My 044 -> 046BB rebuild worklog

Thought it might be fun to put a little worklog together on my new project. I decided to finish up my 066 after I get done with this one as I didn't want to have two saws in pieces at the same time.

So, here is day one, a parts saw off ebay, turned out to be in a little worse condition than I expected. Saw was noted as "Runs, but missing side covers". I bought a good used starter cover along with the parts saw.

This is what I ended up with:


After a couple of bolts on the cover, I proceed to pull the starter slowly with an immediate sense of "Oh boy...bad crank bearings...not good".

So I tore it all down....cylinder had more scoring than I wanted too...so my plan is to rebuild bottom to top and use an 046BB piston/cylinder for the top end..

Plan to make good use of my new sand blast cabinet and arbor press..

Some sandblasting results. This picture is after sandblasting and installing new bearings, getting ready for some Stihl paint.



Really like the new blast cabinet...

i do believe you're having a little fun

looks good so far!

forestryworks said:

i do believe you're having a little fun

looks good so far!

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I don't know what it is about the need to work on saws, but I enjoy it.

Here is a picture after painting the cases and tank. Turned out better than I thought it would.

And someone mentioned long bolts for putting the case back together. I found some long M5 threaded rod and aluminum spacers that worked perfectly. The other rods also hold the gasket in place, so it worked really well.

Looks great so far. I like mine so far.

Very nice pics,they put mine to shame. Keep up the posts.

Thanks!

This was my first saw case splitting and bearing replacement, so I'm pretty happy after last night getting the cases back together and seals installed.

I was a little dissapointed in the saw's condition, but it's turning out real nice so far.

And now I'm at this point, where the fun oversize work begins...

I got my new 046BB from ebay. I did have an order in with Bailey's but they were out of stock, so I had to find another source.





Yeah baby! That's what I like to see...lol!:greenchainsaw:

OK, last one for today.
I did do a little testing of the 046BB cylinder in the base and cover clearance. It actually seems like it might fit in the base ok (May have to trim a little off the side, we'll see), I know I will have to mill out some mounting holes for the 044 bolt spacing which is closer to the bore and smaller. I'll post more on that after I get it done.

This is what I ended up doing for the cover trimming. It doesn't take much and the 044 top will fit on, here is my rough trim with the router and a tiny drill bit to cut with.



To be continued...

Martinm210 said:

Some sandblasting results. This picture is after sandblasting and installing new bearings, getting ready for some Stihl paint.

Really like the new blast cabinet...

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Really nice work. What kind of media are you using in the blast cabinet?

Oh, and how did you repaint it? Rattle can?

Very nice work. Looking good.

parrisw said:

Oh, and how did you repaint it? Rattle can?

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And what kind of primer did you use on the tank? Looking good so far...

Dang...this is a really nice thread. You do super nice work. Putting my 064 with 066BB project to shame. Keep the pictures coming

Martinm210 said:

And someone mentioned long bolts for putting the case back together. I found some long M5 threaded rod and aluminum spacers that worked perfectly. The other rods also hold the gasket in place, so it worked really well.

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That is the way to go. No guess work or custom tools and very smooth/efficient. Wish I did that with my case.

Thanks!

parrisw said:

Really nice work. What kind of media are you using in the blast cabinet?

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I'm just using a fine sand, it is a little harsh though for aluminum so I typically just do enough to knock the paint off.

parrisw said:

Oh, and how did you repaint it? Rattle can?

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Yeah, I just used genuine stihl paint. First I bought three cans off ebay for $12 a pop. Then I ordered some from my dealer for $6.95..oops.. One can is enough to do a saw.

Jacob J. said:

And what kind of primer did you use on the tank? Looking good so far...

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I used this krylon fuzion in a white paint made specifically for plastic as my primer.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/


It seemed to do a good job bonding to the plastic, but more importantly I made sure the surface was sanded down to 200 grit to give it something to cling to. Then I did the plastic krylon fuzion white for two coats, let it dry complete for a couple of days, then roughened that surface with a brillo pad and then went with two coats Stihl grey, light sanding in between all coats.

I have no idea if this will be durable or not, but as bad as the plastic was, I figured it wasn't much of a loss. It look good for now...

I also did three stitching repairs on the front part of the handle. I drilled out a bunch of tiny holes at those cracks and used electrical wire to sew them up, then covered them with a layer of JB weld. After a little sanding and paint, you can't even see it and it feel really strong with the wire stitching.

Here is a quick before and after on the tank repair. I actually stitched up two cracks then JBwelded them. I found that using fine copper wire electrical wire worked pretty well. The finer wires tend to lay down pretty flat and when you cover it up with the JB-weld, it seems to bond really well also. It just take time threading through all the little holes more patience than I had, but I managed.

I noticed your front handle where it bolts up to the tank extension is bent badly and that will distribute enough stress to the tank extension to break it again if you don`t straighten it up before reassembly. It needs to run straight across the bottom, not skewed like it is now.
Pioneerguy600

pioneerguy600 said:

I noticed your front handle where it bolts up to the tank extension is bent badly and that will distribute enough stress to the tank extension to break it again if you don`t straighten it up before reassembly. It needs to run straight across the bottom, not skewed like it is now.
Pioneerguy600

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Yeah, I tossed the old handle and bought a new one from Bailey's I wasn't sure I would be able to straighten it right and they are pretty cheap anyhow. I checked the new handle and it's fitting good, so I think it'll be ok.

I also started measuring and marking that 046BB base against the 044 jug. It appears it won't take very much milling to get the holes lined up for the 044. You could probably even do it with just a round saw file pretty well. I'll post up some pics after I get that work done.

looks great i am jelous,,

Martinm210 said:

Thanks!

This was my first saw case splitting and bearing replacement, so I'm pretty happy after last night getting the cases back together and seals installed.

I was a little dissapointed in the saw's condition, but it's turning out real nice so far.

And now I'm at this point, where the fun oversize work begins...

I got my new 046BB from ebay. I did have an order in with Bailey's but they were out of stock, so I had to find another source.

Yeah baby! That's what I like to see...lol!:greenchainsaw:

Click to expand...

i have a few questions if you dont mind.i just put a 044 bb on my 044 which is 52mm,but will the 046bb line up right with the crank and the bolt holes,,