# SCORED! 1966-67 Snowbird 242 CL $50



## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

Old Snowblower

turned the old '82 Ford F150 "retriever" north on 81 one more time today...on the hunt

listed for $100
on CL for weeks with no bites
offered $50 accepted
just brought the little guy home:wavetowel2::icon_whistling:
4HP Briggs, 2 speed gear drive 
last year for the bicycle handlebars, Briggs engine, and 24" chute width
after this they went to the Tecumseh/Lauson engine, conventional handlebars, and 26" chute if my info/memory serves

wanted a 6HP 26" but could not find one priced right and close enough to home
this one was as short 30 minute jaunt up I-81, too easy. nice for a change. even has the oem chains and pneumatic tires, which are hard to find on a Snowbird lately !
figured the chains alone were worth a $50 spot
stay tuned cuz we're gonna get 'er growlin' hopefully this week
standard workup- plug, change oil, clean carb/fuel system, change fuel filter, Nova II ignition, grease/lube


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)




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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

Congrats on the great deal GWB! How does the inside of the fuel tank look?


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Nice museum piece.


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## SweetD (Dec 6, 2013)

Looks like some sort of weird mechanical insect, like a Preying Mantis! Very cool! 

Dave


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Nice machine.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

classiccat said:


> Congrats on the great deal GWB! How does the inside of the fuel tank look?


don't know but that's the scary part...
it was stored indoors, guy's grandfather bought it new, was in the garage
so hopefully will be good- tomorrow we see !


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## ztnoo (Nov 26, 2015)

According to Scot's web site on Snowbird's, your model was produced in '65 & '66. These things were real beasts and probably the most serious and well made snowblowers of their era. It will be interesting to see how much work it will be to get your new find running.

Snowbird Snowblowers


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Cool! It'll be fun to watch as you get it going again.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Looks to be in very condition. It looks kinda of art deco, very cool. Also reminds me of an old WW II Sherman tank. Nice machine, can't wait to see it working. I would clean it up get it working and see what it looks like. While i like a nicely restored and painted machine, I would be tempted to just clean up a machine like that and get it sorted mechanically and put it back to work.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

CarlB said:


> Looks to be in very condition. It looks kinda of art deco, very cool. Also reminds me of an old WW II Sherman tank. Nice machine, can't wait to see it working. I would clean it up get it working and see what it looks like. While i like a nicely restored and painted machine, I would be tempted to just clean up a machine like that and get it sorted mechanically and put it back to work.



that's all I ever do to them. maybe someday I'll do a total restoration or paint on one of my machines, but right now there's just no time or space for those kind of projects. in the meantime I strive to get them knife edge mechanically and keep the age old patina.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

ztnoo said:


> According to Scot's web site on Snowbird's, your model was produced in '65 & '66. These things were real beasts and probably the most serious and well made snowblowers of their era. It will be interesting to see how much work it will be to get your new find running.
> 
> Snowbird Snowblowers


yes I had perused that site and chart quite a few times before, I also have a Yardman Snowbird 1968-69 model obtained last year. the chart isn't gospel as that one is a 7040-0 and has a 5HP engine original ! the chart shows 4hp for the later years. 
I wasn't exactly sure of the year of this one, which is why I said "if memory serves". I knew it was 1966 for sure, but unsure of which season, 65/66 or 66/67. just didn't look it up and write it down to remember it.

the later yardman models are more compact and nimble, with shorter modern handlebars, but basically the same chassis- they retain the powerful throwing capabilities of the earlier snowbirds. what the early ones had was classic good looks, like an old car. and I like the vintage shift levers on them.
the 5hp Yardman SB I have throws harder than my 8HP Gilson Unitrol, due to the chain drive auger design and separate impeller drive, and how they are geared differently than each other. the secret of the Snowbirds was they turn the impeller much faster than the augers with separate drives.

always wanted the earlier 262 263 6HP machines but can't find one close enough priced right. so this will have to do.


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## lee h (Jan 18, 2015)

Way to cool. Nice find.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*it's going to RUN !*

didn't get to go over this SB until yesterday
it had strong spark right off the reel- great
and it started on ether, was able to keep it running on ether
the tank had old sour gas in it- drained it
and saw lots of surface rust inside tank
pulled tank, carb- disassembled them
carb ports were plugged to/from the built in fuel pump
it's a "pulsa jet" that bolts directly to top of tank, with (2)
pickup tubes, long tube was almost completely sludged shut
got it **** n span clean in carb cleaner gallon can of carb cleaner from Advance Auto,
re-assembled carb
and have the tank soaking, full of a 10% hydrochloric acid solution
it cleaning up nicely inside. soaked it overnight, dumped it, rinsed it out,
almost all the rust is gone inside, but am going to soak it another day with fresh solution, to get it ALL out.
the Briggs 4Hp tanks are much thicker than the Briggs 8hp tanks, 
this one is so thick it will clean up without the acid eating a hole through it.
should be up and running tomorrow on it's own fuel weather permitting


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

got the tank rinsed out this morning, after 2 acid soaks
it's usable and salvaged- this saves me some $$
the underside of gas cap was rusted scale like something dredged up from the Titanic wreck- look at it now after soaking in acid overnight


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## yoda (Dec 30, 2015)

I used to have an old Snowbird and it was great. Not knowing any better, I upped the rpm and it would throw snow 30 ft until one day the governor exploded inside the engine.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

you must have had that rpm up HIGH. 
a busted governor is a fixable problem though
unless it holed the block, or broke the rod/piston assembly
I had a Gilson 5HP tiller, sat outside for at least 15 years. engine uncovered
seized solid. filled the cylinder with WD40, removed the head
pounded the piston free
the rings were broken from rust
put used rings on it from another Briggs, honed the cylinder, cleaned the carb/gas tank- and it's still running today on my kid's old go kart


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## yoda (Dec 30, 2015)

The busted gear and weights rattled around enough to put dozens of little divots on the entire inside of the engine, including the cylinder bore. It blew oil out the exhaust after that. Bought a B&S 5 hp and ran it for a few more years. Eventually sold to a kid who wanted the B&S for his go-kart. After the snow melted, I would usually find a couple of red bolts it shed during the winter, to no ill effect. It was a beast.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

I've got the carb cleaned and tank painted, but having a helluva time with that darned GOVERNOR SPRING. it's stretched and may need a new one.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the snowbird chart shows this machine being mfd in 1965-66
but the date code on the Briggs engine is a 1964
it's a 100202 engine i.e. 4hp
this is not the first time I've seen variations in snowbird serial numbers, etc.
the Yardman Snowbird model 240-0 I have, should be a 4HP model, but it has a 5HP engine in it
same with this one, being a model S242, it should have a 1965-66 engine in it
instead, it has a 1964 engine in it, which would be correct for a model S241, made 1964-65
this is proof those charts are not gospel. there was a lot of variations between model year changeovers
i.e. they used up supplies of old parts and kept the line running. 
the model years and hp ratings did not change over instantaneously in all cases.
and if they ran out of supply of 4hp engines, they'd substitute 5hp to keep the line running
having worked at many manufacturing plants, as a line worker and supervisor, I can attest this is how it's really done.
and have seen these phenoms in antique and classic machinery often
for instance, 1971-72 Pontiacs with date coded 1970 tail light lenses


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Interesting! thanks GWB..

I got the model year info from an actual Snowbird document from 1968, I wrote on the snowbird page:



> The following list of models for Generation 1 comes from an actual Snow-Bird document! dated January 1, 1968, which lists all the original models, plus the first three Yard-Man models. A scan of the actual paper document can be found in the "Snowbird Snowblowers Yahoo Group":
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SnowBirdSnowblowers


Your findings dont necessarily prove those model years as being "wrong"..but they do show they are a bit ambiguous..which we already knew!  it comes down to a common problem, which has to do with "winter spans two calendar years every year."

So when I have a model listed as "1965-1966", we arent exactly sure what that means. Thats what the Snowbird document said, but it could mean a few different things.

Two model years, 1965 and 1966, could mean:

*1965*: Model year one: Winter of 1964/*1965*. (snowblowers made in summer and fall of 1964)
*1966*: Model year two: Winter of 1965/*1966*. (snowblowers made in summer and fall of 1965)

or it could mean:

*1965*: Model year one: Winter of *1965*/1966. (snowblowers made in summer and fall of 1965)
*1966*: Model year two: Winter of *1966*/1967. (snowblowers made in summer and fall of 1966)

Thats three winters! and a four year range! 
something could be made in 1964, 1965, or 1966, and still technically fall in the model years "1965 and 1966"..depending on which winters they were referring to.

So your engine, dated 1964, could easily be part of the "1965 model year", with no issues at all..

the problem is, we dont know which winters are being referred to in that 1968 snowbird document..I worked it out for Ariens:

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/ariens/Page11.html#question6

but its not yet known for Snowbird.

Scot


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

sscotsman said:


> Interesting! thanks GWB..
> 
> Your findings dont necessarily prove those model years as being "wrong"..but they do show they are a bit ambiguous..which we already knew!  it comes down to a common problem, which has to do with "winter spans two calendar years every year."
> Scot



yes I was aware of that, it would be taking some liberty in the interpretation, assuming the year spread is always done like the new car sales are. not in all cases. 

as you said, what if 1965 model year, meant winter of 1965-66
and 1966 model year, meant winter of 1966-67
I'd assume a new model year would be released in fall, but nowhere is it written that every single snowblower mfr. dated them that way ? that would be assuming a lot, and there are always exceptions, especially with mid-year new model releases, or new models released late.

in the case of my Yardman Snowbird 240-0, if you look up that model, it should have never had a 5HP engine that year, from all my net research. yet this one has it original equipment.

if I had to bet on it, I'd wager this one is a 1965 model year machine, using a late 1964 motor
but who knows ??? for sure....


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*Houston, we have ignition*


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

that was with the old oil in it. next is oil change to Amsoil 10-30
leaving the points in for now, cuz it has wicked spark. 
even the plug is working great. all I did was clean it.

the governor spring gave me fits. had the tank/carb of and on 4 times before I got it. looked it up online diagram, and it appears the previous owner had the governor spring connected to the wrong anchor point on the linkage. the governor arm was slightly bent. finally got it right. cut 2 coils off the spring to shorten it, and give it more tension. it was stretched by previous owner taking it off.

the bottom carb to engine bolt is underneath and a real beech to get at. it had to be turned with a flat blade screwdriver, and have slots in it for such. the governor spring is also very difficult to install once the carb is on, it has to be linked up first before the carb/tank assembly is bolted up, and the linkage needs to be disconnected every time otherwise risk tensioning it and bending it. the carbs themselves are very simple and easy to clean/build, but the linkage, governor is difficult. 

painted top of tank black. there was areas of bare metal where the carb bolts down, and in the back of tank and carb linkage bracket facing the engine. there was galvanized finish there but it would be rusty in now time, so brush painted it with some black stove paint. 

am going to put a new diaphram in the carb when the kit gets here. these pulsa-jets are TOO EASY. no fuel lines, no separate filter. no float, no needle/seat. passages are very easy to get qet at to clean, no float bowl or bowl gasket. only ONE mixture needle for both idle and wide open. 

nice quiet little motor ! the augers and wheels drive. maybe we'll get a chance to use it this month.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

if any of you fellas has a Briggs 100200-100299 series engine, here's the info. governor spring diagram, parts diagram. Merry Christmas !











here is the pdf link to the parts lists/diagrams for entire engine

https://www.m-and-d.com/pdfs/briggs/100200-ms4430-1183.pdf


the governor springs are available on Ebay for $3.50


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

that little guy purrs


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

I'm amazed how smooth that little engine runs.
Briggs always seem to run a little smoother than Tecumseh
not necessarily more powerful, just smoother
I think Tecumseh engines are more high strung i.e. 
perhaps more cam timing, overlap, compression ...??
the Tecumsehs seem to be more voracious and nasty at WOT


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the 10-30 Amsoil is in, just have to oil/grease the chain, ends of the augers, chute pivoting interface, all the levers...then she'll be ready to rip


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