What did you do to your non-G body project today? [2022]

[joesregalproject]

Worked on this snowblower I bought last year. It's a 2 cycle and I'm told it was produced in low numbers; it was new in 2005 when 2 cycles were just being phased out and it just wasn't a hot seller when there were otherwise identical 4 cycle machines sitting right next to it.

The engine bears a strong resemblance to a Lawn Boy Duraforce engine. They aren't the same, but since Toro owns Lawn Boy, I wouldn't doubt they borrowed a lot of engineering from it, though I think it was actually built by Briggs for Toro.

It ran sorta okay when I bought it and while I used it last winter but it wasn't quite right. When I started it for the first time this season last week it revved so high it sounded like it was gonna launch into outer space. I suspected crank seals, I pressure tested it and they were fine so I pulled the carburetor and found the problem... Chinese knockoff carburetor.

It's super clean, no issues with it being dirty or anything, these things just suck. The tolerances are way off and they are always jetted way too lean and either surge or do what this one is doing. Every single one of them i have come across runs like sh*t. So it needs a carb.

So don't buy those cheap $15-20 carburetors off of Amazon or eBay. Buy a rebuild kit or new OEM carb.

 

[CopperNick]

Tecumseh is still in business and, I think, still makes both two and four stroke iterations. I know there is a huge on line catalogue for their motor parts for which you do need the motor number stamped on the recoil shroud to do your search. Maybe find an old line Small Engine Repair Service in your area that might still have the expertise and on the shelf knowledge to match your corpse with something that works and can be tuned.

As for two strokes as snow blowers, the "used to be" neighbor across the street had a Honda 2 stroke blower from when he used to work for the dealer and that thing just howled. He was a small engine mechanic that had his own shop and did off road bikes for giggles. MIddle of a blow and snow and he'd be out there just destroying the snow banks. He'd take a run and just hammer that machine into a snow bank and it would just rip it up and sneer. Swore that toy was going to blow up but it never did. Mind you he probably tore the mill down each spring and went through it. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that he had ported and port matched the components to get it to breathe or done a little tapering and relieving here and there either. Anywhere else in the world and he would have been the head of the engine department for a race team of some kind.

 

[Supercharged111]

Got all but one board up. I was able to do it without removing the gate, lucky break it all lined up the way it did.

Had to rip that last board down into 3 pieces.

Now to find some daylight to get these guys hung up and stain the rest of the front of the gate.

 

[scoti]

I finished up the brake rebuild on my '99 OBS truck....
*Rotors
*Calipers
*Pads
*Wheel bearings/seals
*Hoses
*Master Cylinder
*Rear wheel cylinders
*Rear shoes
*Drums

Well there still seems to be some post work diag effort needed. Bled all 4 corners per usual. Did 3-rounds after purging all air from the lines first. Sprayed everything down w/some brake clean so I would have dry surfaces when leak checking. Took a couple laps around the neighborhood. Stopped as expected. Re-checked for leaks & found 1 area where there was moisture (front driver hard-line to hose connection). I re-cleaned that spot because i couldn't tell if it was some remaining fluid or an actual leak. Master cylinder volume looked good.

Did a couple more laps w/o issue. No visible leaks/moisture from seeping brake fluid upon re-inspection. I stopped & had some dinner @ my local pub. Was driving over to my GF's house & when I slowed to turn onto her street the truck shuddered. That's definitely new. My mind immediately went to 'ABS' shudder as the default issue. I parked @ her house, grabbed a flashlight & inspected all line connections & bleeders. Everything was still dry/clean. The fluid is still full (same level).

I guess tomorrow @ lunch I'll pull the wheels off & check braking surfaces for moisture or fluid. No dash board ABS warning either for what that's worth.

 

[Supercharged111]

Laid down some paint on the new shutters last night, but the 2nd coat in some areas ended up breaking up the not quite cured first coat on some spots so had to kick the can to tonight to finish up.

Nailed that down tonight, tomorrow once it's cured better gonna pull the wife's Envoy back in and keep chipping away at it.

 

[ck80]

After unloading the NOS stuff that's been just sitting in the yukon, we took a trip to buy these:

Nothing spectacular about them. Just another stock set of 17" v6 wheels for the 2015-2017 mustangs, and the ecoboosts up till around 2019.

Only have 20k miles on the tires, but really I was after the fact the rims were like new, had tpms, and came with a matching barely removed/torqued set of lugs nuts.

Price: $150 for the set.

Then we came home, and a guy wanted the old used and seen better days michelins that came off the yukon. He offered $200.

So, netted $50 and swapped four old, worn, dismounted truck tires for the takeoff lightly used mustang rims.

 

[Supercharged111]

Got those windshield washer nozzles in the mail finally and snapped them in, back in business!

Compared to the generic part that only sprayed the roof.

The new ones do too, but they also cover the windshield with that second hole.

Onto the stupid failed plastic welds on the bumper mount!

 

[CopperNick]

So Grote just happens to make a 5 pin relay that is weather resistant and comes with a matching socket that possesses a weather seal. Now thinking that I may just completely scrap the GM convention and go back to something easier and simpler. Being weather resistant the relays can just go in the doors and hang around in there. That reduces the need to lace in wires to just three, the power +'s and ground. Everything else can take up residence somewhere in the door shell and take care of business from there.



Nick

 

[motorheadmike]

Spent hours fixing my GD snowblower. It sheared off both axle pins (grade 5 stainless bolts), which in turn removed all forward or aft motion. Thankfully this was an easy fix - I thought the transmission or drive chain had broken. I also got really lucky that both locknuts got caught in big globs of old grease and could be reused. I also got to weld up a crack in the shifter plate mount - she's nice and tight again. I love my TIG.

 

[Supercharged111]

Spent hours fixing my GD snowblower. It sheared off both axle pins (grade 5 stainless bolts), which in turn removed all forward or aft motion. Thankfully this was an easy fix - I thought the transmission or drive chain had broken. I also got really lucky that both locknuts got caught in big globs of old grease and could be reused. I also got to weld up a crack in the shifter plate mount - she's nice and tight again. I love my TIG.

Did you buy the world's biggest piece of crap snowthrower or do you try using it for stuff it isn't made for?