Craftsman 358

[Scyry]

I have a probably 30-40 year old Craftsman 358. It belonged to my Grandpa and he used it to trim his giant live oak tree. Think 70 year old climbing around a tree with a 60 foot canopy every couple years. He didn't do firewood and had no other trees to really take care of. It has been sitting in it's case since then. It was probably last used in 2007. I'd like to get it back to running, to keep as a backup saw. I've done basic maintenance on my saws, but I haven't done anything past that. Besides swapping in a new plug, air filter and general cleaning, anything I should watch for on it? I'm guessing rubber or plastic parts could've deteriorated over the years?

 

[Michael E]

As far as I can tell from the pictures, this seems to be an Electrolux saw. One of those that they offered under many brand names and with different displacements. They were cheap homeowner saws with simple construction. Parts are still easily available, mostly under the Partner 350/351/370 model names.

You are right about the rubber parts. Especially fuel lines are a constant issue, but cheap and easy to fix. Apart from that, check the carburetor (or just get a cheap aftermarket replacement) and the crankshaft seals.