# Is it worth fixing?



## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

I have an old Snowflite 8/26. It has been parked for about 11 years. I have been looking at new blowers, and find them to be poorly made. The old MTD is made of steel, not tin, so I was considering a resurrection. The blower itself is not in bad shape. It needs a few bushings, and a friction wheel. The motor...not original...is a 1974 Briggs 10hp. It turned free, but I pulled the head just to see, and found the cylinder to be scored. Looks like she might have been heated at one time. As for everything else, it's just like new. Valves, crank, cam, counter shafts all good. Is it worth it to bore her out, or should I just get what I can with a hone, slap in a new set of rings, and run her as long as she will allow, then go get a new motor. Princess auto always has good sales on blower engines....


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

Welcome Greg, If the cyl is scored the rods/bearing are prob junk. I would find a donor engine on craigs list or saw a few weeks a go 7hp lct engine on ebay . They were like hundred and change. As far as new blowers go, there still are some good one out there like ariens,toro, simplicity, snapper and husqvarna's . Heck I think new mtd stands for minute's to dump


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## Bain (Nov 22, 2012)

JB weld the cylinder walls ...sounds crazy but google it .... people say it works


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Blower engine.*

First off, welcome to the the forum.
I think you have options here, comes down to which you wish to pursue and how comfortable you are doing the work.
Sure couldn't hurt to call up some places and see what it would cost to bore the block and get the parts to put it back together.
Hadn't thought about trying to JB Weld the cylinder and hone it. Wouldn't cost much but again I don't know about durabilty.
Obviously if it has a 10 HP on it now, it's already been replaced once. If the core machine is still good, that's a viable option. If yours has a single shaft block, I picked up a 10HP clone last month for under $200 delivered. Haven't tested it yet, but it was a good price. You'ld likely have to do some mods to things like the chute control but it's doable.
Remember when working on older machines to factor in if there are any parts that are unavailable now or expected in the near future.

You can also price out some of the newer machines and see how they compare in quality and price. There are a number of reviews on this and other sites, see what others think about them before laying down any $$.

Take that info, figure out the cost/benefits of each and it should give you a direction on which way to go.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.


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## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

Thanks for the input. I have looked into parts for the blower, and everything is available except body parts. The only damage to the engine is the cylinder, I have already gone over everything with a fine tooth comb. Never heard of using JB weld. I didn't think it would stand up to that kind of heat and pressure. A member of Yesterdays Tractors who works with go carts said that Briggs and Stratton used to have chrome rings available for damaged cylinders. Ever heard of this? As far as newer MTD goes...I work for a paving company. During the winter we have about a half a million dollars worth of plowing contracts. The sidewalk guys have gone through a ton of blowers, mostly all the different faces of MTD. Last year they bought a new Cub Cadet with track drive. It's first storm, a nor-easter kept it working for about 14 hours. Took the bearings out on the axles. The service man at G&G said what the **** did you do with it. 14 hours of blowing snow, including a mile of railroad platform,( the railroad won't allow the bobcat to to the last 3 feet next to the track) His reply was, and I Quote " If that's what you're doing, you better go across the river, and get a Honda"


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## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

except for the cylinder it does not seem to be bad at all. replace all the wear items and you essentially have a new machine but built to old standards. and cheaper. thats what i did.

plenty of old engines around still running fine usually pretty cheap.

I would keep it.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

I would get new predator engine from Harbor Freight. They even make a 346cc 11hp so you could really soup it up. I replaced a hard to start poorly running Tecumseh 5hp on my 1996 5/22 with 212cc 7hp and I put in a homemade impelled kit that I made with bailer belt and it runs better than it did even when it was new. I run Amsoil synthetic in it and it throws snow 50 feet,with the old engine it barely tossed the snow 20 feet if it were fluffy and dry and now the new engine even tosses the slushy stuff farther than the old gutless Tecumseh ever could.


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## Simplicity Solid 22 (Nov 27, 2012)

Gusto Guy didn't you expand the jet on your Predator 212 also...so greg knows???

Greg does your snowflite look like this one.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Yes, Since the Predator 212cc is jetted lean from the factory for emission reasons and for summer running I enlarged the Main Jet with super floss and polishing compound. It runs great now with out the choke on even at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit. I also used thread and polishing compound on the primary jet too and it starts even better now. I have a heated garage (my Man cave) and I keep the temperature at about 35 to 40 degrees during the winter because I like a warm clean car to get into every day. I read about this engine on the Internet and joined OldMiniBikes.com and I replaced the 2.8hp engine on my Doodle Bug mini bike this fall with this engine and I was real impressed with it since it runs so nice. I then decided to upgrade my snowblower too and I am glad I did since this engine runs so much better than the Tecumseh ever did and always starts in 1 to 2 pulls of the recoil unlike the Tecumseh which was real difficult to start. Since it is a single shaft engine it was a bit of a difficult swap and I had to flip the gear box on the snowblower and cut and flip and re-weld the gear shift lever that went from the gear selector to the friction wheel and I needed to installed a larger friction plate to slow it down a bit. Overall it was a worth while effort since I now have a great running easy to start efficient OHV engine that is just as nice as one on any new snowblower with a dependable well constructed steel body. If your machine is in as good of shape as you say it is it will be a nice upgrade. I would also sand it down too with an angle grinder and prime and re-paint it too like I did. Might as well have a nice looking snowblower too.


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## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

Pretty much. Mine is red, and the fuel tank is steel, although I guess that would have been on the 74 briggs. I don't know if I can get a predator engine in Canada. Princess auto has the Honda clones, they also have the Briggs Vanguard. I'm not a big fan of any of the powerfist stuff, but a buddy of mine put one on a woodsplitter, had it for a year and it threw a rod. They took it back, no receipt and no questions asked. New one has been splitting wood for 3 years now.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

Greg said:


> Pretty much. Mine is red, and the fuel tank is steel, although I guess that would have been on the 74 briggs. I don't know if I can get a predator engine in Canada. Princess auto has the Honda clones, they also have the Briggs Vanguard. I'm not a big fan of any of the powerfist stuff, but a buddy of mine put one on a woodsplitter, had it for a year and it threw a rod. They took it back, no receipt and no questions asked. New one has been splitting wood for 3 years now.


 so are you going to fix, restore, refurb your snowflite


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Simplicity Solid 22 said:


> Gusto Guy didn't you expand the jet on your Predator 212 also...so greg knows???
> 
> Greg does your snowflite look like this one.


That snow flight looks identical to my 1984 large frame cub cadet except the cub has a different handlebar setup. Here is a link to the before and after pics of my old cub. Since those pics were taken the 6.5hp engine was taken out and replaced with a 11hp electric start honda clone.

- The Best Snowblower & Lawnmower Forum - • View topic - Cub Cadet 8/26 (Lots of Images)


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## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

I just want to get her going for now. We just had 2 days of rain that took all of our snow, but I have yet to see a winter without snow. I'll paint her up this summer. I actually have the 12hp lawn flite lawn tractor to match.


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## Simplicity Solid 22 (Nov 27, 2012)

CarlB said:


> That snow flight looks identical to my 1984 large frame cub cadet except the cub has a different handlebar setup. Here is a link to the before and after pics of my old cub. Since those pics were taken the 6.5hp engine was taken out and replaced with a 11hp electric start honda clone.
> 
> - The Best Snowblower & Lawnmower Forum - • View topic - Cub Cadet 8/26 (Lots of Images)


Carl, What did you use(sprayer?) to paint your Cub and how did you cover the Cub Cadet badge on your handle bar console?? Looks fast with the flames...haha. great Job!


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Simplicity Solid. Nice snow blower! You did a great job on that restoration. I painted mine with a spray can but I am pretty good with a rattle can. I used painter's Frog tape to tape off all the decals to keep the paint off them and I went to work. I started to paint it this fall before it got cold. I first removed the Tecumseh and I brought it outside to paint on a beautiful fall day after grinding all the rusty spots off it with the angle grinder. I was lucky because my machine was relatively rust free compared to some that I have seen. I also used Rustoleum Metal primer and I sanded it with 400 grit wet/dry sand paper and gave it another coat. I disasembled the snowblower I took th handle off and the MTD plate and the Gear shift plat and the bottom cover to the gear box and the 2 fittings for the auger impeller I then used High temp engine clear coat to give mine a real deep shine and It looks just as good as the day I bought it only it's better because it doesn't have that poor running Tecumseh on it.


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

Carl, that's one nice cub you did.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Simplicity Solid 22 said:


> Carl, What did you use(sprayer?) to paint your Cub and how did you cover the Cub Cadet badge on your handle bar console?? Looks fast with the flames...haha. great Job!


Simplicity Solid

I used a standard automotive type HVLP Harbor freight sprayer i got for 9.99 on sale and a standard 3hp twin cylinder air compressor with a 60 gallon tank. 

Sprayed with rustoleum oil based paint thinned for use in a sprayer. 

The whole area where it says cub cadet with the flat back was original so i only needed to tape off the flat black area and paint the yellow. 

carl


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## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

I never noticed the flames, might melt the snow. Except for the handle bars your body is pretty much identical to mine, right down to the chain drive transmission. Looks good. I guess I never really thought of actually restoring my blower, but it would look better. I am in the process of restoring a 1954 Ferguson TEA20 that belonged to my Grandfather, so I am geared up to restore a blower.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

greg,

It has a friction disk drive not a transmission. What you are seeing in that photo is the is the chain going to the differential for the wheels which makes making this monster easy to turn, but drives with both wheels when going straight. 

Yes the flames help melt the snow 


carl


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## Simplicity Solid 22 (Nov 27, 2012)

GustoGuy said:


> Simplicity Solid. Nice snow blower! You did a great job on that restoration.
> 
> Gusto Guy I wish I did that resto....That was Carl B's resto of his Cub Cadet. My simplicity just had a minor touch up inside the Auger Housing but nothing like Carl's Killer Cub Cadet!!!


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## Simplicity Solid 22 (Nov 27, 2012)

9.99 for a sprayer...and look at the job it did...Darn Cool!


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

If you looked at the pics you will see my 1969 camaro in the backround of one of the pictures. I use a hvlp spray gun very similar to this one to paint the camaro in my garage which you may be able to see in some of the pics. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-8-cfm-gravity-feed-spray-gun-67181.html


You don't need a 500 dollar gun, you need good prep work, a clean area and patience. The camaro was wet sanded then buffed after painting which took about 40 hours. The actual painting only took about 4 hours.


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## Simplicity Solid 22 (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah I saw the camaro too...Very Nice....Is that an RS(hideaway headlights)???

Did you paint all your lawn green???....man looks like a golf course!!!


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## Greg (Jan 30, 2013)

Forgive my use of improper terminology. But at the end of the day it really is a simple transmission. Transmits power from engine to the wheels, has different speeds forward and reverse. Although I didn't realize that she had a differential. I noticed that you updated the chute on your Cub as well


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Simplicity Solid 22 said:


> Yeah I saw the camaro too...Very Nice....Is that an RS(hideaway headlights)???
> 
> Did you paint all your lawn green???....man looks like a golf course!!!


Not a rs but a z28 (unfortunately I don't have the original dz302 motor.) It now has a 434 cu/in small block stroker making 630hp.) 

No paint on the lawn just a lot of fertilizer and water.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Greg said:


> Forgive my use of improper terminology. But at the end of the day it really is a simple transmission. Transmits power from engine to the wheels, has different speeds forward and reverse. Although I didn't realize that she had a differential. I noticed that you updated the chute on your Cub as well


Greg,

No apology necessary, but, I think most of us here when referring to snow blower transmissions tend to separate the friction drive type snow blowers from actual gear type transmissions like the peerless model 744 and the like.

Yes i changed out the chute the one on there is from a large frame snapper and throws a much tighter cone of snow and also a fair amount further then the old metal one.

Carl


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

CarlB said:


> If you looked at the pics you will see my 1969 camaro in the backround of one of the pictures. I use a hvlp spray gun very similar to this one to paint the camaro in my garage which you may be able to see in some of the pics.
> 
> 20 oz. HVLP Gravity Feed Spray Gun
> 
> ...


 I agree its all about the prep. Back about 4 years or so ago I went to a private car show here in Minnesota and I ended up talking to this man who had the most amazing Tricked out 1957 Chevy 2 door hardtop I had ever seen and I have been to quite a few car shows in my life including the largest private Chevy covertible car collection in the world in Ankeny Iowa. This 1957 Chevy had a late model Corvette engine in it and he had the hood up and it looked amazing! I got to talking with him and he had it done by Chip Foose from overhaulin and it was complete with the custom Foose Wheels too. It was imaculate and the paint was hand rubbed and looked a mile deep. He told me that he had the entire car redone and restored as a high tech hotrod. He says that some of the purists really hate what he did but it was badass looking and it had 4 wheel drilled disc brakes on it as well. He said he had the whole car dissasembed and new Metal put in where needed and the Panals were all regapped and made flat during the prep work before the paint. He said it looks and drives like a new car now and does a zero to 60 in 4.9 seconds and cruises the road like any modern car. He also had a custom interior put in it as well and it was a cool blend of retro and modern. I asked him how much he put in to it and he said most likely about 100K. He is retired and he and his wife go all over the country in it and he lives in Arizona during the winter. He said a freind of his recomended Chip and I can see why. 
I like restored and improved stuff so I told my wife that I would like to have a hotrod some day like this one.* It seems like lots of guys here on the Forums are real handy men and I have learned a lot here on the forums that I belong too. It real cool getting to see some of the work they have done restoring these old cars and old snowblowers too as well as vintage snowmobiles and minibikes and motorcycles and personal watercrafts. I really like big boy toys!* I also belong to a snowmobile club as well and one of the members has a Studebaker and he has taken it to car shows before and He is friends with Billionaire Dennis Albaugh and thats how he arranged for the trip to Iowa to see his private collection. It was well worth the 5 hour road trip. Dennis was there too and he talked to us for a while too. He just loves old cars and he has dang near every convertible made by Chevy up untill the 1970's. You never know who your are going to meet or by what adventures you can have by joing a club or a forum.


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## Tiger1956 (Dec 28, 2020)

Greg said:


> I have an old Snowflite 8/26. It has been parked for about 11 years. I have been looking at new blowers, and find them to be poorly made. The old MTD is made of steel, not tin, so I was considering a resurrection. The blower itself is not in bad shape. It needs a few bushings, and a friction wheel. The motor...not original...is a 1974 Briggs 10hp. It turned free, but I pulled the head just to see, and found the cylinder to be scored. Looks like she might have been heated at one time. As for everything else, it's just like new. Valves, crank, cam, counter shafts all good. Is it worth it to bore her out, or should I just get what I can with a hone, slap in a new set of rings, and run her as long as she will allow, then go get a new motor. Princess auto always has good sales on blower engines....


Hi,
I have the same model , got for 35.00 , it still runs and starts great and I never have done a thing.
I would do the piston kit, and see if that works better for you and let me know how the JB WELD WORKS


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

Tiger1956 said:


> Hi,
> I have the same model , got for 35.00 , it still runs and starts great and I never have done a thing.
> I would do the piston kit, and see if that works better for you and let me know how the JB WELD WORKS


Hi, welcome.
You do know this is an old thread?


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, like 8 years old ... heck, many people could have passed away in that time ... just sayin.

You might want to peek at the date in the future.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

Tiger1956 said:


> Hi,
> I have the same model , got for 35.00 , it still runs and starts great and I never have done a thing.
> I would do the piston kit, and see if that works better for you and let me know how the JB WELD WORKS


welcome to the SBF
yes please look at the dates before you reply this one was last posted feb 2 2013 and greg the op not seen since feb 14 2013 as it's better to start a intro thread in new members and go from there with a lot of good advise from the members
as to the over bore nope, a short block yes


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