Cobra 302 Gives Cub Amazing Power

2013 - Volume #37, Issue #1, Page #10

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Mervin Jones has a Cub Lo-Boy that will run faster than he cares to go. Repowered with a Cobra 302 from a Ford Mustang, he thinks the 200 hp engine could push the tractor past 50 mph, but he doesn’t plan to find out.
    “When I hit the throttle in road gear, it jumps as it takes off,” he says.
    The advantage of the 302 was that the V-8 fit almost perfectly. The old motor on the Cub was shot. Jones made new motor mounts and a driveshaft connection between the V-8 and the Cub drivetrain.
    “The clutch and transmission on the Cub are at the rear, so I just hooked a coupler with a 2-in. drive from the Cobra back to the driveshaft,” he says. “The width was fine, but I had to extend the frame by about 4 in. at the front to make room for the radiator. The front grill covers the extensions. You wouldn’t notice unless it was next to a stock Cub Lo-Boy.”
    What isn’t stock are the wheels. Jones dressed the V-8 Lo-Boy with rear wheels and tires off a racetrack sprint car. The 14-in. wide wheels required adapter plates. He used 1/2-in. aluminum plates and drilled them to fit the Lo-Boy lug pattern with a second set of holes to match the holes on the sprint car wheels. Front wheels are from a 1974 ATV that fit the Cub hub pattern.
    “I had to grind some on the engine to get it to fit and fabricate new side covers to fit over the engine. I notched them for the exhaust pipes to either side. I also had a radiator made to fit, complete with a water pump.”
    Jones made an adapter plate to hook the 2-speed hydrostatic transmission to the engine. He drilled holes to match the flywheel in a round plate with a 1-in. shaft that extended back toward the hydrostat.
    When Jones hooked the hydrostat up and put the tractor in forward gear, it went in reverse. He realized the Ford V-4 had an opposite rotation to the Kohler. Luckily, the hydrostat had left and right hand rotations.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mervin Jones, 2234 E. 2350 North Rd., Fithian, Ill. 61844 (ph 217 776-2486).

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Cobra 302 Gives Cub Amazing Power ENGINES Mervin Jones has a Cub Lo-Boy that will run faster than he cares to go Repowered with a Cobra 302 from a Ford Mustang he thinks the 200 hp engine could push the tractor past 50 mph but he doesn’t plan to find out “When I hit the throttle in road gear it jumps as it takes off ” he says The advantage of the 302 was that the V-8 fit almost perfectly The old motor on the Cub was shot Jones made new motor mounts and a driveshaft connection between the V-8 and the Cub drivetrain “The clutch and transmission on the Cub are at the rear so I just hooked a coupler with a 2-in drive from the Cobra back to the driveshaft ” he says “The width was fine but I had to extend the frame by about 4 in at the front to make room for the radiator The front grill covers the extensions You wouldn’t notice unless it was next to a stock Cub Lo-Boy ” What isn’t stock are the wheels Jones dressed the V-8 Lo-Boy with rear wheels and tires off a racetrack sprint car The 14-in wide wheels required adapter plates He used 1/2-in aluminum plates and drilled them to fit the Lo-Boy lug pattern with a second set of holes to match the holes on the sprint car wheels Front wheels are from a 1974 ATV that fit the Cub hub pattern “I had to grind some on the engine to get it to fit and fabricate new side covers to fit over the engine I notched them for the exhaust pipes to either side I also had a radiator made to fit complete with a water pump ” Jones made an adapter plate to hook the 2-speed hydrostatic transmission to the engine He drilled holes to match the flywheel in a round plate with a 1-in shaft that extended back toward the hydrostat When Jones hooked the hydrostat up and put the tractor in forward gear it went in reverse He realized the Ford V-4 had an opposite rotation to the Kohler Luckily the hydrostat had left and right hand rotations Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mervin Jones 2234 E 2350 North Rd Fithian Ill 61844 ph 217 776-2486

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