mmanley,paulfromMI,kub6040,DeltaRed,NebraskaKirk, BobM,Janic

Dec.1 ya'll urged me to "tear into" the H. Wow! If I'd only known... Some of those bolts are nearly imposssible to reach! And, all the things that have to be removed in order to get at the head and manifold and remove them -- wow, again! Things that come to mind include the sheet metal, gauges, steering shaft, carburetor, etc.
Anyway, I've removed the head and manifold. Three cylinders had water in them. I've wiped 'em out, vacuumed 'em out, sprayed WD40 on 'em, and now have added ATF. The tops of the pistons have a strange shape to them, sorta like a buzzard without a head sitting with his wings up like hunched shoulders.
The bottom of the head looks like several of the valves may be rusted shut. I think I should have followed kub6040's advice and looked for a used H engine.
As of now the engine is "resting"/"soaking" while I wait on time to get back to it. Please bear in mind that I'll depend on each of you (and others on this forum) who advised me to go at it. I'll bet I can harness and drive horses almost as well as any of ya'll, BUT the innards of an engine are pretty tough for me. Thanks for your help up to this point. kelly

take the head to a motor machining shop and have them grind/ clean it and valves and seats, might also want to take the block and crank in to and have them clean and check them to. A little rust is no reason for a whole "new" engine. The pistons are called Fire Crater pistons if I recall, helps with cutting fuel usage I believe. Yes tearing tractors and engines apart then putting back together can be a hassle to get at everything and not forgetting parts.

Welcome to the world of "old tractors"!Now that you are started,keep going.You will be glad/happy/proud when you are done.Doesnt matter if it takes a year or two....Lots of 'restorations' take a while.When you are done,show it off! Parades,shows.......You will need to invest 30 bucks on a I&T service manual.Ask away,we are willing and eager to help. That's why we are here. Happy 'tractoring'! Good luck. Steve

Sounds like Fire Crater Pistons. If they turn out OK, they are good. Before getting too deep into making it turn over, the following check should be made: Using 200 grit carbide paper, clean the top 2 inches of the 2 cylinders with the pistons down farthest. After cleaning them up to metal, feel the area about 1/2" down the cylinder wall. if you can feel a distinct ridge, catching it with your finger nail on the way up, it is probably time to actually measure something. You can have a machinist, or good auto technition (or a lending rental shop) use a bore gauge and micrometer to measure the wear. .008 would be my very top limit between the measurement at the very top (no wear) and the top ring stopping point (just below the ridge). That is a diameter measurement, not a radius. If at or more, the sleeves need to come out and a "kit" used to replace them. The Kit will include new pistons, rings, and dry sleeves for the block. It is a rebuild to new type solution. Jim

Clean the cylinders as best you can, maybe get in there with a small wire wheel. Then soak a few days with ATD+acetone mixture. If it's still locked up, it's time to pull the engine and completely disassemble it. Most likely need to replace the sleeves, pistons, bearings, etc. If you do get it to turn over you may still want to take it apart because the rings may be stuck to the pistons and won't seal right even if there's no wear on the sleeves. You really have to take it apart to see what you have. Not cheap, but if you do it right you'll never do it again with todays modern oils.

Don't get discouraged , this will test your patience and mechanical skills , very rewarding when you get done and drive it around or put one of your grandson' s on it. Where are you at in tx.

Kelly , I forgot to say I have odd ideas and experiences at times and others disagree with me at times , that said when you get ready to turn your engine vacuum out what you have it soaking in and use straight acetone enough to completely cover the pistons let it sit 20 minutes and use a bar and yoak on the pto to turn it rock it forward and backward if it hasn't turned in an hour empty cylinders again and use 16 pound hammer and block of wood that will just fit in the hole, if that don't work sell the engine for junk.