Engine

audiobliss

Hey everybody

I don't know about any of y'all, but I really love cars, engines; anything with wheels. I just had my first experience of 'working' on an engine this evening. We have an old gas edger that I started taking apart last year and put aside due to lack of time. Well, Mom said yesterday that I should put it back together so we could use it. However, I totalled the diaphragm in the carburetor (actually, I threw it away last year ) and broke off a screw in the engine block.

So, tonight was dedicated to ripping it apart, seeing how it works, and havin' fun!!! This baby won't cuttin' much of anyting anymore, I'm afraid...:D

audiobliss

the welcome mat...in the garage...

audiobliss

bad pic of the crankcase...

audiobliss

ok..THIS is the crankcase...:D

audiobliss

the header and gasket....must be a really high-compression engine...

audiobliss

the crankshaft, wrist pin, connecting rod, pushrods, and some of the w/e thing-ma-jiggy that provides the electricity for the spark plug...

audiobliss

finally, the piston and same thing-a-ma-jiggy

audiobliss

Boy, that was a lot of fun. It's really amazing to think of all that goes on in an engine, and that there are so many engines out there doing all that and that we hardly ever have any problems with them.

Everything was ground so smooth, too!! This was really awesome. Hope somebody appreciates the pics.

Jstas

You should put it back together, you'll learn more that way. Get yourself a small-engine repair manual. Should show you how to basically go about it.

The engien may have trouble running again though. It looks like an air-cooled 2 stroke but that piston looks burned. I can't see the valve but the combustion chamber there looks caked pretty good. Probably a couple of hot spots there causing a misfire or detonation. Not exactly good. I don't know how old it was but teh exhaust valve seat is probably burned pretty good too. Might be cracked/warped. Then again this is all from the pictures whichdon't show enough detail. Not your fault though. It's be better to look at it in person anyway.

BTW, that thing-a-ma-jiggy is the ignition coil and it looks to have crank-triggered ignition. If you look in the closeup of the cranckcase picture you can see the gear that looks like it triggers the ignition firing. It's in the half of the crankcase, on the right side of the pic. The only white gear there. I could be wrong though. Like I said, it's hard to see the pictures.

audiobliss

jstas

The ignition coil!! That's what ya call that!! And I wondered what that plastic gear could be doin'.

Yeah, the pics are misleading. The edger is pretty old but probably wasn't used more than 10 times. It is an air-coiled 4-stroke. The piston is fine. The crankcase is fine. The valves are fine. It really is a shame to have to get rid of a perfectly fine edger.

Actually, I had already ruined the diaphragm in the carburetor, and I got a screw stuck in the block, and Dad tried getting it out with a left-handed bit but ended up takin' a chunk out of the block. So, it was pretty much trash and I thought I could waste one evenin' havin' fun and seein' how complicated the whole thing is (was).

Unfortunately, I can't put it back together. I would love to, but Mom wants it gone since it won't work. I don't have anywhere to work on it or the time; just happened to have tonight. Bummer. We'll be getting a new edger in a few days/weeks/maybe never.

Thanks for tellin' me what that thing-a-ma-jiggy was and what the gear does (did).

audiobliss

audiobliss

Wow; the piston really does looked burned in the photo; hadn't noticed it. I'm pretty sure that stuff just wipes right off, though.

dave shepard

I have a 425hp-350ci Chevy (4 bolt main) bored and stroked to a 383ci (complete) prof. built never off the stand for sell, that will get the grass trimmed .

Dave

wlrandall

Actually, the "ignition coil" is a magneto. The higher the RPM, the hotter the spark. Used in all Top Fuel and Funny Car engines. If you notice there is no supply voltage to the coil; the permanent magnet in the flywheel creates the voltage pulse.

I don't think it looks all that bad, really. Typical Briggs and Stratton is my guess. They all get nasty carbon buildup and have very uneven burn, hence the spots on the piston crown. Very durable engines, but even moreso inefficient.

I'd do as jstas said, get a repair manual and throw it back together as it is the best way to learn. Looking at the crankcase I don't see any "chunks"; probably have a good number of hours left in it.

Wally

wlrandall

Originally posted by dave shepard
I have a 425hp-350ci Chevy (4 bolt main) bored and stroked to a 383ci (complete) prof. built never off the stand for sell, that will get the grass trimmed .

Dave

Stop it, Dave, you're tempting me!!

audiobliss

Originally posted by dave shepard
I have a 425hp-350ci Chevy (4 bolt main) bored and stroked to a 383ci (complete) prof. built never off the stand for sell, that will get the grass trimmed .

Dave

Wow!!! Now, hw could you have an engine like that not be tempted to put it in something and go cruisin' every day?!?! Surely you have something comprable to that in a car, right?

Reminds me of my dad's friends car: a beautiful black '69 Camaro with a 454 block, 427 heads, and everything else suoped up for drag racin'. Racing radiator, ignition, fuel cell, wheels/tires, roll cage. It's absolutely awesome.

dave shepard

I had spent a couple years completly redoing a '57' Chevy inside and out and did the car first and the engine last before I got the engine in a person from NY heard about it and made me an offer I couldn't refuse (even went as far as to call me at a friends house to talk about it) but couldn't afford the engine so he got the car less the engine and trans. All I have now are the pics of the car as it was being loaded on the new owners trailor. I can post pics if you'd like to see them.

Dave

audiobliss

Would I like to see 'em?!?!?! Yes!!! About the only thing I"d rather have than a '57 Belair would be a late 60s Camaro. Or Lamborghini. Or Ferrari. Or Grand National. Or GTO. Or Ford GT. Well, I still like the '57 Belairs a lot.

Do you also have a transmission, or did he buy the car before you got it??

Thanks

audiobliss

And, can't ya squeeze out a little more than 425 from a 350?? What all do you have on it? A four-barrel? 2 of 'em? Let's see, you said it's bored and stroked, did you shave the heads? Is it really high compression? I reckon everything back then was 2 valves per cylinder. How much torque'll that thing make??

Thanks,
droolin' one

audiobliss

Originally posted by dave shepard
I have a 425hp-350ci Chevy (4 bolt main) bored and stroked to a 383ci (complete) prof. built never off the stand for sell, that will get the grass trimmed .

Dave

What do you mean by '4 bolt main'? I've never heard that before.

Also, I referred to my dad's friends " '69 " Camaro?? My bad; it's a '68. Had a momentary lapse.

Thanks

dave shepard

Originally posted by audiobliss
Would I like to see 'em?!?!?! Yes!!!
Do you also have a transmission, or did he buy the car before you got it??

Thanks

I will put the pics up as soon as I can get them together. Yes I still have the trans it's a 350 turbo with a shift kit (hits very hard in every gear).

Dave

dave shepard

Originally posted by audiobliss
And, can't ya squeeze out a little more than 425 from a 350?? What all do you have on it? A four-barrel? 2 of 'em? Let's see, you said it's bored and stroked, did you shave the heads? Is it really high compression? I reckon everything back then was 2 valves per cylinder. How much torque'll that thing make??

Thanks,
droolin' one

Yes one can get more then that from it, mine has cast 194 heads that have been completely gone over and trued (not shaved) the block was 0 decked for trueness and that raised comp. slightly my goal was to put a pair of Summit cast 202 or 205 (can't remember off hand) heads with all the goodies but time was a factor that would have given it an extra 60hp on hi-octane pump gas. The compression I can't remember exactly off hand but it was built around running pump gas and power accesories (cam, manifold etc) is matched to start putting out at 2500-3000RPM for the street (pole to pole not flat out high speed). The cam is one under needing a vacume canister (for power brakes) so it will have a loppy idle (enough to let everyone know DON'T GO THERE!!!! ). The tourque should be in the neighborhood of 450 flb. I got the 4-barrel 750 edelbrock but it really should have a 4-barrel 650 since I went with 194 heads.

Dave

dave shepard

Originally posted by audiobliss
What do you mean by '4 bolt main'? I've never heard that before.

Thanks

Four boult main means that the caps that hold the crank in place have four bolts (much sturdier under higher power, tourque and RPM conditions) instead of two bolts that hold the caps. Some say that really doesn't make that big a diff. but I say why risk disaster for a few more $$$ you can cover all your bases by having a little more meat holding the bottom end from falling to pieces when the need arises.

Dave

dave shepard

Hear she is, all the work I did in the garage myself. I took the whole car apart piece by piece.

Sorry bad pic removed

dave shepard

Pic small sorry

dave shepard

another

dave shepard

and another.

dave shepard

hears the engine that's still in the garage.

dave shepard

another shot

dave shepard

oops!

dave shepard

last one.

dave shepard

try a bigger pic