# 1975 Montgomery Ward 8hp 26 inch unitrol



## GustoGuy

Hi all

I picked up this unit today for $15 dollars plus he threw in a 2 stroke lawn edger too. It is an old Gilson made Montgomery Ward 26 inch unitrol with a non working 8 hp Briggs and Stratton. HF has the 7hp Predator 212cc on sale again for $99.99 and I will be replacing this old non working engine with new OHV engine. Not too many safety features on this baby. On my newer MTD To run the auger and drive you must have the hand levers depressed. This one you engage the auger and once engaged it will keep engaged. also the drive is a standard Unitrol 3 speed where once it is in gear it will keep on running. I seen some Unitrols with a Flip lever on the left hand handle grip and they must be newer than this one. The gear box turns nice a smoothly and the skids are in good shape too. The gear box is made out of cast Iron and when I spun the impeller it spins quietly and smoothly. I hears it takes about 2 ounces (60mls) of 70W/90 weight gear lube and has top and bottom plugs to drain the old gear fluid.


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## td5771

great score


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## Blue Hill

The lawn edger doesn't look too bad either.


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## dbert

Are the cracks in the handle uprights (photo 4) a concern?


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## micah68kj

I have one of these but mine's a 1978. Has the original 8 HP Briggs engine that starts first pull. Forum member Spectrum may be along soon to fill in some blanks for you. He has a Gilson snow blower page. Very nice place to visit. Mine is all original and you can see some pics of it in the gallery, on page 3 halfway down. "78 Ward's Gilson Beast". They're very well built machines and nope, very little in the way of safety. Mine does have a handle/lever on the left side handgrip that needs to be depressed to keep it running. Once it's released the engine stops. The rest is just being careful and using common sense. Nice find!


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## Blue Hill

"Are the cracks in the handle uprights (photo 4) a concern?"

If it were mine, I would get some pieces of flat bar about 4 inches long, center them over the cracks and weld in place. If you don't have access to a welder, you could bolt them on. It will strengthen the whole thing and stop it from getting worse.


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## Blue Hill

Messed this up. Sorry


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## micah68kj

If you're going to repower it I'd like to get that carb from you. Let me know. PM me if you're willing.


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## 69ariens

what's wrong with the briggs? If the motor is not blown, keep orig w/ a new paint job . that would be cool.


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## GustoGuy

69ariens said:


> what's wrong with the briggs? If the motor is not blown, keep orig w/ a new paint job . that would be cool.


 The reason I was going to replace the engine with the Predator is I would like to ensure the snow blower will be reliable. The Briggs also has no gas tank and the guy I bought it from said it leaked. I asked if he had the tank and he said he did not. Plus the Briggs is also 38 years old and has breaker points since it was like 1979 or 1980 when the solid state Magnetron ignition replaced the points.

Here is an interesting twist however. Today I put my Tecumseh 5hp up where the new engine will go and I see the mounting pattern is not the same for the Briggs and the Predator. The Tecumseh was a direct replacement for the Predator except for the fact that I needed to switch it over to a single pulley set up. The more powerful engines such as the 11 HP Predator would most likely bolt on directly. The difference between 7hp and 8hp is slight plus the Predator makes a ton of torque more than an equivalent Tecumseh would so I might as well just order it and cut the studs out and mount the Predator by drilling the holes. Unless someone has a cheap Briggs to Tecumseh mounting plate. The price difference between the 11hp and the 7hp Predators is $200. I can easily redo the mount and save $200 dollars.


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## GustoGuy

GustoGuy said:


> The reason I was going to replace the engine with the Predator is I would like to ensure the snow blower will be reliable. The Briggs also has no gas tank and the guy I bought it from said it leaked. I asked if he had the tank and he said he did not. Plus the Briggs is also 38 years old and has breaker points since it was like 1979 or 1980 when the solid state Magnetron ignition replaced the points.
> 
> Here is an interesting twist however. Today I put my Tecumseh 5hp up where the new engine will go and I see the mounting pattern is not the same for the Briggs and the Predator. The Tecumseh was a direct replacement for the Predator except for the fact that I needed to switch it over to a single pulley set up. The more powerful engines such as the 11 HP Predator would most likely bolt on directly. The difference between 7hp and 8hp is slight plus the Predator makes a ton of torque more than an equivalent Tecumseh would so I might as well just order it and cut the studs out and mount the Predator by drilling the holes. Unless someone has a cheap Briggs to Tecumseh mounting plate. The price difference between the 11hp and the 7hp Predators is $200. I can easily redo the mount and save $200 dollars.


 I believe I could even leave the studs in and still mount the Predator because the Tecumseh with the same bolt pattern falls in between the studs. However it would sort of look bad so I will cut the studs off and line everything up and cut off the studs and the extra base plate material that the Briggs was mounted on.


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## Shryp

When I took the studs off my Ariens I used a sledge hammer. There were only lightly tack welded and dropping the hammer straight down on them knocked them right out.


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## GustoGuy

*It's Alive!!!*



69ariens said:


> what's wrong with the briggs? If the motor is not blown, keep orig w/ a new paint job . that would be cool.


 I decided to see what I had to work with and it popped after the 4th pull. I will paint the engine components and get a new throttle switch and clean the carb change the oil. And I will do a full restoration on it. Paint and impeller kit. More to come

1975 Briggs and stratton engine From Montgomery Ward ... - YouTube


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## micah68kj

GustoGuy said:


> I decided to see what I had to work with and it popped after the 4th pull. I will paint the engine components and get a new throttle switch and clean the carb change the oil. And I will do a full restoration on it. Paint and impeller kit. More to come
> 
> 1975 Briggs and stratton engine From Montgomery Ward ... - YouTube


Well, actually I'm happy you got the old girl fired up. I thought maybe you were being a little quick to want to repower it. Those ole Brigg's are fairly bullet proof. What the hey. You have a nice, running beast of a snow blower for fifteen bucks. You can pick up 12V electric starters for it for just a little bit of nothing. I put one on mine even though it usually starts first pull.


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## 69ariens

Gusto I know how you feel about the predator motor and was not going to argue with you. I just didn't want you to throw a good motor out. From your video the old briggs runs very well. I hope you post lots of pics of the resto. 
have fun my friend.


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## Blue Hill

Have you got a line on a replacement fuel tank Gusto?


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## GustoGuy

Blue Hill said:


> Have you got a line on a replacement fuel tank Gusto?


I am going to use the gas tank from the Tecumseh. I just have to fiqure out how to mount it. The muffler is totally rusted on it, and I am going out today to get a good low tone muffler which is better than the one that was on it.


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## Simplicity Solid 22

Gusto what is wrong with the briggs on it...do you know why it is broken???
Sorry if you already explained this.

Hey did you ever put your 5hp tec on anything after you got her running so nicely???

If you repower show us the Video back in action.


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## Simplicity Solid 22

Whoops...noticed you got the ole briggs running again...Nice and all for 15 smackeroos!!! SahhWeet!!!!


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## GustoGuy

*I reused my Tecumseh Gas tank*



GustoGuy said:


> I am going to use the gas tank from the Tecumseh. I just have to fiqure out how to mount it. The muffler is totally rusted on it, and I am going out today to get a good low tone muffler which is better than the one that was on it.


I decided to reuse my Tecumseh gas tank and I epoxied it to the gas tank bracket so I would have a nice look. The gas tank is supported from the bottom with the bracket and from the side with epoxy. Here is a picture of the finished product.


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## Shryp

Looks good, though with 8 HP maybe you should have looked for a bigger tank.


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## GustoGuy

Shryp said:


> Looks good, though with 8 HP maybe you should have looked for a bigger tank.


I seen a gas tank on EBay for $46 but I have a perfectly good one sitting on my Teumseh for free. Plus the steel gas tanks tend to rust anyway.that is why the oeiganal one leaked gas. I think I have a pretty low hour machine becuse the auger bushings and the gear bushings were both in great condition. I have been following forum member Spectrum's website on Gilson. Too bad Gilson went under and were bought out by Lawnboy in the late 80's. Gilson was in business making farm implements since late 1800"s. There was however a big shake out at that time and other brands too had disappeared. The machine is built like a tank and the metal is like 1/4 an inch thick.


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## Shryp

Ouch. I meant the bigger Tecumseh tanks. Your 5 HP had the 1/2 gallon tank. The larger ones had the 1 gallon tank. Maybe you can find someone locally with a stash of old blown up engines and get a 1 gallon tank cheap. Though, I guess we can wait and see how much gas you need when it snows.


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## GustoGuy

Shryp said:


> Ouch. I meant the bigger Tecumseh tanks. Your 5 HP had the 1/2 gallon tank. The larger ones had the 1 gallon tank. Maybe you can find someone locally with a stash of old blown up engines and get a 1 gallon tank cheap. Though, I guess we can wait and see how much gas you need when it snows.


How many Driveways per gallon does your machine do? lol Yes a bigger engine is more thirsty.

To quote the Dos Equis Most interesting man in the world.

*"Stay Thirsty my friend".* 

Mark


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## Flannelman

If you want a oem tank I have one I would give you for shipping or depending on where you are in MN I could meet you somewhere and give it to you.


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## GustoGuy

Flannelman said:


> If you want a oem tank I have one I would give you for shipping or depending on where you are in MN I could meet you somewhere and give it to you.


Sounds awesome. I have PayPal and I will Pm you. Yes a bigger tank would be better on a bigger machine

Thanks
Mark


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## GustoGuy

I have been busy with the restoration. It is much more work than I thought it would be especially since I went through the entire Unitrol drive system and checked out the bushings which are in real good condition so I must have a fairly low hour machine. I has sanded down and painted the chute with primer and painted the engine and tomorrow I hope to paint the snow blower it self. Here are some photo's of my progress.


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## 69ariens

Looking good.


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## GustoGuy

Painted the inside of the bucket and the augers and impeller today. Now comes the easy part. The body of the snow blower. I also got some primer that can be wet sanded to ease the transformation of getting a smooth finish. Here are some pictures of the progress


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## Shryp

Awe, I am disappointed. I was hoping for a 2 tone paint job to make the augers and impeller stand out.

Good paint job though.


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## skphoto

I have the same blower, But the Gilson brand. I put the electronic ignition upgrade as I did not want to do points and condensers anymore. And was cheaper than an new set of points and condensers. Works really nice. Its a universal kit that works on any engine with one cylinder.


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## Spectrum

The worm drive is filled level to the from plug with SAE30 oil.

I'd do something about the handle cracks, that is very unusual. Perhaps drill stop holes and lay a puddle of them. At worst, I have handle assemblies.

It looks like at least 1 impeller paddle is folded over. Id try bending it back for what it's worst before wrapping things up.

that is a nice, very serviceable machine For all intents in purpose we have 100% parts coverage with OEM, my reproductions and good used stuff.

Pete


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## GustoGuy

Spectrum said:


> The worm drive is filled level to the from plug with SAE30 oil.
> 
> I'd do something about the handle cracks, that is very unusual. Perhaps drill stop holes and lay a puddle of them. At worst, I have handle assemblies.
> 
> It looks like at least 1 impeller paddle is folded over. Id try bending it back for what it's worst before wrapping things up.
> 
> that is a nice, very serviceable machine For all intents in purpose we have 100% parts coverage with OEM, my reproductions and good used stuff.
> 
> Pete


I took a picture of the impeller paddles and they look ok. Here is a picture of the paddles on the impeller. I had a few stress cracks on the machine that I welded up. One was on the lower chute section at the base by the worm gear and 3 were on the handle. I used my arc welder on the lowest setting to weld up the cracks and I ground it down an used automotive body filler to smooth it out. Some have suggested that I weld in a piece of metal over the top of the crack. Very small ones on the handle and they have not spread to the sides of the handle bar assembly. I welded so I hope that that stops them. When metal is nearly 40 years old it can get brittle I guess. Here is a picture of the impeller. I have the other photos earlier in this thread. I used a rust remover in the bucket area and the impeller drum and I even taped the drain hole shut so that the remover could work on the rust. I then painted it with POR 15 and spray painted with Rustoleum Chevy engine paint that is a close match to the original color.


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## GustoGuy

Spectrum said:


> The worm drive is filled level to the from plug with SAE30 oil.
> 
> I'd do something about the handle cracks, that is very unusual. Perhaps drill stop holes and lay a puddle of them. At worst, I have handle assemblies.
> 
> It looks like at least 1 impeller paddle is folded over. Id try bending it back for what it's worst before wrapping things up.
> 
> that is a nice, very serviceable machine For all intents in purpose we have 100% parts coverage with OEM, my reproductions and good used stuff.
> 
> Pete


 I never drilled a stop hole at the end of the crack. I just laid a bead down with my welder over the top of the crack. Do you think it will spread even though it has been welded?. I could drill a stop hole based on the pictures I took since there is no apparent crack anymore. As to welding in a reinforcement I could possibly do it from behind the handle on the inside with a small piece of metal reinforcement may be an 1/8 of an inch thick. This should stop it from continuing. No cracks at all on the sides and the front of the Gilson unitrol tower


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## Blue Hill

The cracks are from "metal fatigue" or stress cracks which are caused from flexing and vibration. You will find it will crack right alongside of your original repair if you use it very much at all. You're going to have to reinforce it Gusto, if you want more than a cosmetic repair.


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## micah68kj

skphoto said:


> I have the same blower, But the Gilson brand. I put the electronic ignition upgrade as I did not want to do points and condensers anymore. And was cheaper than an new set of points and condensers. Works really nice. Its a universal kit that works on any engine with one cylinder.


Welcome to the forum.
I also have the same machine. The original points/condensor lasted 33 years and were still functional when I replaced them. Thought they were maybe breaking down under heat because it would run about five minutes then shut off. Turned out to be a fuel problem. I reckon if that first set lasted 33 years and I'm now 60 yrs old.... Well, you get the idea. 
By the way, could you post a couple pics of your machine? We'd like to see it.


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## GustoGuy

GustoGuy said:


> I never drilled a stop hole at the end of the crack. I just laid a bead down with my welder over the top of the crack. Do you think it will spread even though it has been welded?. I could drill a stop hole based on the pictures I took since there is no apparent crack anymore. As to welding in a reinforcement I could possibly do it from behind the handle on the inside with a small piece of metal reinforcement may be an 1/8 of an inch thick. This should stop it from continuing. No cracks at all on the sides and the front of the Gilson unitrol tower


Well I ground down the area and purchased a piece of 1/8 inch by 3/4 inch cold rolled steel and welded 3 pieces of 5 inch sections over the damaged areas on the handle bars blending it well into the non distressed metal. I welded into the existing metal and beyond to fill in the gaps and ground it down smooth. I thin lightly skim coated with Bondo to smooth it out. I know that it is now stronger than when it was new even. It only cost me about 8 dollars with welding sticks and steel.


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## Blue Hill

That ought to hold it Gusto and it will be as you say, stronger than original. Over the years when working on machinery, I found that you could chase those stress cracks until you were blue in the face  and they would always come back until you reinforced the area. The metal kind of crystallizes I guess. I think you'll be good now.


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## GustoGuy

*Lots of work. Wet sanding with 400 grit between coats*

I painted the Body of the snow blower today. I like to wet sand between coats concentrating on areas were I see any imperfections I sand it out. Restoring an old snow blower is a fair amount of work, I hope to finish this weekend. I bought an Gilson Gas tank on Ebay and it will be coming soon. I will need to sand it and do some rust removal on the tank and then paint it to match. I also need to paint the handle bars and the chute as well. I cleaned the carburetor as well and I can't wait to install the engine and see how it runs now that I got a new muffler. Here are a couple of pictures of the progress so far.


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## 69ariens

what shade of orange is that?


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## GustoGuy

69ariens said:


> what shade of orange is that?


High temp Chevy orange which is the closest color to the actual color. In fact I find the Chevy orange to be darker however I sure it faded a whole lot when compare to the inside cover area where the friction plate is.


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## micah68kj

LOL! I did very minimal touch-up on mine and that is the same paint I used. Great minds....


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## Shryp

I think that is the same paint I used on my Ariens as well.


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## 69ariens

Allis charmers orange from rust-oleum is a tad bit lighter than the chevy orange Its also very close to the fact ariens. I no its to late now but the next blower give it a try.


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## 69ariens

By the way, it looks great


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## GustoGuy

69ariens said:


> By the way, it looks great


I am a little further along. And Yes I know that the wheels are on in the wrong direction. Here is a picture. As to the next snow blower, No way, my wife is not liking this at all. Sort of time consuming and I am doing this on my time off when I am not working and I am a very busy guy. I am tempted to get some 13 inch pneumatic tires and wheels "Snow Hawgs" since the rear of the machine is a bit low with 1/2 inch less ground clearance than the MTD. I bottomed it out going off the side walk into a dip in the grass when I was degreasing it. Plus the wheels are more in the center of the rear section rather than in the rear of the rear section like the MTD. I bet this thing weighs 60 to 80 pounds more than the MTD. Really thick steel construction. The MTD's steel is much thinner however this machine had 3 stress cracks on the handle bars and 1 on the chute. I welded them all up and reinforced the handle bar section with a piece of 1/8 inch x 3/4 inch steel. The MTD is stress crack free when I last checked it but it is also 21 years newer too.


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## Blue Hill

Nicely done Gusto. I'm sure liking the skid shoes too.


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## Spectrum

That's coming together nicely!

BTW, You want to put the skid bolts so the nuts are on the outside. Otherwise it is possible for the augers to deflect just enough to occasionally snag on a bolt and mysteriously break a shear pin.

Pete


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

Looks great! You do nice work Gusto!


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## micah68kj

It ain't ever gonna run right till ya find out where that washer goes. The washer laying on the ground in the first pic.
Looking real nice Gusto. Did you say in an earlier posr that you were going to install a "Clarence" kit for the impellers?


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## dbert

Looks great GG.
That impeller housing looks a mile deep from the side.
Handle and chute going to be white like it was originally?


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## GustoGuy

micah68kj said:


> It ain't ever gonna run right till ya find out where that washer goes. The washer laying on the ground in the first pic.
> Looking real nice Gusto. Did you say in an earlier posr that you were going to install a "Clarence" kit for the impellers?


The washer is just to adjust the height of the skid plate which I already did. I will switch around my skid plate bolts. Funny that was how they were installed in the first place. But I would rather not have problems and have the auger hit them when spinning. Yes, I am putting in a Baler Belt impeller kit of my own making I make my own and do not buy the Clarence Kit. To see what I will be doing check out the one that I put in the MTD
Mark


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## GustoGuy

dbert said:


> Looks great GG.
> That impeller housing looks a mile deep from the side.
> Handle and chute going to be white like it was originally?


The actual color is light beige and the closest match is Rustoleum Almond 7770. Deep impeller bucket on this machine and huge opening for the chute.


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## GustoGuy

Spectrum said:


> That's coming together nicely!
> 
> BTW, You want to put the skid bolts so the nuts are on the outside. Otherwise it is possible for the augers to deflect just enough to occasionally snag on a bolt and mysteriously break a shear pin.
> 
> Pete


 I will do that don't want to mess up the worm gear on this machine

Thanks Pete

Mark


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## GustoGuy

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> Looks great! You do nice work Gusto!


 Yes, I tend to be a nit picker when it comes to painting. I did this paint job and my MTD with spray bombs only. I wet sand too if I notice any problems with the finish and touch it up to correct the obvious imperfections. I use blue painters tape and 8 by 1& 1/2 sheets of paper to tape up anything that is not suppose to be painted.

Mark


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## GustoGuy

*Pretty much have it togather notice that engine pops when backing off the throttle*

Well I had the engine mounted to the snow blower and It was running ok however I noticed that it would occasionally "pop" almost backfiring when backing off the throttle. I read that this can be caused by carbon deposits so I decided to pull the head and take a look. The piston was rather clean and the intake valve was pretty clean too. However the exhaust valve was covered by about 1/8 to 1/4th of an inch of carbon deposits and the edges were even being distorted by the carbon. I bought a soft brass hand brush and I put the engine to TDC with the valves closed and I cleaned the entire exhaust valve and intake vavle area totally clean. I was surprised with how caked on the carbon was on the exhaust valve. I did not have my phone on me or I would have taken a before picture. I felt inside the cylinder for any ridges and it is nice and smooth with nothing that will catch a fingernail. I then put the engine just a little before top dead center and sprayed Sea Foam Deep Creep on top of the piston to dissolve the varnish or sludge that there may be with the piston rings and oil ring as well as in the grooves. Here are a couple of pictures of what I did. I called a place and Asked if they sell head gaskets for Briggs 8hp horizontal engine and he said yeas they did. He wanted the model number for my engine because he said there were some slight differences with the horizontal shaft as well as a vertical shaft engine too. I wrote down my information Model 190402. When I bought it I asked the guy how old it was and he told me it was a 1975. Well It turns out it is actually a 1973 model year. My engine was made by Briggs and Stratton on 08/14/1972 based on the 7208141 number. There is no Gilson code on the back of the Unitrol concave rear section and there never was. It is 41 years old


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## micah68kj

You are doing some premier restoration work Mark. Very nice job. 
I notice an oil change extension. Was that already on there? I added the same thing on my 78 Gilson but I never got around to painting it. Yours looks better with the paint. 
I am waiting to see the finished product. It's gonna look awesome.


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## micah68kj

GustoGuy said:


> I will do that don't want to mess up the worm gear on this machine
> 
> Thanks Pete
> 
> Mark


I remember mine having carriage head bolts and yes, they were installed from the inside.


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## GustoGuy

*My Montgomery Ward is a 1973*



micah68kj said:


> You are doing some premier restoration work Mark. Very nice job.
> I notice an oil change extension. Was that already on there? I added the same thing on my 78 Gilson but I never got around to painting it. Yours looks better with the paint.
> I am waiting to see the finished product. It's gonna look awesome.


No, It was not on the machine. I added it because I liked what you did. I figure for the price of a head gasket it should run great now since the carbon had been building up over 41 years it should be good for a good long time now


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## Simplicity Solid 22

Gusto...Great Job...Man that Gilson has never had it so good!!!


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## Blue Hill

Nice Job Gusto! I admire your attention to detail.


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## GustoGuy

Well I received my genuine Gilson/Toro fuel tank in the mail yesterday. It is in decent condition on the outside but it was quite rusty on the inside. I bought a quart of Evapo-rust and poured it into the tank with some roofing nails and shook it around for awhile so the nails scrub the loose rust off the inside of the tank. I am running low on picture space so I will describe what I did. I left it soak over night and I dumped out the Evapo-rust into an old Ice cream pail and shook the nails out and it is looking much better. I could not even turn the Petcock before and today it screwed out entirely. The twist handle was unfortunately damaged by some one twisting it with too much force with a pliers I guess before I bought it so I may want to see if I can get another one from a dealer. I picked up the new head gasket too but I am waiting to mount my tank at the same time since I need to seal the tank and paint it to match the snow blower.


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## GustoGuy

Well I sealed the gas tank tonight with Northern Gas tank liner and they were not a kidding when they say use in areas of adequate ventilation. It used to be called Red Kote before they changed the name. It contains a solvent called M.E.K or 

Methyl ethyl ketone (butanone), a solvent, used also to weld some plastics
http://img.jpcycles.com/product/352-216_A.jpg
Wow, that stuff sure is strong. I had to open the door on my garage and come inside and lock the door after sealing it. I heard that you have to get I all of the sealer off the can lid and grooves or the only way you will be opening that can again is with a hammer and chisel. I bought a used tank and in some ways it would have been more economical time wise especially in getting a new tank off of Amazon since getting all the rust out and sealing it cost me both time and money. On Ebay I told the guy I bought it from that his description was not too accurate because there was quite a bit of rust in the tank. He made it sound like there was very little.


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## micah68kj

Sorry to hear that tank isn't all that great. I'v been burned one time on ebay too. You've come so far with that great old machine though. I'm sure you'll get everything done right. Be patient and look around. Those tanks aren't that uncommon.


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## GustoGuy

micah68kj said:


> Sorry to hear that tank isn't all that great. I'v been burned one time on ebay too. You've come so far with that great old machine though. I'm sure you'll get everything done right. Be patient and look around. Those tanks aren't that uncommon.


 Well since I already have it now I have clean the ebay one out real good and sealed it with 2 coats. Tomorrow if I get a chance a shoot it with some paint and maybe I can get the whole thing put together before the weekend. I will put together a video of start to finish restoration with it running.


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## micah68kj

Hey Gusto,
OK.Here's a *good* gas tank for you. Guy says $10.00. Let me know if you want it. Obviously it's gonna need some paint but what the heck. You seem to enjoy painting.
It's still full of fuel at the moment so I know it doesn't have holes in it. I'll check the inside of it before getting it, if you're interested. He probably has others. Not sure


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## GustoGuy

micah68kj said:


> Hey Gusto,
> OK.Here's a *good* gas tank for you. Guy says $10.00. Let me know if you want it. Obviously it's gonna need some paint but what the heck. You seem to enjoy painting.
> It's still full of fuel at the moment so I know it doesn't have holes in it. I'll check the inside of it before getting it, if you're interested. He probably has others. Not sure


I would have gladly bought that one off of you instead of the one off ebay. I was trying to buy a tank off another member here who said he had one. I PM him several times and he never responded so I ordered one off of Ebay. I already have a Tank now for the blower and I went through the work of sealing it and everything. I am painting it too. I hope to finish it real soon.


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## micah68kj

GustoGuy said:


> I would have gladly bought that one off of you instead of the one off ebay. I was trying to buy a tank off another member here who said he had one. I PM him several times and he never responded so I ordered one off of Ebay. I already have a Tank now for the blower and I went through the work of sealing it and everything. I am painting it too. I hope to finish it real soon.


It's not mine. It belongs to an old mower repairman. I saw it there and just asked him about jt. I read about your ebay deal. That's why I thought maybe you'd want a better tank,.


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## GustoGuy

*I am almost finished with the Montgomery Ward*

Here it is in all it's glory. It was a lot of work!. I was running it a fair amount today and I discovered that the carburetor Float needle and seat doesn't control the fuel intake too well since it started loading up on fuel and running rougher with in a few hours. I tried to fix it and I could not get it to shut off right. I shut off the fuel petcock and within a few minutes it started running real smooth which means it is getting too much fuel. Since it is an updraft carburetor it just runs a bit rough unlike the side draft Tecumseh which could really act up. Here are two YouTube videos showing what I did.


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## Spectrum

Wow, that's an awesome job! Seeing that makes me feel 18 again!

If you want to send some good pictures and a paragraph or so of information I'd be happy to feature you on the Restorations page. I'll even link the videos in to it all. reach me at [email protected]

Pete


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## CarlB

Great job, looks great. A few things to check on you fuel issue. Make sure that there is no fuel in your float. Take the float out and shake it. If you hear anything sloshing around inside, you need to replace the float. Also check to see what type of needle you have, some have a viton tip, others don't. The ones that don't need to have a rubber seat up in the top of the fuel inlet. Also check to see if with the bowl off if you gently hold up the float if the fuel shuts off and observe where it shuts off.


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## GustoGuy

CarlB said:


> Great job, looks great. A few things to check on you fuel issue. Make sure that there is no fuel in your float. Take the float out and shake it. If you hear anything sloshing around inside, you need to replace the float. Also check to see what type of needle you have, some have a viton tip, others don't. The ones that don't need to have a rubber seat up in the top of the fuel inlet. Also check to see if with the bowl off if you gently hold up the float if the fuel shuts off and observe where it shuts off.


No fuel in float it self. It is dry. It is just not shutting off. I tried ajusting it with no luck. The foot is supposed to shut off in a horizontal position when adjusting the position. I brought it in and the man at the powersport house said that they usually replace the needle and seat if they cannot get it to shut off. I ordered a needle and seat.He said the seats are a bear to replace so I am thinking about having the
Do it.


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## GustoGuy

*I will no longer search Craig's list for old snow blowers anymore*

My wife said no more restorations. She said we already have a snow blower. Half of the fun of doing this project was to see if I could get it to run well and have it look as nice as some of these restored machines I see on the internet. I also was impressed with the quality of the materials and the robustness of the mechanicals of the snow blower it self much more than the engine which I was going to replace originally with a new OHV 11hp Harbor Freight Predator. The body of the blower is made out of heavy gauge steel and the auger drive is cast iron and very heavy duty. With a little maintenance this machine could quite possibly last another 40 years. I will get this one running well and I will bring it out to my cabin to blow snow there. Hopefully it will be reliable machine despite being so old. The engine was made on 08/14/1972 and it is a 1973 Montgomery Ward 8/26 so the engine is 41 years old.


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## micah68kj

GustoGuy said:


> My wife said no more restorations. She said we already have a snow blower. Half of the fun of doing this project was to see if I could get it to run well and have it look as nice as some of these restored machines I see on the internet. I also was impressed with the quality of the materials and the robustness of the mechanicals of the snow blower it self much more than the engine which I was going to replace originally with a new OHV 11hp Harbor Freight Predator. The body of the blower is made out of heavy gauge steel and the auger drive is cast iron and very heavy duty. With a little maintenance this machine could quite possibly last another 40 years. I will get this one running well and I will bring it out to my cabin to blow snow there. Hopefully it will be reliable machine despite being so old. The engine was made on 08/14/1972 and it is a 1973 Montgomery Ward 8/26 so the engine is 41 years old.


Until we moved up here to Pa. I was fully prepared to keep my old Gilson/Ward's snowblower. It is only 35 yrs. old but with the condition it is in it should last the new owner another 35 yrs. You're absolutely correct. Those machines were built to *last.*


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## 69ariens

drool drool.


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## GustoGuy

micah68kj said:


> Until we moved up here to Pa. I was fully prepared to keep my old Gilson/Ward's snowblower. It is only 35 yrs. old but with the condition it is in it should last the new owner another 35 yrs. You're absolutely correct. Those machines were built to *last.*


Yes, The bodies of the snow blowers seemed alright back then.* I don't know if I can say the same about the engines though. Briggs and Tecumseh had a bit of a monopoly here in the USA for many years and continued to make the same basic flat head designed small engines until Japan's Honda came out with their fine little OHV engine which met emission standards better and is now the basic overall design being used on all small engines. *Right now I need to fix the leaky float needle in the 8/26. Despite messing with it last night I was not able to get it to stop leaking fuel into the float bowl and overwhelming the engine with too much fuel. I have a new needle and seat ordered and it should be in on Monday. In some ways I like a combination of old heavy duty workmanship and modern high tech OHV engines that start in 1 pull and make good power and get good fuel efficiency. You can get that today if you are willing to pay a premium and buy a commercial grade quality snow blower. Some of the bottom end snow blowers today seem pretty light weight and flimsy compared to my MTD 5/22 which is only 17 years old now. However even back then they sold junk too so not everything was better made in the old days. *Gilson Brothers is interesting because while they did make a good product when they were building snow blowers however they were bought by Lawn boy in 1987 then Lawn Boy was bought out by Toro in 1988 who already had their own line of snow blowers so that was the end of Gilson Snow Blowers*. Toro saw no use running a duplicate line of products so they ended up in the foot notes of history. The Gilson cement mixers are the only surviving product left with the Gilson name today and they were sold to another company who kept making them with the good reputation and marketing name of Gilson on them.


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## GustoGuy

Well, I was endurance testing the Gilson made Montgomery Ward 8/26 and testing out the drive and auger controls and greasing the front augers and the gear case and It seems to be running alright and has not flooded since I put in the new needle and seat. I improvised a home made float needle seat puller that worked pretty well and I used a C-clamp plus the brass float seat to press in the new seat. I will use this machine at my cabin to blow snow. It usually starts in 1 to 2 pulls of the recoil although it is only 40 degrees out so I will test it once it's really cold and let you know how it starts when it is really cold out. I plan on filming it tossing the snow and I will post a video to You-tube once we get some snow.


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## GustoGuy

Well I decided to replace the engine on the Montgomery Ward 8/26 because it burns oil on start up and puffs oil every once and a while running. It also leaks oil too and it leaked oil and gas all over my nice paint job and the gas damaged the paint while the oil just dirtied it. Since Gilson used the same blower body for the 5hp Briggs it had the mounting holes already predrilled under a 3/16th sheet of steel. I just drilled through that and drilled out the old remains of the welded in stud bolts from the factory. I ordered some steel pulleys from Phoenix since the Briggs has a 1 inch pto and the 212cc has 3/4th inch pto. Here is a picture of the engine mount area after drilling it out and painting it.


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## 69ariens

Did you ever consider a lc winter engine or kohler? I know there more coin but you don't have to fuse with the carb.


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## GustoGuy

69ariens said:


> Did you ever consider a lc winter engine or kohler? I know there more coin but you don't have to fuse with the carb.


I have a sheet of Aluminum that cut to size and shaped to cover the opening. I use to go around the front of the gas tank opening on the side and the front. I do this to keep snow and ice out of the govenor linkages. I did it on my MTD and I just leave the stock foam only filter in place. On the old Lifan Greyhounds it was a paper/foam on the Predator it's just a piece of foam. Here is a picture of the sheild I made to prevent snow from going into the govenor linkages. 
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/mtd-snowblowers/1163-replaced-engine-mtd-yard-machine-5-22-harbor-freight-predator-212cc.html


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## moparman005

Just picked up this 72 Montgomery ward 8hp last week, didnt run when I picked it up but might, went thru carb, changed oil, cleaned up points and coil. Was having trouble keeping spark, sheared 2 flywheel keys, searched on youtube to figure out what I was doing wrong. Ended up not tightening the starter clutch tight enough, had a nice little snowfall so figured I'd get it out, fired up on 1st pull had to lean it out a tad, but my neighbors were surprised to see an old relic like that out working still. Next I'm going to do the impeller mod. Dont want to paint it, will clean the chute up, but this one has character.









Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


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## cranman

Nice one!....here is mine


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## RC20

Man, its a monster and you are dedicated!


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## RC20

> but my neighbors were surprised to see an old relic like that out working still.



I resemble that remark!


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