Husky 61 with a muffler job and better squish

[btbill]

Husky Husqvarna 61 with a muffler job and better squish

Really this is to say thanks to all the posts before on squish and mods to mufflers.

What I have done was simple and inspired from here but has made a great deal of difference.

Muffler job, easy: replaced original tube outlet with bigger tube. I will get some pictures at some point and post them. very quick to do, tig welded back on.

New ring: after market but excellent. (saw is 1997 and was on original)

Removed bottom base gasket: quish is now 28 thou. Its almost like it was designed to not have a gasket. Thanks to the brilliant suggestion of solder through the spark-plug hole to measure

Outcome, did muffler first. Made a satifying difference after getting the H and L screws sorted to run best. worth doing on its own

Then changed the ring (cylinder and piston were/are fine - tiny marks on skirt, no issues) and removed base gasket... another fiddle with the H and L.

Revs up much faster. more mid/top end grunt and idles sweeter.

Highly recommended and very easy to do... especially the bottom gasket removal as its just as case of undoing a few allen screws.

Its quite clear from just the amount of extra turns to richen up the H mixture just how much of a difference it made. I tuned it by sticking it it in logs and getting it to where it cuts best. Its has a 24 inch bar and a standard chain and it will cut the full width of the bar in cedar, with the grain (logging up some wheels I had and with the grain is a difficult cut) , with no trouble.

Thanks to all at forum..... and to anyone thinking about it... Do it!

 

[Cliff R]

I did both of those mods and ported mine some (1983 model with the white top). It helped quite a bit as mentioned, but it never had that strong top end power like my XP saws.

I went on Ebay and bought a 268XP top end (used OEM), intake, gaskets, and swapped out the P/C.

BIG wake up call for that saw, and I'm guessing a 272XP top end would work even better.

I ran into troubles with the top cover not fitting, and had to use the smaller 61 carburetor, otherwise the swap was pretty easy.

I made a mistake and let a good friend use it one day to compliment his brand new MS-290. I never got it back, he gave me cash instead, and that old 61 has became his main saw!.......Cliff

 

[btbill]

Nice idea with 268XP top end. I would have gone that route but thought I needed a new carb, which would have been a pain here, UK, as not such a range of stuff to buy second hand.

Getting a new top end is easy.. second hand carb not.

Ta for the info though.

 

[Cliff R]

The swap requires an XP intake, and the bolts, but the stock carb will work.

I can't remember exactly why I couldn't install the larger Tillotson carb, may have had something to do with the top cover, or the idle/mixture screw access, etc?

I will not do that swap again, it would have simply been more cost effective to buy a decent 268XP/272XP right to start with, even with a smoked P/C and rebuild it......Cliff