building a motor could use some help or tips

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bbungard
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:48 pm
First and Last Name: Brandon C Bungard
Location: Waynesburg ohio

building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by bbungard »

i have 2 kohler motors a 12 and a 14 or as im leanering to say a k301 and a k321 what one would be the best to build and would all should i do to it. i mean do i need to by a fancy alum. head or can i make mine work just as good? also a friend of mine has a 18hp kohler motor its and over head valve is this the motor that i hear a lot of guys get the cam out of and use? i would like to stay under $1000 in the engine build between the motor and carb any help would be great thanks all yea and if u have any pics of pullers i would love to see them i want to try to use my 1200 frame and rear end a 149 nose and hood and maybe 122 style fenders
Beat it like it owes you money$$

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BigMike
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:45 pm
First and Last Name: Mike Andrews
Location: Niles,Michigan

Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by BigMike »

Brandon,as the old saying goes......speed costs money Son,how fast do you want to go ;)

If this is your first motor rebuild I would say cover the basics in close detail and then move up to more exotic parts.
I would say the main power builders will be an increase in compression and a more aggressive cam.
I have a 301 that is ready to be put together.The only out of the ordinary things I did were to have the block decked and the head milled(clean up cut only),smoothed the ports,relieved the block lightly,flywheel balanced and using Total Seal gapless rings.I was going to have the crank balanced but that was more than I really wanted to spend at the time.I did this extra stuff more for longevity than all out power.

bbungard
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:48 pm
First and Last Name: Brandon C Bungard
Location: Waynesburg ohio

Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by bbungard »

yea i have been asked that alot i was thinking about going .030 over and having everything cleaned up and the valves cut but when it comes to a cam i am clueless lakota engines is about 15 min from my house i have heard alot of good things about them and i might go down and talk to them i just dont know where to start..... but i like ur idea of it i would rather take the time to build it to last than to build it so i have to tear it down every 2 weeks or so.... all my friends have pulling tracks at there farms and we made up this class (this is a real hillbilly thing) that we run 3 cyl geo metro motors in cub cadets i want to spank there butts with a kohler......
Beat it like it owes you money$$

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Farmallgray
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:39 am
First and Last Name: Todd Markle
Location: Spring Mills, Pa

Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by Farmallgray »

Brandon,
I have been kicking around the idea of putting one of those 3cyl Geo engines in a pulling Cub and have done a little research on them. They are around 60 cubic inches and put out about 55 hp stock. If you want to "spank" one with a Kohler, you'd better start with a big block command V-twin and still figure on doing some work to that.

With a K301 or K321 you have half the cubes in a flathead and the Geo engine is even overhead cam.

I agree with everything Mike said, but you probably should figure on trying to compete with similar engines.

The 18hp cam was a good grind 20 years ago but you will probably do a lot better with one of the current aftermarket grinds as long as your rules allow it.
See my IH, Cub Cadet and tractor pulling youtube videos;
http://www.youtube.com/user/farmallgray

bbungard
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:48 pm
First and Last Name: Brandon C Bungard
Location: Waynesburg ohio

Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by bbungard »

i have a 25 kohler command i was gona put in my stiener is this a "big block" motor?? i guess it alll comes down to how much coin i wana spend
Beat it like it owes you money$$

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Farmallgray
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First and Last Name: Todd Markle
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Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by Farmallgray »

I'm not certain but I think the one they call the 'big block' is the 30hp and up block. I believe the 16-25s are all the same block dimensions.
See my IH, Cub Cadet and tractor pulling youtube videos;
http://www.youtube.com/user/farmallgray

KadillaK
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Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:32 pm
First and Last Name: Kraig Kadletz
Location: Green Bay, WI

Re: building a motor could use some help or tips

Post by KadillaK »

i really don't know where "big block" begins... a 30 is just a slightly stroked version of the 25-27. from the 18-25 the bores and strokes change, amongst other things... What i would do before i buy anything or want to pull in a class is go and watch them pull, there are some "clues" you can look for to approx. how much money/work they have done to the engine. Also if you have a good chassis combo, and you know your lawnmower, it is amazing how much power or lack there of you need. Just remember, you can have all the power in the world under your hood, if you can't hook it to the track what is the point of having it?

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