maybe go up to 600 when you’re satisfied with the 400 results. Anything is most likely better than where it’s at now! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 9,968 #39 Posted July 8, 2019 As the head starts to clean up, I blacken it with a black magic marker. Then sand until it's mostly gone with only tiny bits remaining. While sanding I move the head in a figure 8 pattern to apply equal pressure all around. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #40 Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) First replacement part. Thanks to https://www.wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/about-us.html. Engine block internals don't look too bad. Just as I expected, 50 years of dirt and insects. I got it all cleaned out as well as I could. Even cleaned and gapped the points. Now waiting on piston rings and gaskets, and get it all buttoned back up. Edited July 8, 2019 by 870express 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #41 Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) The photo shows what is obviously an electrical ground, but for what? The ignition coil? Was it part of the orignial design for the engine, or was this one "added" by someone later? Edited July 10, 2019 by 870express Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #42 Posted July 10, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 8:05 PM, oliver2-44 said: As the head starts to clean up, I blacken it with a black magic marker. Then sand until it's mostly gone with only tiny bits remaining. While sanding I move the head in a figure 8 pattern to apply equal pressure all around. What about the top surface of the block? Do you sand that surface also? It has a narrow raised ridge around the top of the cylinder and valves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RandyLittrell 3,885 #43 Posted July 10, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 7:48 PM, pullstart said: Start with 400, maybe go up to 600 when you’re satisfied with the 400 results. Anything is most likely better than where it’s at now! If it seams warped, go down to a 150 or 180 and be sure to use 3M wet or dry sandpaper and use water. Here is a good guide on youtube. Randy 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 9,968 #44 Posted July 10, 2019 Since the block is cast iron it's rare that it warps. However, on a smaller size engine like that you can black majic marker the block and make a few figure 8 passes on some 400 grit paper. If the block was significantly warped, you would probable have to have it machined. Cast iron is hard and would take a lot of sanding to true up. After you sand the head, bolt it back on with no head gasket. Snug the bolts up lightly, but firm enough so theirs a little bit of tension on the bolt. Take a .003 feeler gage and check if you can get it between the block and head. Since that block has a ridge, it might go in a little, but you can judge that your not getting past the ridge. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horse Play 393 #45 Posted July 11, 2019 Tank straps are intact - wow! That is one amazing RJ that still has a lot of original parts. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #46 Posted July 11, 2019 (edited) I'm starting to piece together the history of this little tractor (the one at the beginning of this topic). I think my father-in-law bought this one, used, probably in the early '60s. It still has a decal, barely visible, that reads "Jack Cornish Tractors - Hallsville, Texas". It probably ran for a few years and then stopped. He took it to some local small engine mechanic to get it running again. (I see evidence that some engine gaskets and wiring have been changed.) It probably ran for a few more years and stopped again, probably because of the stuck valve. So then he parked it in his shed and bought the RJ-58 shown below. The second one I remember him driving and pulling the grandkids around in a little go-cart frame in the early '80s. It had a replacement Briggs&Stratton engine on it. No one in our family had any idea how valuable these little tractors would become as collectors' items. Recently they were thinking of selling them as scrap, but I volunteered to sell them on craigslist. I listed the RJ-58 below on craigslist and sold it to a guy from Dallas a few weeks ago. He sent me photos of it a few days ago after he got it running. I'm glad I kept the other one that still has most of its original parts. Edited July 11, 2019 by 870express 2 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #47 Posted July 29, 2019 Well, well, well . . . what have we here?! I was digging around in my father-in-law's shop/shed today and found this stuck in a 5 gallon bucket. Made my whole day. 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 49,581 #48 Posted July 29, 2019 On 7/9/2019 at 8:53 PM, 870express said: The photo shows what is obviously an electrical ground, but for what? The ignition coil? Was it part of the orignial design for the engine, or was this one "added" by someone later? To answer that question it is original. it was a insulated spot for the points wire to land on for grounding and kill. I made my own kill button out of a piece of copper. You could also run a wire to a grounded switch. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 63,271 #49 Posted July 30, 2019 Congrats on the belt guard find! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
870express 116 #50 Posted August 2, 2019 My tractor's steering link broke when I tried to remove one end of it from the trunion at the end of the steering shaft. It had obviously been modified once before. I have posted a message in the want ads, and sent a message to A-to-Z. But in case anyone else has one, please let me know. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
