McTurff
Well-Known Member
Awesome DocHello M.,
My advice is don't jump into buying parts or contemplating a "rebuild" until you have a full evaluation of the entire machine. These projects can be a joy to work on, but surprises do happen. Keep in mind that this thing got parked a long time for a reason.
Considering looking into a complete spare machine for donor parts (if one can be found) is never a bad investment.
The Ford 120 machine you spoke of earlier may have been built by Jacobsen under a private contract for Ford. That happened a lot even back then. Other private label builds were White yard products and Minneapolis Moline along with Sears Suburban. Even Montgomery Wards and Western Auto had private built versions of riders back then.
If your engine partially rotates, that may indicate a stuck valve or most likely a piston ring rust ridge in the cylinder. A good shot of PB blaster or some Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinder spark plug hole works well if you let it sit for a week or so. Then gradually work the crank back and forth gently to see if it breaks free.
The couple parts I mentioned i will definitely have to get as it did not have them!
But yes got alot of cleaning to do first and see where I get and what I need!
Need to get a sevice manual first!
At this point I'm further along than I thought I would be as it is rolling