Hello from Florida

Hello everyone , my name is Adam . I am a GM automotive technician at a local Chevrolet Dealership. Ive recently picked up this hobby about a year ago and have been using this site for all my information and guidance needs . Which have been more than helpful . And I must thank everyone on here for the information they posted. I've got a few projects going on so far. I am in the middle of fabricating my 97 craftsman 15hp kohler, into a 6 wheel mower for towing . Also installing two 6 speed peerless 930s to have 4 wheel drive. I've recently aquired a large MTD yard machine with the 18hp twin opposed, but I haven't started with that one just yet. I basically gave it a tune up and made sure it moved in all low gears and all high gears. Im currently finishing up my 2006 troybilt pony offroad mower as of now. Anyways great forum ! I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it.

Welcome to the tractor modding club man! Sounds like you have some really cool projects that the members here will be interested in seeing. I look forward to seeing your first build threads.

Welcome GasketCase! If you need help uploading pix there is a how-to at the bottom of my signature.

Welcome to the forum! I'd definitely like to see a build thread or two, sounds like you got some neat stuff going on!

Welcome to the forum bud! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I have a good collection of photos and videos I've been taking of the progress. I just need to take a minute from the action and write few good build threads I've been working with . It's hard to stand still sometimes when you got so many great ideas running through your head haha.

I like the sounds of that! I've been in your shoes with the Ideas!

I officially made my first thread . Take look and seeven what you think. I also threw in a quick sneak peak of the progress on the troybilt, since I put the 6 wheel craftsman on hold for a week or two.

i don't think that locker is going to break. LOL

I can pull wheelie from 3rd gear stand still with 1/4 throttle in the dirt and snatch 4th at half throttle ( takes me a couple tries with the inertia of a wheelie) it'll break the wheels loose before the front end comes back down. Too much fun man. I have to give the 17.5 hp props . Haha. Got a 2 inch on the engine and a 4 1/2 on the transaxle. It gets a little hairy in 6th gear WOT. Gotta upgrade steering. Probably get to that after I fabricate a new intake to block . I have a big keihin carb of a kawakasaki speed bike. (See in those photos) the flange mounts are almost diagonal of normal mower carbs. So only way to level carb was to cut the plastic intake and turn it and super glue then loctite super glue then 2 part epoxy jb weld and then liquid nail super glue on top of it all and it still seems to fall apart after 10 minutes of riding. Either gas is eating the glue or the vibration is ripping it.

Jb weld is a great expoxy and one would think just that would work. I wonder if there is some chemical reaction going on between the different adhesives. Did the intake fail right at the glue joint?

Welcome to the forum!                

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Jb weld is a great expoxy and one would think just that would work.  I wonder if there is some chemical reaction going on between the different adhesives.  Did the intake fail right at the glue joint?

I'm with Carl on this one because JB Weld is gas proof to my knowledge. Some of that other stuff like super glue isn't.

I thought so too! But my first try was just using jb weld two part clear epoxy and it broke once I made it around the block so I tried all of them together but waiting to apply the next glue after the previous one was cured and dry .and yes it keeps breaking at the location . Today I am going to try and build my own out of 1 inch I.D. steel tubing that I got for the exhaust and I have plenty to experiment with. Let me gather some pictures of the O.G. intake and glues . See what yall think .

So there's the glues I tried melting a previous intake but since it's ABS plastic, it didn't turn out as planned . So intake thought of maybe glueing. Also before you ask , here is my dilemma . The carb mounting is for a kawasaki 750 speed bike I have with a blown motor. It had 4 of these side by side with rubber mounting boots that won't work for the mower. So I have to create my own. I was trying to cut corners by using the plastic B&S intake instead making a steel one .

Also the 17.5 hp B&S (31 CID I believe since I can't find engine numbers anywhere. Not even on the valve cover. )But anyways. The motor runs like a champ with the carb. Idles beautiful and reacts perfect by just " snapping" the throttle quickly. No chugging or sputtering. Plus it's the biggest carb I got laying around , cause I have about 20 or so carbs in my collection of mower parts. But like I said I think my only option is to weld up my own. If you guys got any ideas . Feel free. I'm going to start building one today .

OK, what should work, clean up the gunk you have there.  Get you some JBWeld that is the 2 tubes (black creme and white cream)  Find you some thin plastic that you can use as a shim between the 2 parts.  

Mix your 2 parts jbweld 50/50 coat the outside of the shim and insert inside the 2 halves. (a sort of inside bridge)  Any excess smooth out the inside lip.  Then take what you have left and put in the seam liberally then smash the 2 parts together then smoothen out, but leave it a bit thick.   Leave 24hrs and it should work as 1 unit.

Hope that made sense.

Ok! I appreciate the advice . Let's see what I can do .

@MightyRaze OK so I got back to the intake dilemma I was having , jumed back at the 18hp . Let me know if what I did was correct from what you said a few days ago. Ill post pics in order

Yeah, something like that.  Make sure you smooth down any ridges inside.  Let it cure at least 24hr.

Yeah I did it late last night. It's already hardened up but I rather wait the 24 hrs then sand it smooth again. With your idea of the bridge , both pieces have a 1/2 inch in them and a 1/4 between the intake pieces themselves. So 10 pm tonight my neighbors will be in for a treat. Can't leave it untested ahaha.

Oh absolutely!  

Hope it holds for a long time.

Holding great so far. Used a dremel with some type of cable driven extension (part of a woodworking kit I found ) to get down inside the intake. Worked great cause there happen to be a lot if jb weld inside. Test drove it and didn't break !

Sorry for being upside down. Dropped phone so many times , it doesn't like to rotate the screen every once in awhile. Now for finishing the intake (filter side) I want to somehow run the filter where the hood has this plastic, so that when the hood is down it the flywheel fan draws in air then dispersing it to engine . I see it maybe shoving more air down the engine. But I would have to somehow route the air being forced by flywheel in intake. Worth a shot or what? Maybe I should just run a velocity stack and throw the cold air filter on . Seems easier haha.

I flipped your picture right side up for ya. Nice job on the fix!