McCulloch Chain Saws
- Thread starter Bruce Hopf
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MacSuper55a
ArboristSite Lurker
Update on my Super 55A restoration. Tore the whole saw apart and replaced all the bearings, seals, gaskets, piston & rings and clutch. Had the dog ear tab for the handle mount welded back onto the cylinder. Got her all put back together, passed a pressure and vac test and now shows 150psi of compression. Starts and runs great! Haven’t cut any wood yet, still just running her for short periods (5-15min) to allow the new piston and all of the other parts a chance to break in.
View attachment IMG_2345.jpegView attachment IMG_2344.jpegView attachment IMG_2343.jpeg
Big thank you to Brian @Rallyeguy and Mark @heimannm for all their help with this project. Would not have been able to do it without them.
View attachment IMG_2349.mov
View attachment IMG_2345.jpegView attachment IMG_2344.jpegView attachment IMG_2343.jpeg
Big thank you to Brian @Rallyeguy and Mark @heimannm for all their help with this project. Would not have been able to do it without them.
View attachment IMG_2349.mov
Rallyeguy
ArboristSite Member
Looks and sounds great!
Glad I could help get you situated MacSuper55a
Thank you for sharing the gaskets with me to help keep these old girls going. Between you and some other people that have done this with me, I believe we have complete gasket sets available for the D44, S44, S44A, 1-70, 55, D55, S55, S55A and 1-80 chainsaws. I will be adding these to www.oldsawshop.com as I can....
Glad I could help get you situated MacSuper55a
Thank you for sharing the gaskets with me to help keep these old girls going. Between you and some other people that have done this with me, I believe we have complete gasket sets available for the D44, S44, S44A, 1-70, 55, D55, S55, S55A and 1-80 chainsaws. I will be adding these to www.oldsawshop.com as I can....
I have a 55 with a set of aftermarket spikes that is pretty unique.
That saw runs surprisingly well.
Mark
That saw runs surprisingly well.
Mark
Rallyeguy
ArboristSite Member
Now that's a runner....
Bad news on the SP125C...
...I guess I'll pack the pieces in a tote for now and see what comes up in the future.
I decided to bring some other projects down from the attic and see if I can put together a 797 from this assortment. Two of the blocks are stamped 66251 consistent with the 797, one is labeled 940 and the last is 55581 if I remember.
Mark
...I guess I'll pack the pieces in a tote for now and see what comes up in the future.
I decided to bring some other projects down from the attic and see if I can put together a 797 from this assortment. Two of the blocks are stamped 66251 consistent with the 797, one is labeled 940 and the last is 55581 if I remember.
Mark
You have your work cut out for you.
Did your stuff make it there from that ad?
Hope there was lots of good stuff in that lot.
I know the 797 is 20cc bigger than my 795, but other than that, just looking at your pictures, I don't see any differences. Visually, just looking at the outside, are there any difference at all (other than the sticker on the top cover), that would distinguish the 795 from the 797?
I'm sure there a some who would recognize the difference from external clues, but I'm not sure what they would be other than the model or block number stamped on the bottom of the crankcase.
The surest way to identify what you have (if it is in question) is measure the bore. Easiest way to do that is pull the muffler and measure the bore with a straw from an aerosol can (like WD-40), push the straw through to the opposite side then rotate the crankshaft to put a slight crimp in the straw. The 795 is 2.218" bore and the 797 is 2.280" bore. You can also try to measure the stroke through the plug hole (the straw can also be used here), 795 is 1.635" stroke and the 797 is 1.835" stroke.
Mark
The surest way to identify what you have (if it is in question) is measure the bore. Easiest way to do that is pull the muffler and measure the bore with a straw from an aerosol can (like WD-40), push the straw through to the opposite side then rotate the crankshaft to put a slight crimp in the straw. The 795 is 2.218" bore and the 797 is 2.280" bore. You can also try to measure the stroke through the plug hole (the straw can also be used here), 795 is 1.635" stroke and the 797 is 1.835" stroke.
Mark
I tried soaking the cylinder/crankcase in a solution of Mean Green & water, surprising how easily the baked on stuff cleaned off.
Mark
Found some cool literature today in MacHalla...
Thank you Mark. The numbers on bottom of crankcase are 63629 on the left, on the right are 10958 and 11. And a large X on the center hump. These numbers are correct for a 795 ? I am interested in the history and chronology of the big bore McCullochs of the 60's. Perhaps you could direct me to a site that explores that?
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63629 is the block number for a 795 according to my notes. I will assume the 11 is actually the prefix to the serial number and 10958 is the serial number.
Mike Acres site is one of the best resources for information on vintage saws. The details are not always 100% correct but it is the best single source I know of.
https://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/GasbyManufacturer?OpenView
Mark
Mike Acres site is one of the best resources for information on vintage saws. The details are not always 100% correct but it is the best single source I know of.
https://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/GasbyManufacturer?OpenView
Mark
New rings, new seals, new reed, the only gasket I didn't replace was the one between the insulator and reed plate.
I use a couple of studs to help keep things aligned as it goes back together.
It's clean, but it's rough looking.
I found a pretty nice round muffler (three screw type) on one of the other parts saws so I went with that. I have to work on the shield, the cylinder jacket is fine.
Mark
I use a couple of studs to help keep things aligned as it goes back together.
It's clean, but it's rough looking.
I found a pretty nice round muffler (three screw type) on one of the other parts saws so I went with that. I have to work on the shield, the cylinder jacket is fine.
Mark
That's a saw I would love to find, a nice old 55. Something about the look of the recoil cover. I see my Pioneer 1560 didn't come in last at least.
Did I mention it was rough??? I do have some additional parts saws on hand, but my thoughts on this one are keep it as much like I found it as possible. That said...notice the copper pipe custom repair to the handle bar in the region where a thrown chain would cause damage.
The automatic oiler works very well.
The carburetor on the saw was pretty far gone, but I had one in the attic I'd rebuilt including a rebuilt primer, worked like a charm.
I grabbed a bar and chain off the wall to give it a test run, pretty impressive in my oak test log.
I think I got this bar from AWOL who added the roller nose.
Mark
The automatic oiler works very well.
The carburetor on the saw was pretty far gone, but I had one in the attic I'd rebuilt including a rebuilt primer, worked like a charm.
I grabbed a bar and chain off the wall to give it a test run, pretty impressive in my oak test log.
I think I got this bar from AWOL who added the roller nose.
Mark
I dug out this SP125 for the longer bar & chain to try out on the 797.
Since the last SP125 was a bust I thought I'd have a closer look at this one.
From the all yellow color scheme I assumed it was an older saw with and iron bore, the late serial number raised some doubts. This requires further examination.
Taking the saw apart I found they cut some corners when they assembled it, two screws are missing from the intake, my guess it they were never installed...
Further into the saw, it looks like they didn't have a 5/32 hex key so they ground slots in the heads of the screws holding the rod cap in place.
My "Stud Buddy" is a pretty good magnet, confirming this one indeed has an iron bore.
Bore is a bit rough looking, I will give it a quick clean up with the ball hone tomorrow and see what happen.
Piston was also pretty rough on the exhaust side so it may just be some aluminum transfer.
Oil tank is very cruddy.
Mark
Since the last SP125 was a bust I thought I'd have a closer look at this one.
From the all yellow color scheme I assumed it was an older saw with and iron bore, the late serial number raised some doubts. This requires further examination.
Taking the saw apart I found they cut some corners when they assembled it, two screws are missing from the intake, my guess it they were never installed...
Further into the saw, it looks like they didn't have a 5/32 hex key so they ground slots in the heads of the screws holding the rod cap in place.
My "Stud Buddy" is a pretty good magnet, confirming this one indeed has an iron bore.
Bore is a bit rough looking, I will give it a quick clean up with the ball hone tomorrow and see what happen.
Piston was also pretty rough on the exhaust side so it may just be some aluminum transfer.
Oil tank is very cruddy.
Mark
How many 125s have you seen with the 85421 fan baffle on them? The ones I've come across were always missing them. Looks better then the last one
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