Clayton

1949

This Cub is another Craig’s list special.  The owner said he wanted it gone. It looked good in the pictures but I wondered how old they were considering the fairly low price tag.  The seller said the Cub ran the year before but it had been left outside and he had a hard time getting it started so he pushed it into his barn.  When he went to start it during the spring he found a cracked head and the motor seized.  I decided the asking price and the metal condition at least warranted a visit even though it was a two hour drive. I like those drives just to get away.

This one gets it's name from where it was found.  Clayton Indiana is a two hour drive from home and we decided to make it one of our get away trips.  When I saw this Cub I thought it didn't look too bad.  The seller was out of town but his wife texted him back and forth on her cell phone to relay what I was saying as we negotiated.  It would have been a lot faster to actually just hold a conversation but I guess some folks want to use every bit of today's technology.

The engine is locked tighter than a drum and the head is cracked.  There is also a long bar going along the lower right corner of the engine that is intended to support a broken ear where the engine bolts to the front bolster.  Something tells me one of the first things done will be tossing this engine in the scrap pile and getting a good replacement.  I will try to get it broke free first to see how it runs.  A cracked mounting point is not always the kiss of death.

The sheet metal is in pretty decent shape other than a tear on the left side where the headlight was ripped off.  The light and corner of the hood were missing but the owners wife said they would have to find it in the barn and send it as soon as her husband returned from his trip.  That was in April of 2010.  It is now October and it has not arrived yet.  I don't think I should hold my breath waiting on it.