Today I decided to start cleaning the rear wheel pan. There are two. I started with the one on the left side. Ten bolts hold the pan to the tractor. It is supposed to be filled with gear oil to a point about an inch above the joint where the pan joins the Cub rear end. It wasn’t that full. The liquid was black just like the gear oil for the steering. This was a dirty, dirty job. After I got it off and dumped, I used a kerosene spray to begin cleaning the pan. Also, I flushed the inside of the area where the pan goes. I have a cleaning tank with some sort of corrosive liquid. The pan was immersed in it and scrubbed. After dipping in water to dilute the cleaner, I wiped it off, scrubbed it with a stiff steel brush, and primed it then painted it red. Somewhere in the process the bolts were cleaned of old dirt and crud.
The last picture is the tan colored grease that came from the transmission. Since I have found no other evidence of water in the system, I am concluding the Cub was not dunked or driven through water. I have to wonder though whether the grease was changed since 1949. The gasket fell apart so I will buy some gasket material (it looks like thick paper), A 5/16 inch hole punch to cut the bolt holes, and make my own gaskets. I was successful making a cork gasket for the air cleaner. Earlier this afternoon I added engine oil to the air cleaner cup and put it on the tractor. It has been a good Cub day.
Tractor Boy