Old briggs running for the first time...

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
About the dead man control, there was no such thing as the EPA or any safety requirements in 1954
, they trusted the user not to be an idiot. Also, the breather on the crankcase on this engine vents to the open air. It wasn't till the 80's that they wanted to make them idiot proof and not till the early 90's that they wanted to make them safe for the environment.

The 15W-50 was really just being used as a break-in oil after the teardown. I plan to run it no more than 5 hours before switching to Rotella T Synthetic 5w40.


Thats because people still had common sense in those day`s

People didnt sue a lawn mower manufacturer because they cut their arm off while messing around with the blade. They actually took responsability for their own actions then.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
About the dead man control, there was no such thing as the EPA or any safety requirements in 1954
, they trusted the user not to be an idiot. Also, the breather on the crankcase on this engine vents to the open air. It wasn't till the 80's that they wanted to make them idiot proof and not till the early 90's that they wanted to make them safe for the environment.

The 15W-50 was really just being used as a break-in oil after the teardown. I plan to run it no more than 5 hours before switching to Rotella T Synthetic 5w40.


Thats because people still had common sense in those day`s

People didnt sue a lawn mower manufacturer because they cut their arm off while messing around with the blade. They actually took responsability for their own actions then.


+1 Too many lawsuits due to an end user's stupidity.
Dave

 

[hyperscion]

+2

 

[xxch4osxx]

You make the video of it running yet?

 

[greenaccord02]

Nah, I was going to do it today but spent the day garage sailing and rebuilding my broken blackberry instead. I'll get one tomorrow. I'm honestly surprised at the interest this topic received. Everybody who thinks this is cool needs to buy themselves a fixer-upper antique engine and do this. It's fun and you don't have to be anything more than mildly mechanically inclined.

 

[xxch4osxx]

I love tinkering around with stuff like this. I always have interest in others doing the same thing. I have an old Briggs 3.5 horsepower vertical engine that I bought at a yard sale for $25.00 back a number of years ago. It doesn't have a gas tank, but the motor looks almost like new, probably because it was always stored in the guy's garage. I want to get it running someday but I just need to find a gas tank that fits it. I should take some pics of it and post them sometime.

 

[greenaccord02]

 

[xxch4osxx]

Cool video! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Oldwolf]

Nice!

I thought horizontal shafts where horizontal to the ground. Vertical shafts, then, would be vertical with the ground.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: Oldwolf
Nice!

I thought horizontal shafts where horizontal to the ground. Vertical shafts, then, would be vertical with the ground.
I always go by the way the piston moves, up and down I call it a vertical, sideways I call it a horizontal, but thats just me.

 

[greenaccord02]

Yeah, it's the way the piston goes. If I said horizontal shaft in the video, then I misspoke. It's a horizontal block.

 

[Nick R]

Very, very nice. Great work there dude. Can't wiat for you to clean it up.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Shouldn't there be a bendy piece of metal near the spark plug terminal to stop the engine?

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
Shouldn't there be a bendy piece of metal near the spark plug terminal to stop the engine?
A screwdriver works well for that.

 

[Berny]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
Shouldn't there be a bendy piece of metal near the spark plug terminal to stop the engine?


Yes, there should. It broke off before I got it, however, and that part is practically impossible to find. As xxch4osxx said, I use a screwdriver for that when necessary. Briggs made a spark plug cover with an integrated switch for their older engines, and I may get one of those, though it would not be stock equipment for this model. Then again, that gas tank is not stock, either.

 

[javacontour]

Put some shoes on man! You wouldn't want to get blood all over that classic engine.

On a more serious note, great find.

You mention the proximity of the fuel tank to the exhaust. Later you say it's not the stock tank. Was the stock tank that close?

I really doubt it will matter, other than if fuel leaks out of the cap, so don't fill it to the brim is my unsolicited advice. I've burnt up a riding mower due to fuel sloshing out of the vent holes onto a hot engine.

 

[greenaccord02]

Even though the tank is not original, it's no worse than the original, and probably better in terms of design. The original was just as close, but had a larger fill hole and a shorter cap which allows gas to come out much more freely than this one. I'll point that out and compare the two when I do the video of the edger.

 

[Johnny]

Well done.