Homelite 450 parts search,and Super EZ find!

[hawtsawz]

Hi everyone,
I am a new member to this great site, and need help from anyone out there in computer land for some Homelite 450 chainsaw parts. The part #'s are OEM from Homelite. They are: #12346-2A Throttle handle brace/ # A-70053-C Throttle handle, and lastly part# A-70057-B Air filter cover. It's interesting how I came acrossed this saw. I was visiting a local engine show last weekend and happened upon a saw display containing 2 Super EZ auto saws.
I was looking the saws over when the guy selling them said they ran, and told me to try'em out. I pulled both over and they ran and idled perfect. Both were in excellent shape and I asked how much he was asking. $10 each! Needless to say I am the proud owner of the both of them.
We talked about saws and that I collect Homelites, and he asked if I was coming the next day, because he had 3 other part's EZs to give me if I wanted them. I returned the next day and sure enough he had the parts saws along with some bar covers. He then said I'm also throwing this old saw in, a severely hashed Homelite 450. I am rebuilding this saw because the piston and cylinder are flawless! Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Hi there HawtSawz Welcome to AS!


If no one else can help you out, I have an airfilter cover I may be willing to part with. Its a hand me down from a saw that I found a new one for, paid dearly for that one, but it is mint!



If any of the parts EZ's have the electronic iginition (Blue coil) I have one on my bench that could use a replacement.


Maybe we could strike a deal?


.

 

[Big Neb]

A lot of the 450 is interchangable with the 550. I think the only difference is the P&C. I'd be checking ebay for Homelite 450, Homelite 550, and Craftsman 4.5(rebadged 450).

Another option is to "part out" the 450 as they sell pretty well on ebay. You'll easily get more than your $10 initial investment. My $0.03 on the issue would be to sell it. Probably one of the worst power/weight saws ever made and not worth the cost and difficulty in finding parts.

Yeap, we have a rebadged Craftsman 4.5 (was mint until my father rolled a log over it earlier this year). We've had it for 20+ years and I don't know if it even has 20 hours on it. We break it out just to make sure it still runs but neither of us likes to run it. Dog to start, heavier than a 660, and my 361 will out cut it.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Close neb,

The piston, cyl, crankcase and oil pump are different.



Oh yeah, different carb too.



Tell you what, Ill take that POS off your hands, hows $50 sound?




Btw, the 660 only has it by 1.2 lbs.


I could probably knock that much off most of my saws by giving them a good cleaning....
.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Forgot to mention......



That saw (carb) has a fixed jet for the high speed and there were two offered, o26 high altitude and 028 low altitude. If your 361 out cuts it, you may have the wrong jet in it.

 

[Big Neb]

I will yield to RBW as he is one of the resident experts on the old Homey's.

I find no fault with the older Homelites as my father has loved his 360's of which he has three. The 450 just hasn't been that impressive of a saw especially considering the weight. It has been relegated to bucking duty once we have the logs home and stacked, thus it's accident earlier this year. It runs great at altitude and has the torque you expect out of the old Homelites just not as quick and agile as my 361. When the 450 got clobbered earlier this year a friend gave my father a Super XL-925 but I've yet to run it. It looks mean.

Thanks for the offer and I'll let you guys know when it hits ebay. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks as I'll be bringing it back up here to Montana after the 4th. It really is in excellent shape with the only flaw at the moment being the lack of the throttle lock and trigger safety that were obliterated in the crash. I'll post some pics in the next few weeks. The cast metal in both rear handle pieces had to be replaced.

I think the handles and throttle controls etc... as well as the air filter cover are identical on the 550. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, RBW probably has both and can tell you for sure. I just think by the time you get all the parts for the 450, you might be better off parting it out to someone like RBW. A junked out 450 recently sold on ebay for parts fetched almost $150. The seller described it as "selling the tank" and kind of incinuated that the saw was well used and the P&C on the way out.

 

[hawtsawz]

Hey Big Neb, Let me know when you get that 925 running! That saw I personally consider as one of my favorites! I own 3 running and 2 parts saws including a rare Canadian model (that is all there in a milk crate) from Terry Homelite. These are the older model that cranked at 80 plus cc's! I found the tank fuel line and air filters are getting hard to find, but the carb kits are still plentiful (RK-23HS). There is a store on ebay right now with the Stens (good U.S. made) kits for less the $4 a pop, CHEAP!!!

 

[Big Neb]

Yeah, the XL-925 is in the shop. It was not running when given to my father. Supposedly had a bad fuel line that we found a replacement online. Should be up and running by now. The guy we got it from was a professional logger for 20+ years and claimed it was one of the best that Homelite ever offered.

The sad thing is, I think it too has more power and weighs less than the 450.

Trick to finding parts for these saws is to find someone on ebay offering a bunch of homelite parts(normally an old saw shop) and give them a call whether or not they have the part you are specifically looking for listed...

We got the 2 part rear handle for the 450, a couple of carb boots for the 360's and that fuel line for the XL-925 from the same guy.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I will yield to RBW as he is one of the resident experts on the old Homey's.

Hell man, dont yeild to me, I had to look all that up!




Out of the two (450-550) that I own Im kinda partial to the 450, mine just flat runs hard! As mentioned the H jet is fixed and if I were to tune it by hand (Ear?) I probably wouldnt wind it up this high, but the carb is clean and it dosent seem to be suffering so......


The 550 is about the same size as the 925 (another of my favorites!) and I think their about the same in the cut untill you get into the 24-28" "LOG" range, then the 925 edges it a bit.


But there again under 20" My 450 will smoke them both, I really need to get a tach so I can set the 550 and 450 up the same and maby find out what the 550 is really capable of?



.

 

[Big Neb]

So RBW what saws do you have in your arsenal?

I think in their hayday, Homelites were mean machines. I'm glad you like your 450. I would have thought that at the same weight and better power you'd like the 550 better. All saws have their own personality and our 450 is the Homer Simpson of the bunch. Steady as a rock, heavy, and slow.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Yeah, there may be more power left in the 550 that Im not tapping into, but better safe than sorry.


I got the 550 before the 450 and after having learned to tune the 925's and the Sxl's, I may be stuck in a "Tuning Rut" with the 550. It wasnt untill I got the 450 and heard the way it ran that I felt that I may be running the 550 too fat.


Now that Ive got a stable full of the newfangled piston port jobs Im probably going to learn how to tune them without scoring a piston.



My homie line up is as follows...


2, SEZ-ao

1, SXL

3.5, 925 (ones a hybrid)

2, 360

1, 450

1, 550

1, 650 UGLY!

1, 750



Hold on, the wife is PO'ed about something......

 

[hawtsawz]

Hey RBW nice line up of Homies!

I got me a few too,
2 26 LCS's (1 I restored)
Super 77
Super Wiz 80
EZ and EZ-6
Ole Blue Super XL Auto, and XL-12(with Shorty plug)
Red & Green XL Auto(with shorty plug)
Model 17
3 SXL 925's
3 SEZ's
Projects of 925's,SEZ's, and a 450(that started this whole thing) but thats just the Homies!

 

[hawtsawz]

Oh, I forgot to mention my mean @ss 2100S.