Vintage Stihl

Okay, not sure if anyone cares, but it's time for tonight's update!

Even more specifically on age, I now know this one is from early 1960 based on the serial number. In the opinion of what I'll comfortably call an expert this saw is completely original which makes me very happy.

Tonight I got it mostly disassembled except for the fact that I can't get the jug off! I'm trying to be very careful with this old girl, so I don't want to just 'cowboy' any parts that are stubborn. I've taken a lot of saws apart, but none this old or having sat stationary for this long. That said, I have never experienced a cylinder stuck to a dam case with such conviction...

Also, I can't get the fuel cap off. That part really hurts my pride.

 

I tried gettin that fuel cap of myself, It was not having any of that!! i was about to break out a pair of big channel lock slip joint pliers and try that but decided against it as i did not want to break the cap

keep us posted on the progress, post some pics if you could as well

 

I might have to try that. I used Master Blaster Penetrating oil to loosen the piston which was stuck due to sitting for many years with the muffler off (rusted rings, etc.). I cleaned around the base of the cylinder and coated it with the penetrating oil last night to let it sit for a day or two. If that doesn't work it might be time to try MMO.

 

Don't forget about PB blaster...

 

My bad, I meant to say PB Blaster when I said "Master Blaster"...

 

Dear Diary....

Tonight I only had a few minutes to run out to the shop. The cylinder is still holding strong despite a mild assault with a soft rubber mallet (don't want to damage any fins). I applied more penetrating oil and will next use the heat gun to try & loosen things up. The good news is that tomorrow my top shroud should arrive!!!

 

That's my hope. Heat does wonders sometimes by just making things move ever so slightly. I don't know the coefficients of thermal expansion for cast aluminum versus cast magnesium, but the slightest difference is all I need!

 

heat works for me many times that i think it wouldn't.

 

Try ATF and acetone

 

If you wanna go really heavy duty try pinesol in a crock pot on low......

 

I'm pretty confident he old heat gun is going to do the trick, but I appreciate the suggestions.

I should have time to find out tomorrow...

 

Dear Diary...

No shop time today, but it was still a very BIG day for the Contra/Lightning build . . . I got the top cover! I had a choice between the brand new, high quality reproduction top covers many folks use when rebuilding/restoring these saws or this well-used OEM cover. The choice was very easy for two reasons; first, I'm personally just not into aftermarket parts when OEM is an option, and second, why would I want to put a new shiny cover on an old worn saw when I could get one that looks like it was along for the whole ride?!?!

Here is my 'new' cover right out of the box. It'll get cleaned up a bit, but it's perfect for this project exactly how it is.

 

Im really eager to see this one in the wood Beau.

 

Same here! So far it looks very promising. The only thing I'm still a bit apprehensive about is the condition of the crank bearings. I'm hoping to not need to split the case, but I don't think the odds are in my favor. This afternoon I'm going to head out to the shop to work on it some more, so hopefully I'll learn more about where it stands...

 

Dear Diary...

I was able to get the cylinder loose from the case. When I first got the saw it was seized up although the piston looked good through both the intake & exhaust. I figured years of sitting with no muffler allowed the rings to rust a bit. After a lot of penetrating oil I still couldn't get the piston to budge, so I went ahead and starting taking the rest of the saw apart. When I was taking off the flywheel nut the piston moved (very stubbornly) up/down a bit. I moved it in the lowest position and took all of the bits & pieces off of the saw. Unfortunately, even after getting the cylinder loose from the case the piston does not want to come free from the cylinder. I was able to persuade it to where the top is just above the intake port, but that's all she wrote. More penetrating oil and heat didn't help. I'm going to let it sit for a couple of more days and try again. The good news is that I was able to verify that the bearings are nice & smooth, so no splitting the case for now (can only be 100% certain of that after a p/v test to verify the gasket integrity). I know most folks would say the right thing to do is split the case and get a new gasket in there regardless, but I don't want to risk the bearings. It's not like this will be a work saw. If it holds p/v I'm going to call the gasket good and go from there.

I'm happy to report that with the piston as low as it currently is in the cylinder I can see that the walls look very good. I'm hoping not to do any damage with the piston extraction, but at least if it causes some scratching at this point it'll be below both ports.

It's disappointing to be having such issues with the piston & cylinder, but it's a very old saw that sat for a very long time. It could always be worse.

 

Are you going to clean the piston up with Scotch brite pads and some carb cleaner to try and reduce some crud on it?