Felt Seals

[mrmiller]

Call me crazy but I like to make my Cubs 100% complete and correct if possible and within reason. I just enjoy the search and especially for the hard to find items. I have been working on my 4 digit pull start Original recently. I had to pull the dash tower up from the steering column to install a new grommet in the dash. Anyway, I figured I would tidy up a few things while I was at it. Looking in the TC-82 parts manual I discovered I was missing the felt seals to complete the steering column. I did some asking around and searching and could not come up with anything. I finally came across this set of NOS ones. Nothing earth shattering but I just thought I would share.

[SGragg]

Made in the good ol' US of A.

[Cub Cadet 123]

Personally, I haven't felt many seals in my lifetime. I've seen them at zoos and on the tele. They seem kind of wet and slippery from the sheen on their coats, but by the way they act, they seem to be quite friendly. I hope your seals are friendly to you!!

AAAaaaahhhhh, I'm just funnin'. That's really neat how you take pride in every last detail of your cub and as you already mentioned, the searching and finding is kind of fun, in a "scavenger hunt" kind of way. The cards look like the old punch cards and are just as much of the history as the item itself! My only problem with NOS items is that once I get them, I think to myself...."If I install this and use it, then it is no longer NOS and what if this is the last of its kind out there?" Those thoughts keep me from installing some of my NOS items, so they just sit around not fulfilling their original purpose. Then I wonder if I am justifying my apathy to not want to go to the trouble of doing work. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Thanks for sharing those pictures of the cards. It takes us back nostalgically to a time that we can all appreciate, the start of our cub cadet heritage.

Cub Cadet 123

[mrmiller]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

Personally, I haven't felt many seals in my lifetime. I've seen them at zoos and on the tele. They seem kind of wet and slippery from the sheen on their coats, but by the way they act, they seem to be quite friendly. I hope your seals are friendly to you!!

AAAaaaahhhhh, I'm just funnin'. That's really neat how you take pride in every last detail of your cub and as you already mentioned, the searching and finding is kind of fun, in a "scavenger hunt" kind of way. The cards look like the old punch cards and are just as much of the history as the item itself! My only problem with NOS items is that once I get them, I think to myself...."If I install this and use it, then it is no longer NOS and what if this is the last of its kind out there?" Those thoughts keep me from installing some of my NOS items, so they just sit around not fulfilling their original purpose. Then I wonder if I am justifying my apathy to not want to go to the trouble of doing work. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Thanks for sharing those pictures of the cards. It takes us back nostalgically to a time that we can all appreciate, the start of our cub cadet heritage.

Cub Cadet 123

I don't think I can bring myself to install these. I am the same way with NOS stuff...usually sits on the shelf. I thought about checking with an upholstery shop to see if these could be replicated.

[olds45512]

Originally Posted by mrmiller

I don't think I can bring myself to install these. I am the same way with NOS stuff...usually sits on the shelf. I thought about checking with an upholstery shop to see if these could be replicated.

We have a few different sizes of felt seals at work for the ford tractors, if you can tell me the i.d and o.d i can check to see what we have.

[mrmiller]

Originally Posted by olds45512

We have a few different sizes of felt seals at work for the ford tractors, if you can tell me the i.d and o.d i can check to see what we have.

I will check and let you know. Thanks Tim!

[Dirty Steve]

I hear you on the mind set of not using NOS items. It's what I call the "Indiana Jones effect". "It belongs in a museum"!

Oh, hows bout these seals....

La Jolla, California. La Jolla Cove. Was there last Monday with the wife and kids. Would have been tough to get on the plane, but I could have gotten you all the seals you needed for free!

[J-Mech]

McMaster Carr has wool felt washers. In the "washers" section.

I like the punch card part label. Don't see those anymore!
I'd use the washers and keep the cards!

[finsruskw]

Simple to make if you can find the material.
Couple scraps of exhaust tube or thin wall conduit the correct diameters inner and outer, and sharpened around the end to cut through the felt or whatever, gasket material or thick sill plate foam.
I use the thick foam to make the gaskets to fill gaps and seal under the steering wheels for my Cubs when needed.

[olds45512]

This seal is tired of being felt, he just wants to be left alone.