# Picked up a 1979 Ariens 924040(8hp 24")



## db130

I picked it up relatively cheaply today because it had a seized engine, but I am hoping it is seized up due to inactivity and not engine failure.

It came with the 4-lug 8" wheels/electric starter.

This will probably be a long-term project for next winter. I have dumped quite a bit of PB Blaster in the combustion chamber and I *think* it wants to turn. I'll probably wait a couple of days before turning the starter cup nut.

The previous owner stored it outside under a tarp and the throttle control cable was seized and the auger lever was also seized. I was able to free up the auger lever and the throttle control cable will be sourced cheaply enough.

If I can't free up the engine, I'll probably go the Predator route again(the engine mounting studs are already long enough and the chute crank rod with u-joints appear to be more accomodating than the 10000 series).

I'll take better pictures once I start the project, but here's the as-is photo:


----------



## Shryp

I had to bend that lower eye bolt out a bit to clear my Predator engine.


----------



## motorhead64

Hopefully it wasn't sitting due to a blown gearbox. The ST's were prone to that failure. Am working on one right now. MH


----------



## db130

I don't think they started with the ST designation until in the 80s.

I got the engine to turn, there appears to be compression


----------



## WestminsterFJR

nice find, db. another one saved.


----------



## f2benny

Just like mine. Enjoy it.


----------



## db130

Thanks, guys. The cylinder was stuck to the point that the flywheel nut was being tightened/loosened if i went more than 30 degrees in either direction. I kept at it and 30 degrees became 45 degrees and then 90 degrees and eventually, it turned over without the nut being turned and the engine puked out the pb blaster/engine oil concoction out of the carb. I can now turn it over with the recoil starter.

i used a leftover partial carb rebuild kit to change out the bowl nut washer/idle mixture screw o-ring/inlet needle/seat/clip. The carb overall didn't look too bad.

I'm putting new fuel lines in it today and once I change the oil, I'll see if I can get it started.

The first priority is clearing the driveway of another 11" of snow we had overnight, though.


----------



## classiccat

Fingers crossed for that old motor therr db! If its a dead duck....you can't say that you didn't try!


----------



## db130

By drilling out the rivets that fasten the "fast-slow" cover of a 10000 series throttle lever, I was able to use it as a replacement on the 924040(I had to trim the plastic sheath by about 2 inches on the carburetor end of the cable:


















It's not very pretty near the lever end but it works:










I found some screws that were the right size. They screwed in very tightly into the holes vacated by the rivets that I don't need nuts to hold them in place


----------



## WestminsterFJR

clever mod on the throttle plate. have you tried to start her?


----------



## db130

I wanted to change the oil before i tried starting it, but when I loosened the drain plug tonight, the drain tube was packed with ice. I heated up a screwdriver and melted the ice but there's still no flow of oil.

It doesn't help that it's -1 degs fahrenheit right now and my garage is well below freezing. 

The tires need tubes and I've taken the wheels and tires off of the snowblower(will be visting my local shop in the morning that will install new tubes for $15 each), but other than that, i've put it back together.


----------



## Shryp

A block full of ice is definitely no good. Maybe that is all that was seizing it.


----------



## db130

I used a heat gun to slowly warm up the block and i got black oil+water to drain out 

I might have to change the oil one more time if I can get it to start afterwards.

The bad news is that when I tried to start it, it would crank but would not fire. Upon removing the spark plug and grounding it against the engine, there was no spark when I pulled the recoil starter. I installed a known good magneto and installed it but I still get no spark. For the sake of getting a running machine, I think I will proceed with the Predator purchase.

The good news is that that the wheels and tires are back from the tire shop with new tubes installed and the machine is otherwise complete, just waiting for an engine that will start.


----------



## db130

Has anyone looked at the Tecumseh 10hp engines(part number LH358XA-15493) with the tapered shaft from various "surplus" engine suppliers as a possible replacement? There is an ebay seller that machines a crankshaft adapter for a tapered shaft to convert it to a 1" crank: Crank Shaft Adapter Taper to 1" inch Generator Pressure Washer Engine Bushing | eBay

I've seen the engines priced as low as $140 with shipping. $60 for the crank adapter and I'd have to supply my own gas tank(I have a spare tank+brackets that should bolt up), I'd then be looking at a 10hp engine for $200.


----------



## Rockadode

db130 said:


> Has anyone looked at the Tecumseh 10hp engines(part number LH358XA-15493) with the tapered shaft from various "surplus" engine suppliers as a possible replacement? There is an ebay seller that machines a crankshaft adapter for a tapered shaft to convert it to a 1" crank: Crank Shaft Adapter Taper to 1" inch Generator Pressure Washer Engine Bushing | eBay
> 
> I've seen the engines priced as low as $140 with shipping. $60 for the crank adapter and I'd have to supply my own gas tank(I have a spare tank+brackets that should bolt up), I'd then be looking at a 10hp engine for $200.


First I'd hesitate to try and run that 10 hp if I found a block of ice in the crankcase, that baby's got to come apart for cleaning /inspection.

You may have corrosion or rust on the bearing surfaces, no way to clear that without a teardown really and the rust would make short work of crank and other bearing surfaces if you tried resulting in a rebuild situation anyways.

There's plenty of straight shaft replacement engines out there, if I was to drop any cash on that machine I wouldn't go for a new old stock Tecumseh or briggs, or a tapered shaft engine with or without adapter, rather get a "harbor freight" predator or in Canada a powerfist replacement winter engine with fuel tank. You'll only spend a few dollars more if you're patient and end up with a solid machine for many years to come.


----------



## Shryp

I was under the impression that different engines had different tapers as well. I would be worried that the adapter would not fit.


----------



## db130

I've reviewed the pulley layout and it looks like even with the crankshaft adapter, I won't be able to line up the drive pulley correctly unless i relocate the engine mount studs. 

I'm moving forward with the Predator 212cc install, I have the 3/4" to 1" crank adapter so that I can reuse the original pulley and OE-size belts


----------



## Jackmels

You will have to remove the engine mounting studs and use bolts in the "other" holes in the forward engine mounting position if going to the 212 predator. I might have the same engine available. PM if interested.


----------



## db130

I managed to break the tack welds on the engine mount studs with a framing hammer and used stainless bolts/washers/locking nuts to mount the 212cc.

(sorry about the messy garage, guys)










I called it a day after putting oil in the engine and the adjustable carb jet

I'll probably try starting it tomorrow and let the engine run for a bit to break it in.

I did notice, though, that the bucket is hoplelessly rusted out, so I'd like to find a replacement bucket sometime this year as a spring/summer project.


----------



## Saewoody

db130 said:


> I managed to break the tack welds on the engine mount studs with a framing hammer and used stainless bolts/washers/locking nuts to mount the 212cc.
> 
> When I knocked my studs out I used GOOP marine adhesive (it's sort of like a JB Weld type of product) to reinstall them in the forward holes. I held them tight to the tractor with a washer and nut and then the next day they were solidly "welded" on. I cleaned up the threads on the studs, removed the nuts and then installed the predator engine.
> 
> Looks like everything lined up well on your machine. Nice job.


----------



## db130

That actually isn't a bad idea, except 3 ouf of 4 studs came out mangled with damaged threads and whatnot.

The crank chute side forward mounting hole has very tight clearance for a bolt that has a 1/2" bolt head and i had to "persuade" the bolt in place with a pry bar and hammer.

I thought about reusing the 4th stud in that location before the persuasion.


----------



## Jackmels

I have a Very Nice Replacement Bucket Available. Contact me Only if you are Actually Serious.


----------



## Pathfinder13

Sweet machine, nice save ! A little TLC is what it needs. 

BTW, I sourced a throttle lever cable and control from Amazon that looked like that one, it was a Snapper part. In case you decide to refresh it.


----------



## db130

Jackmels said:


> I have a Very Nice Replacement Bucket Available. Contact me Only if you are Actually Serious.


I picked up the replacement bucket from Jackmels this morning and I'll be continuing the mechanical restoration as weather permits.


----------



## RAYAR

On the old engine, you likely damaged the oil dipper when you freed up the engine as a result of the frozen contents in the crankcase. It was likely the reason the engine would only rotate so far each way until you broke the crankcase contents enough to allow it to fully rotate.  Would have to be torn down for inspection before attempting to be started.


----------



## db130

I finally got around to swapping out the front bucket as the original one had "structural integrity" issues due to rust. Between the old bucket and the new bucket, I was able to scavenge enough hardware to complete the swap with the exception of the scraper bar. I ended up buying stainless carriage bolts/washers/locknuts from the local hardware store to install the scraper bar.










I'll probably paint the wheels and the Ariens plate at some point this summer.


----------



## 43128

came out pretty good, i always thought those ariens machines looked sharp


----------



## db130

I found a 924050 today with no engine/busted auger gearbox that I decided to pick up, mainly because it came with the ~19" tall chute/8" rims with Snow Hog tires/working 4-lug differential:










I will swap out those parts into the 924040 then install the solid axle/short chute/old tires+wheels from the 924040 onto 924050's carcass. I might be able to cobble together a frankenstein machine using a spare 10ML front bucket+gearbox like stanz did here:


----------



## db130

The differential and the painted wheels with Snow Hogs from the parts snowblower have been retrofitted today, I ended up buying new axle bearings and new bearing carriers so this turned out to be a somewhat pricey expenditure.

I also installed a tall chute (sourced from ebay) even though the parts snowblower had an identical chute. It's because the one from the parts machine needs some paint work.


----------



## JJG723

Looks good! Nicely job.


----------



## db130

I believe I am finally done with this. I ended up painting the upper handlebars with semi-gloss black to match the lower handlebars, and also painted the Ariens nameplate.

Also added the squeeze handle for the drive wheels from the parts 924050 machine.

The Predator 212cc has Waterlooboy2hp's adjustable carb jet and ran strong during the break-in. 

Come on, snow!


















































Added a decal on the nameplate to finish it off:


----------



## db130

So here's a long overdue update... I actually SOLD this snowblower last January, but it turns out that the new owner grenaded the auger gearbox after hitting something and reached out to me for help.

He had another 924 (#924082) snowblower that wasn't running, and I agreed to install the Predator engine from the one I sold him on his 924082, which I briefly mentioned on this *thread*. Long story short, he got his snowblower back with a Predator engine, and I got to keep my machine sans engine. This snowblower sat untouched for 8 months.

I found another 924 snowblower this morning that had the teardrop bucket and the cast iron gearbox. I picked it up and and did the front end swap (my 924040 now has a teardrop bucket and cast iron gearbox).

I haven't decided on the engine yet, but it will likely be a GX390 from a power washer that I picked up with a bad pump. Stay tuned!


----------



## cranman

Love that blower.....keep us posted!


----------



## db130

Here's a quick mock-up up of the GX390 physically on top of the frame. Don't let the complete appearance fool you, though. 

There are no belts, no pulleys, and no mounting bolts; the engine's not mounted yet.

It will need 4 new mounting holes drilled and the new holes will need to be drilled where the deck starts to have more of an angle to account for the handlebar studs. It should work but there's not much room for error.

I still have the power washer frame so I'm going to make a template off of the power washer frame before I start drilling.

The valve cover side of the engine clears the chute rod and it looks like I can move the engine far back enough towards the control panel so that I won't have clearance issues with the chute.


----------



## db130

Here's a sneak preview of what is to come:


----------



## db130

I got quite a bit done this afternoon:

4 new mounting holes were drilled for the GX390 engine. 
The impeller bearing was replaced. 
Added a stock crank pulley from an Ariens 924082.
Installed a belt cover riser from @Shaw351. 
Added new skids
Drilled out the main jet on the GX390 and tried out the *adjustable carb jet*

It runs and drives, I'm trying out a 1/2" x 38" belt and am waiting for it to stretch out a bit, because the augers still spins a bit even with the auger lever in the off position.

I might need to repaint the muffler cover at some point since its surface rust makes the engine look kind of ratty. Too bad there's no snow for me to test with.


----------



## BeerGhost

That's going to be a beast when it's done. 
We need videos of it in deep snow!


----------



## db130

Thanks, BeerGhost.

I rotated the recoil starter 120 degrees today so that I could pull it from the other side of the snowblower (much more clearance with this config). I also installed a new NGK BPR6ES spark plug.

Finally, it looked like the pictures weren't loading 100% of the time, so I attached them to the posts instead.


----------



## db130

Here's a quick update... as many of you may know already, the Boston area received a significant amount of snowfall between Sunday night/Monday morning.

I woke up to about 14" of snow and the EOD pile was about 3' high. It was wet and heavy.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to take any video as I was pressed for time. The summarized version is that it seemed bored by the 14" of snow. It threw a decent distance but a not great distance. It didn't clog at all, however, even with the EOD pile.

Right now I'm using a stock Ariens 824 pulley with a 2.75" auger pulley... I think I will try out a 3.25 pulley and see what happens.


----------



## cranman

Did you put an impeller kit in? I just did a 12 hp Tec with that same bucket and gearbox, with a full impeller kit and I changed out the pulley to 3.5 inches. The engine didn't mind the extra diameter pulley at all, ant it really blasted the slush from Sunday.


----------



## db130

No impeller kit [yet], but I did find a 3.25" pulley in my parts stash for the auger and bought a 2.5" pulley for the drive wheels. I could probably get to both this weekend, but I'd be shocked if we got any more snow this season.


----------



## db130

New for 2019-2020 season:

1) I've upgraded from a 2.75" pulley to a 3" pulley from my Bolens parts machine. I'm trying it with a 39" Kevlar belt (the stock 2.75" pulley took a 38" belt). The drive pulley is ~2.5" on both pulleys and I didn't need to change the drive belt.

2) I ordered an aftermarket muffler & muffler guard as the original one is dented and rusted all over.

3) I disabled the low oil shutoff as it would sporadically cut out when the snowblower was tilted


----------



## db130

Here's the aftermarket muffler installed that makes the snowblower look a lot better:










And here's the 3" pulley with the 1/2" x 39" Kevlar belt (p/n 754-282K, $10 including shipping):










The belt cover fits with the custom risers that @Shaw351 made for me:


----------



## Jackmels

Very Nice! The Black Paint is a Nice Touch. Have You Tried this Out Yet with the New Pulley?


----------



## classiccat

Monster Hondariens!


----------



## db130

Jackmels said:


> Very Nice! The Black Paint is a Nice Touch. Have You Tried this Out Yet with the New Pulley?


Not yet, Jack. I just got the pulley installed last weekend and the snow had all melted by then.


----------



## Jackmels

db130 said:


> Not yet, Jack. I just got the pulley installed last weekend and the snow had all melted by then.



Hope to see a Video of this in Action!


----------



## db130

I bought a 3.5" pulley earlier in the week and tried it on this afternoon:










Unfortunately, the 39" belt is a bit small and engages the augers at all times, and the 40" belt is simply too large. I didn't have a 39.5" belt in stock so now I have to wait for it to be delivered.


----------



## Jesse11B

Nice restoration work! I’m just curious, and trying to wrap my head around the increase of the pulley size.With an increase in pulley size does this help the auger with increased power or speed?


----------



## RIT333

It will increase the speed of the impeller.


----------



## cranman

If you got a big enough engine to power it, it is a beast.....I've got a 12 OHV Tec on that same platform with a 3.5 inch impeller pulley, and it is just right.....


----------



## db130

The belt saga continues 

The 39.5" belt does fit, but I have to set the tensioner to maximum to get sufficient tension on the belt, and as I expect the belt to stretch out a bit after use, it's not ideal.

As I have another snowblower than can use the 39.5" belt, I'm going to try a 39.3" belt next.

There is a 39.3" Toro belt (PN 26-9671) en route.


----------



## cranman

it shouldn't be that critical...is the impeller bearing good?


----------



## db130

A new impeller bearing was installed on Jan 2019 and had had about 90 minutes of runtime since. It wasn't the impeller bearing. 

The right belt makes all the difference, guys, especially in a custom setup. 

Here's the 39.3" belt. It went on like butter and it's juuuust right (additionally, the tensioner is at minimum and I can adjust as needed going forward).

To recap...

2.75" pulley used a 38" belt (had to be stretched out just a tad by running)
3" pulley used a 39" belt (tensioner was at minimum)
3.5" pulley used a 39.3" belt 










According to the part number, it's used by 35 different Toro snowblowers and mowers, so it should be available indefinitely.

Back to waiting for snow, unfortunately.


----------



## cranman

Thanks for the info, good to know.


----------



## classiccat

db130 said:


> Back to waiting for snow, unfortunately.


You just screwed us db... We may as well summer-ize our snowblowers now :signlol:

Your perseverance paid off! she's gonna really chuck it!


----------



## db130

classiccat said:


> You just screwed us db... We may as well summer-ize our snowblowers now :signlol:


:grin: What I meant to type was... as I'm SURE that we're not getting any more snow this winter, I'm going to run it dry and wait for next winter.


----------



## db130

New for the 2020-2021 season:

1) a new 3L350 drive belt (the belt from last season apparently stretched out to the point that it would no longer drive the wheels)
2) cleaned out the pilot jet on the gx390 that had clogged up over the summer
3) cleaned out the needle/seat area as fuel seemed to be seeping a bit










As we didn't get any additional snowfall after I installed the 3.5" pulley last year, so I'm looking forward to testing it out.


----------



## db130

As mentioned here back on December 2018, I sold this snowblower while it had the Predator 212cc engine to a local man who blew up the aluminum gearbox a short time later (the gearbox casing shattered). The augers were somehow undamaged from that incident, so I had kept the augers all this time, I never removed them from the damaged gearbox.

I took in a free Ariens 924082 this past January that had a bucket that had been ground down to past the scraper bar holes, but it had the upgraded cast iron gearbox and the auger bearing had been replaced at one point. I kept the gearbox in the damaged bucket for 9 months.

I finally got sick of looking at the parts that were piling up, so I bought a cosmetically challenged ~1979 bucket and decided to make one working front half of a snowblower out of all the parts I had lying around.










A quick coat of Rustoleum Lobster Red paint:











My original rakes+free cast iron gearbox:









I would have used the black augers that came with the free 924082 snowblower, but one of them was serrated and the other was not. 










I'm debating which bucket to go with going forward, but I'm glad I got the bucket painted before it got any colder.


----------



## snow blows

db130 said:


> As mentioned here back on December 2018, I sold this snowblower while it had the Predator 212cc engine to a local man who blew up the aluminum gearbox a short time later (the gearbox casing shattered). The augers were somehow undamaged from that incident, so I had kept the augers all this time, I never removed them from the damaged gearbox.
> 
> I took in a free Ariens 924082 this past January that had a bucket that had been ground down to past the scraper bar holes, but it had the upgraded cast iron gearbox and the auger bearing had been replaced at one point. I kept the gearbox in the damaged bucket for 9 months.
> 
> I finally got sick of looking at the parts that were piling up, so I bought a cosmetically challenged ~1979 bucket and decided to make one working front half of a snowblower out of all the parts I had lying around.
> 
> View attachment 169509
> 
> 
> A quick coat of Rustoleum Lobster Red paint:
> 
> 
> View attachment 169510
> 
> 
> My original rakes+free cast iron gearbox:
> View attachment 169511
> 
> 
> I would have used the black augers that came with the free 924082 snowblower, but one of them was serrated and the other was not.
> 
> View attachment 169512
> 
> 
> I'm debating which bucket to go with going forward, but I'm glad I got the bucket painted before it got any colder.



Was you able to use the stock 924040 belt cover without adding some height to the top? Super thanks DB for the info on the pulleys and belts this will save me lots of trial and error.


----------



## harry398

db130 said:


> A new impeller bearing was installed on Jan 2019 and had had about 90 minutes of runtime since. It wasn't the impeller bearing.
> 
> The right belt makes all the difference, guys, especially in a custom setup.
> 
> Here's the 39.3" belt. It went on like butter and it's juuuust right (additionally, the tensioner is at minimum and I can adjust as needed going forward).
> 
> To recap...
> 
> 2.75" pulley used a 38" belt (had to be stretched out just a tad by running)
> 3" pulley used a 39" belt (tensioner was at minimum)
> 3.5" pulley used a 39.3" belt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> According to the part number, it's used by 35 different Toro snowblowers and mowers, so it should be available indefinitely.
> 
> Back to waiting for snow, unfortunately.




did you ever get this running and test it?

how did it perform?


----------



## db130

snow blows said:


> Was you able to use the stock 924040 belt cover without adding some height to the top? Super thanks DB for the info on the pulleys and belts this will save me lots of trial and error.


If you place the risers under the stock belt cover, it will fit. Without the risers, the stock belt cover will not fit.



harry398 said:


> did you ever get this running and test it?
> 
> how did it perform?


It will need the impeller kit to reach its full potential. I tried it in extremely wet snow and it was overwhelmed.


----------



## snow blows

Thanks DB. On one of your pics I saw the front wheel of a bike that looked just like my dual caliper 90 FXR. Are you also an FXR owner?


----------

