The 3400 that could!

[SamT1]

So I’ve been wanting to build a saw to carry in my tool box and let it get beat to heck. I’ve bought a couple 3400 parts saws and think I can make one good one!

Saw #1 was complete but had the piston broke off the rod.

Saw #2 looks to have a good motor but is missing all the small parts due to mishandling by USPS imagine that!

So I’m gonna do as wild of a port job as I am capable of. Mill the jug down to .020. Open the muffler way up. Maybe touch on the timing a little. And see what I end up with!
It’s probably going to be a slow build but hey it’s just for fun!

Check out this pile of nasty crap I’m starting with!

A little local nostalgia. This guy was the king of small engines around here when I was a kid. I’ll definely be using this cylinder cover! I assume he is long gone since he was old then. It was a quality family shop you don’t see the likes of much anymore.


So far I’m shocked at how restrictive the ports are on the 3400. Is there a reason for this? Will it scream to the moon if I open them up? It just seems like they went out of their way to make the exhaust port restrictive.

 

[Efisher26]

There’s a lot of guys that have done some porting on them, they are screamers when done, check YouTube


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[champion221elite]

I have a soft spot for a Poulan 3400. My dad still has one and its the first saw I ran as a kid.

 

[Efisher26]

I love mine, first one I bought as a home owner, I now have 3, one for parts. I’m afraid to port it tho, never done it before.

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[SamT1]

I love mine, first one I bought as a home owner, I now have 3, one for parts. I’m afraid to port it tho, never done it before.

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I wouldn’t worry about messing up a 3400 cylinder. They are nearing dime a dozen status. The 3700 you’d want to be careful with and a 4000 would be irresponsible to mess with if you don’t have some experience.

 

[Huskybill]

That exhaust port is begging to be ported and polished. I been searched for a saw to port and everyone runs so good I hate to touch it. I need a sleeper that no one expects to clean house.

Decades ago before husky saws there was a 6 cube Poulan saw?

After losing my job to cheaper machine tools from Japan I went to the speed cutting at the local fairs with a vengeance with my 2100. Six slices and boring two holes without breaking out in 17.5 seconds. That 2100 was smoking. Of course I was in great shape all limbered up fresh from the woods. I hung in there with the land clearing guys and loggers.

 

[SamT1]

Yea that’s kinda the plan with this one. Leave it looking like hell, but make it run good enough to stomp some sub 60cc modern saws.

 

[Huskybill]

Cool idea a butt kickin wood destroying sleeper. Something like a 2.0 mcculloch just for laughs with a pipe.

 

[jltrent]

So I’ve been wanting to build a saw to carry in my tool box and let it get beat to heck. I’ve bought a couple 3400 parts saws and think I can make one good one!

Saw #1 was complete but had the piston broke off the rod.

Saw #2 looks to have a good motor but is missing all the small parts due to mishandling by USPS imagine that!

So I’m gonna do as wild of a port job as I am capable of. Mill the jug down to .020. Open the muffler way up. Maybe touch on the timing a little. And see what I end up with!
It’s probably going to be a slow build but hey it’s just for fun!

Check out this pile of nasty crap I’m starting with!
View attachment 722124 View attachment 722125 View attachment 722126
A little local nostalgia. This guy was the king of small engines around here when I was a kid. I’ll definely be using this cylinder cover! I assume he is long gone since he was old then. It was a quality family shop you don’t see the likes of much anymore.
View attachment 722127 View attachment 722128

So far I’m shocked at how restrictive the ports are on the 3400. Is there a reason for this? Will it scream to the moon if I open them up? It just seems like they went out of their way to make the exhaust port restrictive.
View attachment 722130

I would break those parts up and sale. As a whole the old saws are not worth much, but in parts worth a fortune.
The bar cover and recoil will sale high if in good shape.

 

[SamT1]

That’s no fun for me!
I like running them. I haven’t had much luck finding the cheap runners local. Shipping is pretty rough on whole saws.

I used to have money and time to build performance engines for myself and others, but now I have neither. So I kinda get my fix for cheap on these chainsaws.

 

[Brent Adams]

Fisher, I've got a 3400 just like the black and grey one, just not as pretty. Its a good stout one. Be interested to see what a little muffler and port work will do Sam T.

 

[Efisher26]

I have done the mufflers, just no porting


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[SamT1]

Fisher, I've got a 3400 just like the black and grey one, just not as pretty. Its a good stout one. Be interested to see what a little muffler and port work will do Sam T.

I have a 3700 craftsman red that’s ported that will cut with a stock stihl 440. And I’m not even a professional saw modifier. That little choked up exhaust port on a 3400 should make a huge difference to just cut that step off to make it like a stock 3700 port. I’m gonna go way farther though! And the anemic compression that the 3400 has too, will have to be fixed. It’s like they purposefully detuned the 3400’s. I wish I knew why. It’s really a candidate for apopup piston, but I’m not gonna spend that having one done.

 

[Efisher26]

Any mod needed for base gasket delete on yours, or was there enough room or squish or whatever?


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[SamT1]

Any mod needed for base gasket delete on yours, or was there enough room or squish or whatever?


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Plenty of room on the 3700. I’ve not measured the 3400. I plan to mill it down though to .020 if needed, since the chamber is the same size and reduced bore makes that ratio lower at equal deck height or whatever you call it on a 2 stroke.

 

[SamT1]

So I’m working on my cylinders and the best one has some scratches in the wall I haven’t been able to scotchbrite out. For the most part they are below where the rings run. Would you just get a little more aggressive maybe with some flitz or would you use some mild sand paper?

 

[Huskybill]

Once I port I move the exhaust port up, widen it, and lower the intake port, widen it. I actually parallel it a tad side to side to the cylinder side port to the outside port opening. Then I advance the ignition a tad. The ignitions that aren’t adjustable I slot the holes with a round file.

Once the port is moved and opened up with the barrel shaped rotary file I noticed the angular shaped rotary file leaves a smoother finish. After it’s smoothed more I switch to a red polishing compound. Then I use a simi chrome polish to polish the port the best I can.

 

[SamT1]

So I’ve finally found some time to finish this thing. It runs on prime, but won’t suck fuel. I’ll order a kit I guess. The diaphragms looked like they would work but no dice.
So carb kit and need to do the muffler.

I did a 30 minute port job. It’s not polished the best but it’s probably So big that won’t matter. Lowered it to level with piston top and raised it double or so what the base gasket was.
I took the sharp edges out of the plastic intake. I put some bubble ports to lower the intake some without getting rid of the bridge that splits the ports. Kinda crude but whatever it’s a 3400! Polished some casting flaws from the transfers but lost interest before I got round to knife edging them or raising a little. I’m probably going to weld 2 1 inch pipes on the sides of the muffler and make the openings 3/4 inch to the muffler body.

 

[svk]

Looks like a fun project!

 

[cuinrearview]

Looks like fun! You may want a little more arch in the top of that exhaust port. I hope you don't mind the feedback.