I got lucky last night

#1
First post for the new guy here. I had the opportunity to visit an old friend last night. He's a family man, we don't get a chance to see each other but a few times a year. We hang out in his garage/shop, smoke cigars and have a few adult beverages. Usually tinker on a project. At one point I mentioned my minibike project, he says 'you wait right here', grabs a flashlight and walks out to the storage shed out back. Walks in with this beauty and says 'I keep forgetting, this is yours, take it home with you'. Old friends are good to have.

I'm sure most here know how to interpret her vital statistics. She spent her days bolted to a Simplicity Rotocul Supermatic.

She's got good compression, and even decent spark. Recoil needs some help mechanically, but I love the patina on the shroud. I'm not sure exactly what to do with her yet, but something will come to me.

I've been having a wonderful time poking around your web-site. Thanks for having me along for the ride.

Hef


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#3
Really nice score, looks to be in awesome original condition. Most parts will interchange from the 5HP models. This site is a treasure trove of knowledge, welcome aboard! :thumbsup:
 
#4
Really nice score, looks to be in awesome original condition.


He has the original carb and gas tank on his rototiller. At some point he swapped this 4hp for a 5hp B&S 'Craftsman'. Other than that it's a survivor in good shape. I'm pretty deep into a minibike project right now, but at some point this will be a complete rebuild.

Thanks for checking in!
 
#9
I don't see near as many 4hp for sale. Not exactly sure what that means though.
Ya 4hp Briggs are rather unusual. I see briggs 2, 3, 3.5 and 5hp pretty often but 4hp only pop up once in awhile. In my opinion the size is perfect for a minibike, powerful but not to bulky. I currently have a 4hp briggs from the 80's that i need to restore, it's not as cool as yours mid 60's one though!... the decal is much more elegant and has a period correct look to compliment these old style mini's.
 
#10
the decal is much more elegant and has a period correct look to compliment these old style mini's.
I could not agree more. When I get around to rebuilding it, I'll be wary of ruining the patina on the bolts.


However, that's not the look I'm going for on my current build. This is the '94 3hp I've been working on/buying parts for. I've long pondered the polished case look. I consider this a pretty good start.

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#11
That is SWEEEET ~!~!

I have a older 5 HP I am going to redo and I picked up a 3 0r ?? HP today from the can man scrap yard for a few bux. No air shroud on it soooo I will have to get the letters and number off the rod to see about what it is.

I havent tore into yet tho. What was stamped on your rod when you popped the sump off ?? Was it MOD 9.6 ?? Most Vertical briggs 10 series have that stamped on the rod.
 
#12
That is SWEEEET ~!~!

I havent tore into yet tho. What was stamped on your rod when you popped the sump off ?? Was it MOD 9.6 ?? Most Vertical briggs 10 series have that stamped on the rod.
Sorry for the delayed response. The rod has 06 stamped on one side, 43 on the other. Only markings I see.

It's been a while since I've had a chance to break out the wet/dry. Gotta get back at it. Good luck!
 
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