Vintage Briggs, need info

[bertsmobile1]

Correct is a funny term, akin to authentic.
It is correct in so far that it is how the owner has been using it for 60 years, what more do you need ?
Did it leave the factory that way ?
Did it leave the showroom that way ?
Did the owner upgrade it at a latter date to make their life easier or safer ?
Dose it still function properly ?
Dose it matter ?

Well it does.
It is part of the history of the engine which should be more important than the catalogue correctness because the history of the engine is unique to that engine.
After all Briggs probably made 1/2 million of them of which 50% are still out there popping away doing what they were designed to do or sitting in the back of the shed "just in case".
It is one of those philosophical questions that haunts the vintage/ collector circles and never gets resolved.
People will crucify you for having "destroyed the authenticity" of the engine by leaving the recoil on.
However the same people will strip off all the original hammertone and repaint it with brand new 2015 paint to a much higher finish quality than the factory ever did then replace all the original fasteners with satin finish stainless steel ones, ypass the pints by fitting a module under the flywheel and think nothing about it.
What do you you want to admire ? The workmanship of the factory workers in 1950 using what was available in 1950 or what is current in 2015 ?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Good grief, what a manual. It's amazing the changes in the engines then compared to today. They are just about idiot proof now compared to the technical skill required to rebuild one then. It also seems like there are probably about 1/3 of the parts in an 80's flathead compared to this 40's engine. That's just based on the manual. It may be simpler once I start to break it down and actually see for myself.

Well remember when it was made, finding jobs for all the demobbed soldiers was just about the No1 priority of governments so businesses were encouraged to use labour intensive manufacturing.
Also machinery was very expensive but manpower was very cheap so complicated was not a problem.
Materials technology was in it's infancy so designing to the limit of the materials was a long way off.
Production technology was still in the transmission from steam to electricity
And tooling was still done with high carbon steel or at the best high speed alloy steel.
Things we take for granted like carbide tooling that can make thousands of cuts while retaining it's original dimensions was 30 years away.
Also remember that most of the workforce was manual so the hand eye co-ordination of the the average person was much higher than in todays push button society.
Most people could grab a length of wood and cut a dead square end by eye.
Mechanical things were new, popular , exciting and grabbed the interest of the general public so we were far more mechanically literate than we are today.
Half the male population would have had the same levels of mechanical skills as the average professional mechanic has now days beause most machines required constant maintenance .

 

[arch252]

Well........I cleaned the spark plug, changed the oil and put a little gas in it. It fired right up and runs like a champ.

Now my delimma, do I break it all down, sandblast and repaint, new decals, etc. OR leave it alone? I want to redo it and make it look really nice but I'm afraid if I break it down I may end up in an endless search fr parts and gaskets.

 

[silver1]

Well........I cleaned the spark plug, changed the oil and put a little gas in it. It fired right up and runs like a champ.

Now my delimma, do I break it all down, sandblast and repaint, new decals, etc. OR leave it alone? I want to redo it and make it look really nice but I'm afraid if I break it down I may end up in an endless search fr parts and gaskets.

If you look on Ebay and other sites, you may find restored Model 6 engines for sale. You can look at them and decide if you want to restore yours or leave it
all original. Rivets gave you a very good manual with Part#. Look on Ebay to find what is there. You should be able to find the complete casket set. My 6B block was not taken apart. I removed the head and checked valves and cleaned carbon out. New head gasket and new bolts. I don't think my cover was correct with it cut out!

 

[arch252]

Got up today to find that the carb was leaking, not surprising that those old gaskets were dried out. So at the very least the carb will be coming off. I love those old metal fuel lines, what a great look.

 

[silver1]

Got up today to find that the carb was leaking, not surprising that those old gaskets were dried out. So at the very least the carb will be coming off. I love those old metal fuel lines, what a great look.

I think the position of the gas tank maybe wrong. I see them on the other side of engine with longer metal fuel lines.

 

[arch252]

I noticed that as well looking at a picture of another model 6. I'm pretty sure I can swap it back and I'd like to do that to show off the carb and get the tank away from the exhaust. My only reservation is trying it straighten that copper line.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Interchangable as is the case with most stationary engines.
You have to be able to get to the line & in particular the tap without hanging from the roof

 

[arch252]

I also thought it was interchangeable, I just went out to tinker with it. The three mounting holes in the fuel tank mount plate only match the carb side of the cylinder head, the mounting plate cannot be switched to the other side, the bolt holes do not align. I could certainly bore new holes but I don't intend to do so. That is definitely the factory mounting plate and it had to come with the tank on the carb side.

 

[arch252]

Can anyone let me know where I could find a head gasket for this model 6? I've had no luck locally or with any of the regular online sources. Photos with measurements are attached.