souping up k341

[GuffdaStuff 4]

im hopefully going to be picking my first wheel horse (c160) this sunday.  i have been kicking around the idea of right off the bat yanking the motor and boring her 30 over along with a new valve job and mild polish job if possible.  has anyone here ever takin a 16 horse and added a little more pep to its step or not?  im obsessed with making engines run better faster stronger and would love to have a little single bore thumper.  also where could i find a performance cam shaft and all the engine internals id need for this rebuild.    i found one website that sells rebuild kits for like 120 bucks and i can get the over sized piston from them too....id love to get some feed back thanks!

[rmaynard 16,349]

Best place to look for the info you're seeking is http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/index.htm

[GuffdaStuff 4]

yes sir i just read up on all he has untill my eyes bled!  that guy really knows his stuff thats for damn sure!  i was thinking about having my head milled .050 like he recomends but i was wondering how far that would throw my timing off? i think its like one degree of timing for every mm shaved off the head.  is one degree really anything to worry about or not?  has any one ever done this and what kind of results did you get?  worth it or leave it stock??

[Wishin4a416 2,191]

A friend at work has one on a puller and it Dynoed over 50 horse. The skys the limit. It just takes deep pockets.

Your in the right state. His engine builder is in Ohio.

But realistically, you can just freshen it up and I think you will have plenty of power.

[puddlejumper 67]

If you are just going to work the tractor as it was intended,and it was intended to be a workhorse, I think you will be pleasantly suprised at how much thump it allready has. Now if its in need of some help because its lived a hard life. Your allready in there I think I would do the minimum to get it right. but thats your call

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Here's a few more sources:

 

http://www.lakotaracing.com/

 

http://www.midwestsupercub.net/

 

http://zkbrmachine.com/

 

http://www.kirkengines.com/

[joel_400 59]

You would be surprised what a good fine tuning will do. As far as milling the head .050 I've never been too fond of doing such unless its needed. You can however put a thinner copper head gasket in which will in turn net the same results. Lakota racing sells them down to .020 if I'm not mistaken. Also I've never seen the copper head gaskets leak like the composite over time. Just some more food for thought. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Joel

[GuffdaStuff 4]

 very good links and information i greatly appreciate all of it!!   im thinkin id like to do atleast a complete rebuild with a 30 over bore valve job and carb rebuild...maybe a new cam not sure yet but id like to get new springs retainers and lifters.....im not real sure exactly how these engines come apart but i know with a manual ill be able to do it ill just have to make sure i have the parts first before i go and get the cylinder machined....i seen on one of the websites they sell longer rods...they say 5.3 inches is stock and the next size up is like 5.36 will that work or will the piston come out of the block a little??   really not sure if someone has done this id love to hear how it worked out for you

[SALTYWRIGHT 861]

I HAVE MILLED THE HEAD SOME OF MINE. IT WAS A VERY  NOTICEABLE IMPOVEMENT. I DID 0.60  IF IT IS TO BE A WORKER DO NOT DO TOO MUCH..

[Jim_M 179]

You don't want a longer rod with a stock head and piston. A longer rod will pop the piston out of the bore. That works ok with a billet head , but not a stock head. You can run a longer rod with a stock head if you buy a piston with a lower deck height, in other words the wrist pin is moved closer to the top of the piston.

 If you buy a billet rod you'll probably have to mill some material off of one side to avoid hitting the camshaft. Zach Kerber sells a billet rod that's tapered like a stock rod and won't hit the cam.

 If you mill the head or use a thinner head gasket you should run a little higher octane fuel as you'll be raising the compression ratio a little. 89 to 92 octane should be fine. Start low and  If it pings under a load go a little higher. Run the lowest octane that you can, without pinging, for the most power.