I suppose this could count as vehicle so here goes. I was not one of the lucky kids in my neighborhood to have a big wheel while growing up but I always wanted one. I decided to start building a drift trike which, for those of you who don't know what it is, is an adult sized big wheel and is usually motorized. So first things first I had to find an engine and lucky for me, my grandpa had a blown Kohler K321AQS. I had always thought that Kohler made some pretty good quality engines and judging by the price of some of the parts I'm looking at, they are pretty high end. I believe the engine is out of a 1975 John Deere 214 or 314 riding mower and has definitely seen better days.
Here's how it all started:
It was being used on a log splitter that my grandpa bought for parts. As far as I know, it has been sitting outside for the last 20 or so years so it was covered in rust and had grass and water inside the shroud and fins on the cylinder.
Here's the shroud with a fresh coat of paint. I sanded as much rust off as I could then used a rust inhibiting primer for what was left behind. It's not the best finish but I'm happy with it.
Here's the old stickers for comparison:
I found the stickers on a website called redoyourhorse.com. They make stickers for kohler, briggs, and a variety of lawn/garden tractors as well as custom orders. The stickers themselves are pretty hefty and stick down to the curved surfaces very well. I think they are also laminated so the lettering won't rub off over time.
I spent all of last weekend stripping the rest of the engine down and was nervous about what I was going to find. There was water on the dipstick so I figured the internals were rusted beyond saving but I was pleasantly surprised. There was only about a tablespoon of water at the bottom of the oil pan and no rust at all in the crankcase. The previous owner said they quit using this engine because it burned too much oil.
Upon removing the head, the entire combustion chamber was completely covered in black carbon sludge. It took a putty knife, a razor blade, and a wire brush with probably a whole can of carb cleaner to get it mostly clean. The piston that came out of it is a +0.010" which means the engine has been rebuilt before probably more than once.
I assume the stator is still operational. I plan on sanding the outer surface and cleaning it up a little more.
I assume some carbon flaked off and ground out the side of the piston but it could have been anything really.
I cleaned all the external parts using a gallon jug of super clean mixed with about a gallon or two of water. I spent a couple hours scrubbing off excess sludge and some rust with a detail brush and a razor scraper. Of course not everything can go smoothly, especially if it's engine related, so after all that time cleaning I discovered a crack...
But it's okay because I have a fresh block coming in the mail. This one is a K321S out of an Ariens S-14G tractor. It uses a different style of oil pan and contains balance gears which I'm going to remove anyway.
This will be a slow going project as I don't have garage space at home so I will most likely be building this contraption in my grandpa's shop. I expect it should all be done in a couple years if not sooner.
Thanks for reading! Feedback and responses are welcome!
Here's how it all started:
It was being used on a log splitter that my grandpa bought for parts. As far as I know, it has been sitting outside for the last 20 or so years so it was covered in rust and had grass and water inside the shroud and fins on the cylinder.
Here's the shroud with a fresh coat of paint. I sanded as much rust off as I could then used a rust inhibiting primer for what was left behind. It's not the best finish but I'm happy with it.
Here's the old stickers for comparison:
I found the stickers on a website called redoyourhorse.com. They make stickers for kohler, briggs, and a variety of lawn/garden tractors as well as custom orders. The stickers themselves are pretty hefty and stick down to the curved surfaces very well. I think they are also laminated so the lettering won't rub off over time.
I spent all of last weekend stripping the rest of the engine down and was nervous about what I was going to find. There was water on the dipstick so I figured the internals were rusted beyond saving but I was pleasantly surprised. There was only about a tablespoon of water at the bottom of the oil pan and no rust at all in the crankcase. The previous owner said they quit using this engine because it burned too much oil.
Upon removing the head, the entire combustion chamber was completely covered in black carbon sludge. It took a putty knife, a razor blade, and a wire brush with probably a whole can of carb cleaner to get it mostly clean. The piston that came out of it is a +0.010" which means the engine has been rebuilt before probably more than once.
I assume the stator is still operational. I plan on sanding the outer surface and cleaning it up a little more.
I assume some carbon flaked off and ground out the side of the piston but it could have been anything really.
I cleaned all the external parts using a gallon jug of super clean mixed with about a gallon or two of water. I spent a couple hours scrubbing off excess sludge and some rust with a detail brush and a razor scraper. Of course not everything can go smoothly, especially if it's engine related, so after all that time cleaning I discovered a crack...
But it's okay because I have a fresh block coming in the mail. This one is a K321S out of an Ariens S-14G tractor. It uses a different style of oil pan and contains balance gears which I'm going to remove anyway.
This will be a slow going project as I don't have garage space at home so I will most likely be building this contraption in my grandpa's shop. I expect it should all be done in a couple years if not sooner.
Thanks for reading! Feedback and responses are welcome!
Comment