Farmall H trashed engine... replace???

[Rocketcaver]

I recently found an old rusty H parked in a fence row.
The owner was glad for me to haul it away for him, I didn't even charge him to do it.
First glance showed the block is busted from decades sitting outside with no muffler and no plug where the muffler was. Parts are missing from the engine too. I assume the engine is trash.
I'm not interested in "restoring" it to parade quality, don't even need it to look stock. I just want it to run so I can use it to pull stuff, maybe pull saplings, pull a mower, stuff like that.
I'm wondering if anyone has experience putting another engine in one. I'd like to just get something simple from a junk yard and adapt it to fit.
Is this a stupid idea? :confused3:
I'm not that great a mechanic, but have lots of friends, family members, and neighbors who are. I think I could stirr up lots of help for this type of project.

 

[Egon]

You'll have to consider the Torque/RPM band of the junk yard engine so it matches the RPM of the original engine and gearing.

 

[rankrank1]

Farmall H's can typically be bought rather resonable that run since they are not considered a highly collectable tractor due to so many of them being made. That said they are a good tractor.

My recommendation would be to buy a good runner off Craigslist for $600 - $700 or so. You might even get lucky and find one even cheaper that has some easily fixable issues (e.g. rusted out rims from calcium chloride or simply rotten tires) Use your fencerow special as a parts unit to fix any issues on the running one that you buy. Part out your remaining unneeded parts to recoup your investment towards the one that you bought - individual used parts sell high. Sell remaining items as Scrap metal to anything that does not sell for parts.

You will still end up with a free tractor, but you will have a proper tractor not some cobbled together thing.

 

[Rocketcaver]

You guys make some good points there.
I gave the tractor a good looking over today (it's at my brother's house for now, long story), and I might have been a little hasty in thinking the engine is trashed.
I didn't have the camera so I can't post pix, but maybe I can describe it and you can tell me what I'm looking at.
On the left side of the tractor on the engine there is an inspection panel. Remove this panel and you see... what do you see? Am I looking at the cast iron sleeves, or part of the block that houses the cast iron sleeves? Anyway, 2 of them are busted. That's what I was talking about being cracked. I haven't had the oil pan off to see if there is water down there or not yet.