# Giving my machine new life!



## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

*Giving my machine new life! *Update 5/5/19*

Sorta started a post here if curious: https://www.snowblowerforum.com/for...need-advice-replacing-engine.html#post1650873


SO! An update, I purchased the engine and it just arrived today. Went out in the 20-some degree weather and decided to check it out. It's a Briggs 1500 Snow series engine, a nice 8hp that'll give me more than enough power. Got a great deal on it for under $200.










And here's what it's going on, my free Ariens 10962 Sno-Thro. It was running fine up until last Thursday when it developed a sudden oil leak and seized the engine.










The unit split in half. Excuse the blurry images, my phone didn't want to focus for some reason...









The engine mounted to the tractor, however it cannot be bolted down because the engine base is too thick. It was at this point, after pulling the old engine off, that I discovered where the leak was. It looks like it may have blown a head gasket as the oil had made its way UNDER the base of the engine, I'm guessing the air from the flywheel pushed it under, which explains why I didn't see almost any oil at all.










Anyone have any ideas how to extend the studs without cutting them out? I'd hate to waste them since they're already there. I'm wondering if I could enlarge the holes on the base and then get some of those bolt extensions, the kind they use on threaded rod and get some threaded rod to bring them up just an extra inch or so.











This is only the beginning. I have plans to clean it all up, get a new belt, grease everything, etc. I need to pull the impeller out of the bucket because one of the fan blades was bent from the previous owner. Everything I did here only took me about an hour and a half, mainly because it was frickin' cold out and this is my first time doing something like this, so I'm learning.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Always interesting working on a blower but we on here are picture freaks - more More MORE - please

Less than $200 is a great deal. I may purchase one for an upgrade machine.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

I like pics too, so I'm taking pics as I go! 


I picked it up from eBay of all places, seller had something like 20k ratings and almost 100% feedback. Dunno if we can drop links here, but I can message it to you.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

Cut them off...center punch the studs, drill and tap them to 5/16 coarse, and bolt it down.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

cranman said:


> Cut them off...center punch the studs, drill and tap them to 5/16 coarse, and bolt it down.



I will give that a try, I didn't know how hard the studs were, sometimes they like to make them out of hardened steal and you can't easily drill through.


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## toofastforyou (Jan 29, 2019)

Cujoe_da_man said:


> The engine mounted to the tractor, however it cannot be bolted down because the engine base is too thick.
> Anyone have any ideas how to extend the studs without cutting them out? I'd hate to waste them since they're already there. I'm wondering if I could enlarge the holes on the base and then get some of those bolt extensions, the kind they use on threaded rod and get some threaded rod to bring them up just an extra inch or so.


-->Look if the studs are going through the body…If they do and are installed from underneath, using a hammer punch them out and reinstall longer ones in their place (or you could also use longer bolts) with nylon-type lockwashers to prevent them from getting loose because of the vibration and you should be fine. :thumbsup: Personally, I wouldn't like to enlarge the holes in a brand new engine… 

Good luck,

Claude.


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## ABOSWORTH (Nov 29, 2018)

Very cool! Thanks for posting the pics as well. $200 is a great deal for that motor. It should serve you well.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

The studs are soft....just make sure you drill in the center, and use the drill bit size recommended for tapping 5/16 coarse. the head of the stud is welded, and if you try and drive them out, you may distort the base of the tractor. The thickness of the stud heads give you a lot of meat to tap into, so between the sheet steel and the head of the stud, you have plenty of threads. If you mess up...just replace the drilled out studs with longer bolts....no easy as everything in the tranny gets in your way.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Well, I'm planning on opening up the tranny so I can clean and grease everything that needs to be, so maybe I'll work at dissembling things to make it easier since I'll be in there anyway. There's a chance I may have to replace the friction wheel and I've been watching vids on how to do it. The belt doesn't look like it's ever been replaced, so I'm wondering if the friction wheel needs to be serviced as well (though, you'd never know it because the thing will pull you off your feet in 4th gear if you're not paying attention ). At the very least, I could drill the old studs out and tack some bolts in with a friend's MIG welder from inside, he's good at things like that.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

I cut my studs off about 1/4” above the deck and welded extensions on. No pounding, no drilling, took all of 15 minutes.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

nwcove said:


> I cut my studs off about 1/4” above the deck and welded extensions on. No pounding, no drilling, took all of 15 minutes.



I was wondering if a welded stud would be strong enough, I'll keep that as an option too


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## Xilbus (Nov 30, 2018)

Hi, 

When you ordered the engine did you know the studs would line up with the engine base holes or you took a gamble?


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## SnoThro (Feb 20, 2016)

cranman said:


> Cut them off...center punch the studs, drill and tap them to 5/16 coarse, and bolt it down.


All you're tapping is into a couple thin tack welded plates. I'd recommend breaking the tack welds and just using nylock nuts, bolts, and washers. Faster and more secure.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Xilbus said:


> Hi,
> 
> When you ordered the engine did you know the studs would line up with the engine base holes or you took a gamble?



I actually did not know if they would, but this was my thinking. Every video I saw of people using Predator engines said they had to tap new holes, so I was preparing myself for it. Also, this engine is a "snow" version and so I did keep it in the back of my mind that the studs might actually line up and they did. While the studs aren't long enough, at least I won't have to measure anything and I know that the pulleys will line up no matter what


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

I've used the drill and Tap method with no ill results.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Welp, back again and the project continues. Been getting warmer out and then cold again, so I've been going out when I can to work on the beast. I went out to our local motorcycle graveyard to see if I could find some salvage parts and came out with some things I was looking for and some extras. I snagged multiple chute control rods, universals, and bucket accessories for a measly $25! Sadly, they didn't have very many auger machines, mostly just tiny paddle blowers and I only found two Ariens, one of which was an early version of my 10962, it had a solid drive axle instead of the locking differential that mine does.



I got the gearbox opened up with no problem, everything is clean (minus grease of course) and the friction wheel isn't torn up, but I'll be replacing that over the summer to something much better looking. I'm gonna clean everything off real good when I take the guts out and re-grease everything:









Next item on the list (though no specific order) was the chute control. I already knew I would have to replace it because the new engine is much larger than the old one, but I think I got the solution:









The first bit is a universal and rod set off of a Montgomery Ward snow blower. The interesting thing is that the machine looks nearly identical to an Ariens of the same design. The rod fit perfectly in the worm gear too. I wanted to use one of those large worm gears that look like a spring, but I think this will work fine. Note: the spacer just before the worm gear is just there to hold everything in place so I can adjust everything since I don't have a roll pin installed:










The next bit is a universal off an Ariens machine, I believe a 20000 "compact" is what they were called:










A mounting bracket off the same "compact" machine. I don't have everything permanently set, so it's just kinda sitting there holding the rod in place. That was a very nice find and will give the chute control a much more professional look (and another one of those collars to hold it in place, that one might stay there to keep it from slipping, I'm also entertaining the idea of a rod support for the second rod going to the worm gear):










Just a shot of some other goodies I salvaged off the Montgomery Ward machine and another that the name escapes me. A set of bucket extensions (though I can't use because I totally forgot my machine had round edges), a nice pair of drift cutters and skid shoes from the MW machine:










One "upgrade" I had to do was part of the belt shroud that attaches to the output side of the motor. The block is recessed and you can't tighten the bolts without bending the metal part of the shroud's back plate, so I snagged some aluminum tubing and cut it to size to make some extra long "washers" to take up the space between the block and the back plate. I figured it would be a good thing to have on since it keeps junk out of the belt:












THEN as a bonus mod, I never had a chute shovel and did not have a place to put it. I didn't want to drill into the bucket and instead made up a small grip on one of the uprights. I used some plumbing clamps that had a threaded end for hanging pipes and some of those metal wall clips for hanging brooms on pegboard. I had to bend the clips out of the way so I could use the hole to attach them to the pipe clamps, but now I can just grab the thing and go 










I shall continue on and keep more updates posted, hopefully spreading them out instead of grouping them all together like this


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

You're going to have a very nice machine when you're finished.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Wanted to share some of the slow going process of reworking my Ariens machine. Less pics this time, but more story 


Went and decided to work on the fly wheel. Got into it and just started unbolting things here and there with the help of some other people who had given me some insight of what to look for. In the end I found out it was easier to remove the entire bracket that the flywheel mechanism was mounted to. That's where the problem came out. Turns out the threads of the studs that hold the bearing retainers in place were completely stripped from the factory. One whole side was unable to be removed while the other side had three good threads. I only had to cut off one nut. The pic below shows my solution for putting a nut back on to where there were good threads. On the opposite side, I put a second nut on top of the others to ensure they were still tight and holding everything in place:












Second image is the gearbox completely reassembled. My middle finger on my left hand has been left bruised and raw from trying to reattach the retainer spring that is hidden behind the chain and gears on the lower left side. Even with the spring hook tool I was using, but I got it. I also have four possible grease points I need info on. The chain and gear assembly, the center tube/rod just in front of the flywheel and the flywheel shaft. What type of grease would be good for these three areas?













I would also like to note that after doing all this, the clutch seems to be a lot less loose than before. I'm not sure why this would be the case, but the linkages and just the feeling of depressing the clutch handle feels really smooth and firm, unlike before it felt loose and sloppy.


Overall, I'm pleased that this portion of the rebuild is complete and I'm gonna get everything inside cleaned up and regreased. I'm thinking about a video next showcasing the chute mods I've done, you can kinda see them there already


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Don't drill out the base of the engine or you would risk it cracking in due time, plus you will weaken it.
While you are taking it apart that far, I would cut off the studs flush with the base, then either drill them out and tap them, then install bolts through them by screwing them in from the bottom going up, and weld the bolt heads fast to the base of the studs, or just drill them big enough to place the bolts in, and weld them fast.
I would place the engine on it first and bolt it fast before you weld them, that way you know they will fit properly. That way if you ever have to remove the engine, you just remove the nuts from the top, and wont have to worry about getting a wrench on the bolts from underneath, and also if you would mount the bolts from the top, engine side, and you tap the holes, and if you would ever strip the threads from tightening the engine or miss- align them when installing them you would have some extra work to do to repair it.
Plus the base of the studs are not very thick to get enough good threads tapped into and they could strip out easier. I would run the bolts up through the bottom and weld them fast while you have it that far apart.
The engine you got, the engine chassis size is S.A.E. Spec and the original engine is the same S.A.E. Spec chassis size so the bolt hole spacing is usually the same. A Predator engine is not S.A.E. Spec so their holes usually wont match up.
The Briggs motor is Better and you can get parts for it easier. The Briggs is also a variant of an "Intek" engine, which were built in China for a while and were copied off of the Honda engines engineering, so those engines are supposed to be a decent engine, better than a LCT motor or a Predator.
Some of your Simplicity Snowblowers are using that same engine that you are using. The Briggs engines on the Simplicity have a three year consumer usage warranty.


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## SimplicitySolid22 (Nov 18, 2018)

ST1100A said:


> Don't drill out the base of the engine or you would risk it cracking in due time, plus you will weaken it.
> While you are taking it apart that far, I would cut off the studs flush with the base, then either drill them out and tap them, then install bolts through them by screwing them in from the bottom going up, and weld the bolt heads fast to the base of the studs, or just drill them big enough to place the bolts in, and weld them fast.
> I would place the engine on it first and bolt it fast before you weld them, that way you know they will fit properly. That way if you ever have to remove the engine, you just remove the nuts from the top, and wont have to worry about getting a wrench on the bolts from underneath, and also if you would mount the bolts from the top, engine side, and you tap the holes, and if you would ever strip the threads from tightening the engine or miss- align them when installing them you would have some extra work to do to repair it.
> Plus the base of the studs are not very thick to get enough good threads tapped into and they could strip out easier. I would run the bolts up through the bottom and weld them fast while you have it that far apart.
> ...



So is a Briggs straight up Intek ok as a winter engine????


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Well, I won't have to worry about trying to widen the holes of the new engine. At the time I didn't realize that the base of the new engine is actually the oil reservoir, so I won't be doing that. I did just pick up an air hammer and am waiting for a different bit to see if I can drive the old studs out, they aren't welded in and I've seen car studs pushed out of wheel hubs the same way, so I'll try that before I go cutting everything up.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Decided to make a quick vid featuring some of the things I've done so far, I think it'll work better than a group of pics:

*note: Had to cut down to 720p since my internet was not cooperating that day...


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

SimplicitySolid22 said:


> So is a Briggs straight up Intek ok as a winter engine????


The engine that is pictured in the first post is designed for snowblower usage. It has the extra shrouding around the carb to prevent carb icing and also to shield the governor linkage from snow and ice. A lot of those engines also had the extra lighting coil built in, so that you can hook up a headlight.
That engine pictured has the angled cylinder, that is the newer design engine. The older "Straight up" style would also work, But it should be one designed for Snowblower usage with the extra shrouding. Simplicity used them on some of their older snowblowers. You can get the extra parts to convert one over, but you would have to either find them "used" or buy it from Briggs & Stratton, then you would be looking at spending a few extra dollars for the parts.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

ST1100A said:


> The engine that is pictured in the first post is designed for snowblower usage. It has the extra shrouding around the carb to prevent carb icing and also to shield the governor linkage from snow and ice. A lot of those engines also had the extra lighting coil built in, so that you can hook up a headlight.
> That engine pictured has the angled cylinder, that is the newer design engine. The older "Straight up" style would also work, But it should be one designed for Snowblower usage with the extra shrouding. Simplicity used them on some of their older snowblowers. You can get the extra parts to convert one over, but you would have to either find them "used" or buy it from Briggs & Stratton, then you would be looking at spending a few extra dollars for the parts.



I like the extra bits that shield everything from ice and snow, I actually did have an issue with the old engine where the throttle linkage would freeze because it was exposed. I had put a new muffler on and had not modified the original cover to fit the muffler yet. Now I'm kinda glad I didn't take the time


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Continuing on, I was able to drive out the old mounting studs from the base of the tractor with an air hammer. Went to Harbor Freight, picked up the 'medium barrel' air hammer and the quick release chuck. With the sale price and coupon, I was able to snag the set for around $15, not bad. I then jumped on eBay and got a flattening bit because there was no way I'd be able to steady a chisel or punch bit directly in the center of the bolts and drive them out.


The bolt after I knocked them out. You can actually see the tack welds under the flange, explains why I couldn't just pound them out. Also, the holes just barely fit the threads, so don't plan on saving them if you do it this way. I imagine they turn them in somehow before they tack them in:












And then a pic of the air hammer, if anyone was curious about the setup:










I highly recommend getting the quick release chuck instead of using the supplied retainer spring. Not only does it save so much time switching bits, but I've read that the springs on air hammers don't always like to stay on and will actually unthread from the tool while using it. Plus you get a nice knurled bit to hold onto


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

that is why I cut them off and drill and tap them......the heads of the stud are thick enough when added to the thickness of the metal it goes through to give plenty of bite for the threads. I've tried it both ways......


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

cranman said:


> that is why I cut them off and drill and tap them......the heads of the stud are thick enough when added to the thickness of the metal it goes through to give plenty of bite for the threads. I've tried it both ways......



I might try tapping the threads for the new studs. If I can't get that to work, I'll be ok widening the holes just a tad, won't be a problem to reach up underneath to put at least one bolt in to hold the engine so I can tilt it back forward again


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## taylorjm (Apr 22, 2019)

I have a very similar machine, Bolens Artic 75 and just replaced the friction disk. Dealing with that spring was the worst part of it all. I hooked a piece of tie wire to extend it out the hole so I had something to pull on but it was still a bear. There has to be a better way, but oh well.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

taylorjm said:


> I have a very similar machine, Bolens Artic 75 and just replaced the friction disk. Dealing with that spring was the worst part of it all. I hooked a piece of tie wire to extend it out the hole so I had something to pull on but it was still a bear. There has to be a better way, but oh well.



Oh, I know there's a better way, it would be to take the entire bucket off the front of the tractor itself. However, in my case, I didn't have wheels on, I didn't have anything bolted in all the way, etc. That would have saved my knuckles, but live and learn, yes?


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Things had slowed down a bit since I got the majority of the work done, but now I have a couple new things to show off.


The new chute control vinyl sticker I had made up so I could clean the bracket and paint it. If anyone is interested in these stickers I have 19 more to sell off for only $2.50! More details in this thread: https://www.snowblowerforum.com/for...e-control-direction-stickers.html#post1679051










Currently have the rims off and being repainted while I await my new tires. They'll look soooo nice.




I wanted some way to run the throttle without having to reach down, so I went to the motorcycle grave yard and snagged some random cable clamps off some lawnmowers and cut one down to fit to the new engine. The L shape is actually backwards so I could get the clamp to line up with the throttle lever. The only downside is that it doesn't quite push the lever all the way to the right, I have to nudge it a bit, so next year I think I'll pull the shroud and gas tank off and see if there's a way to loosen the throttle lever a tad, but for now it work and I was able to use my original throttle control!


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Got my new tires in last week, $28 for the pair, so a really good deal. Took them into the local tire shop and they suggested I put tubes back in because the rims might not hold the tires well enough to go tubeless, but it worked out because I was pricing tubes at about $10 each and the shop had the tubes I needed plus installed them both for a mere $23, so I call that a win. Also took the time to paint the rims while I was waiting for the tires to arrive, I cleaned and wire brushed them, then hit them with multiple coats of Rustoleum, gloss white Heavy Duty paint.


I also cleaned off the studs and painted the 'center caps' on the axles so everything looks a lot neater. Made sure to cover up the sticker for the lockout hub, I wonder if anyone knows if there are replacement ones somewhere.













An overall view of the machine, I decided to strip the lousy paint job off the handlebars from the previous owners, then I picked up some Rustoleum silver, the one with the chrome cap that isn't really chrome. Chrome would be nice, but this actually turned out really well, the only way you can tell I did anything is you can see in parts where the chrome had failed and began to cancer over the metal, next year I'll sand it all down properly and repaint it, but at least this way it won't rust out on me.


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## badbmwbrad (Jul 30, 2019)

You've done a really outstanding job restoring this machine! I've never removed an impeller. 
Were you able to straighten the bent impeller vane?


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

badbmwbrad said:


> You've done a really outstanding job restoring this machine! I've never removed an impeller.
> Were you able to straighten the bent impeller vane?



I never had the time to really break the machine down and remove the impeller, it looks a bit daunting and I need to do some more research on how the entire thing comes apart. Next year when it gets warmer. I think I need to replace axle bearings too, I noticed one seemed a bit sloppy when I was putting the rims back on after getting the new tires. Oh well, it'll get me through this year and next year I'll do even more. I want to touch up the paint too on the whole thing.


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## Clutch Cargo (Dec 27, 2015)

As my dad would say, "A clean installation." Looks factory. Congratulations.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Clutch Cargo said:


> As my dad would say, "A clean installation." Looks factory. Congratulations.



It'll look better next year!


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## Ariensboy (Apr 2, 2019)

Cujoe, looks good. Thanks for sharing! Tires and wheels nice.....


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

Nice job. :icon-cheers: I honestly hope you never have to use it. The only thing that I do care for is that you picked the Snow Hogs over the X-trac.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Kielbasa said:


> Nice job. :icon-cheers: I honestly hope you never have to use it. The only thing that I do care for is that you picked the Snow Hogs over the X-trac.


 Oh no, I'm certainly looking forward to using it, it's the only thing I have to look forward to as far as winter is concerned 


As for the tires, cost was a big factor, for the really high end tires I was looking at almost $50 each, uninstalled. Then, Michigan hasn't been getting nearly the amount of snow it used to, we measure in inches instead of feet now. The old knobby 'turf saver' tires it had actually worked fine, but I wanted something with more meat just in case.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

I understand. In your case it was like a 2 for one deal. I don't think I priced out the Snow Hogs. I just thought the X-Trac looked like they would grip the snow better so I picked the X-Trac. 

I know with all of the modifications I did to my 1971 machine... it turned her in to a new machine. From the engine, to the tires, to the taller chute and turning assembly along with relocating the turning handle... it was all worth the time.

That new engine alone will make yours a different and well improved machine. 



Cujoe_da_man said:


> Oh no, I'm certainly looking forward to using it, it's the only thing I have to look forward to as far as winter is concerned
> 
> 
> As for the tires, cost was a big factor, for the really high end tires I was looking at almost $50 each, uninstalled. Then, Michigan hasn't been getting nearly the amount of snow it used to, we measure in inches instead of feet now. The old knobby 'turf saver' tires it had actually worked fine, but I wanted something with more meat just in case.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Kielbasa said:


> I understand. In your case it was like a 2 for one deal. I don't think I priced out the Snow Hogs. I just thought the X-Trac looked like they would grip the snow better so I picked the X-Trac.
> 
> I know with all of the modifications I did to my 1971 machine... it turned her in to a new machine. From the engine, to the tires, to the taller chute and turning assembly along with relocating the turning handle... it was all worth the time.
> 
> That new engine alone will make yours a different and well improved machine.



I'm still looking for a taller chute myself. I did come across a very suspicious looking John Deer machine and I'm almost betting the chute would work. It was only $100 and I probably could have resold it, but meh.


I think someone just sold the same design plans to multiple companies, I've seen the exact same machines from Ariens, John Deer, MTD (I think), and a red one that I could not place a name to, no badging on it.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Minus the mtd but Ariens made blowers for other companies including JD so it really was a Ariens painted green.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Dauntae said:


> Minus the mtd but Ariens made blowers for other companies including JD so it really was a Ariens painted green.



Yeah, I know I saw one other one, I couldn't remember the name, MTD just stuck in my mind, but you're right, that wasn't them. So my search for a tall chute continues


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Back again, this time I replaced the axle bushings. I noticed the left side was a bit wobbly and when I finally got the axle apart, I found this:








Ironically, the piece to the right is what happened as I was trying to remove it because it was so brittle. It had worn down completely on one side and luckily it hadn't worn through to the retainer. It was so stuck in I had to use a hacksaw blade to make a small cut so I could remove it and even then it did not want to come out. I then sanded the bushing retainer with some 80 grit and down to a 400 grit, this made the bushing slide and turn like it was new. I also added some axle grease to both ends just in case. Just pushing it around feels better, it might be a placebo effect, but it does feel different.

Next was just an additional thing, I found out my particular engine has a fuel shutoff valve upgrade available, so I took full advantage of it.








The whole kit comes with the shut off valve, a filter, two pieces of hose, and hose clamp, it looks like this. It simply installs under the fuel tank, then runs the valve to an opening in the trim piece which is covered by a black sticky cover that you just remove, then runs 90 degrees to the carb. You do have to keep your old fuel line and cut it down to make the turn like you see here.

Just another shot of the valve installed. I did have to trim the bottom of the key because it would catch on the plastic trim at the bottom when turning the fuel on. Otherwise it's working fine.









Another thing I did to the engine itself was to loosen the throttle linkage, which is also under the fuel tank. It was really super stiff and I had to use a spring in line on the throttle cable in order to give it that extra push to get it full throttle, but after removing the tank and seeing the linkage, I just loosened the nut a few turns and now my throttle cable has no issue pushing the level. You can also see my afro-engineered cable holder that I salvage off a riding mower. It works perfect when mounted with the bolt that holds the trim plate on. One of these days I'll replace that rusted screw


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Great job repowering this old beast. Your MacGyver skills are impressive.
So how did the machine perform this past winter? Did you notice a big improvement in performance with the new engine?


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Ziggy65 said:


> Great job repowering this old beast. Your MacGyver skills are impressive.
> So how did the machine perform this past winter? Did you notice a big improvement in performance with the new engine?


Ironically, I didn't hardly get to use it because we got so little snow it couldn't be called winter. We got more rain than anything (that's Michigan for ya). For what few times I did get to use it, everything seemed to run fine, but I developed a problem with the carb that I'm still trying to figure out. It doesn't seem to want to get fuel even though I have fuel in the line all the way to the carb. Go figure, brand new engine and it has a bad carb.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Is the float bowl oriented correctly so the float has free movement? Does the float bowl have a separate drain that allows a continuous flow at a steady rate?


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Any chance the fuel filter you installed is restricting full fuel flow to the carb? Flow maybe enough for initial start up and running (bowl and fuel line is full) but not enough to keep bowl full while engine running after several minutes. If you remove the fuel line from the carb, do you get continuous fuel flow (for 20 seconds or so) ?
I have heard of some people having issues with these cheap inline filters.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

I don't think it's the new filter, it's just one of those one with the metal mesh inside and I checked to make sure it was clear. I did have a problem over the winter that it suddenly stalled and wouldn't start again, but I can hit it with starting fluid and it fires right up, so there is definitely something wrong with the carb.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Yes definitely sounds like a carb issue then, may need a thorough cleaning and inspection as per Town's suggestion.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Well, it might not be the carb, I think I'm somehow pinching a fuel line, the one right at the carb to the filter. Looks like I'm gonna have to delete the filter. Oh well.


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## Cujoe_da_man (Dec 23, 2017)

Finally got around to fixing the issue. It seems the carb did not like the fuel filter I had installed, even though the kit came from Briggs specifically for that engine. Weird. Oh well, who cares as long as it's running, right?


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