McCulloch Chain Saws

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Nice. You should be very proud of that.
Thank you. I am..She has good spark and compression. Carb rebuild tested good. No air leaks. but I decided not to fuel her. gonna park her on the shelf and make her a Queen. I put allot of time into making this one pretty. I cant bring myself to fire her lol. I got plenty to cut with.
 
Can you (or anyone) give me a quick rundown of the painting process?
How many coats? Does it need some sort of primer? Which colours did you use?
Every step is important. Cleaning is dirty work. I start with compressed air to get as much crud off as I can. then go to stripping wheels on a grinder, cordless drill, and dremel. After everything is removed I place the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner. Then clean with alcohol. Then steel wool and sand. then I use JB weld to fix bad spots. then I sand that down, clean surface with alcohol then prime with two coats. You have to be patient with the primer and paint. After primer I use a caterpillar yellow enamel made by Iron Guard. it really works well covering. Three coats of that. Next is still a work in progress. I am working on finding the perfect Black and Decker era yellow. I am getting close. I am fortunate to have a local paint shop that can match colors then tweak them. But the yellow and blacks are another 3-4 coats. I will use steel wool and.or 800 grit sandpaper in between coats to rid the surface of dust of irregularities then use compressed air an a bit of alcohol to ensure a good bond. Last is clear coat. I use a two part pro grade clear coat. Three coats of that also. Keep in mind I am doing all of this with rattle cans even if some are pro grade and custom mixed. I am certainly still learning on the paint side..But that is my method of attack. I can not over emphasize the importance of patience. That 55 above took over three weeks to get the way I wanted. If ya cut corners you get to start over lol. Ask me how I know. I am sure others here can add their insight also.
 
Thanks for explaining - it sounds like a lot of work!
It is/was. Lots of love in it. I got this saw from my uncle. It was in with a pile of 10-10s he had in the shed for parts that I bought. With all the saws I have, I didn't have a 55. I decided to go full bore on her. Mechanically and cosmetically. What knowledge I have acquired over the years, most of it is in this saw somewhere lol. Honesty I think subconsciously I poured into this saw so deep as to distract myself from my Uncles health situation. Regardless, I am not going to put this kind of time into every saw i touch. I decided this one is going on the shelf.
 
Progress thus far on my DE80 project...ive got the engine together including shrouds. Found a broken bolt in the head for the rear shroud. Fortunately enough was there to grab with pliers. Last night i got the fuel tank back on, so antivibe and dust boot are on. Rebuilt carburetor and put it on. This fuel tank is much different than a regular 82cc saw. It proved more tedious to install. Much more. Took me nearly half an hour to get it bolted in place. But its on there. Ive got the bottom plate to go and handlebar, lower mount, clutch and test fire this evening i hope. Gotta mow grass tonight. Heres progress so far...20220606_053003.jpg20220606_053018.jpg
Ill add it did have a dsp but its badly broken and not operational. This saw has the q-port exhaust so im going to put a bolt in there for now. I think id say this saw either had a tree hit it or it fell off of something. Bent up bottom brace, broken handlebar, cracked starter cover, and totally wrong clutch cover. It may have rolled down a hill. But theres no bad scratches..???
 
Progress thus far on my DE80 project...ive got the engine together including shrouds. Found a broken bolt in the head for the rear shroud. Fortunately enough was there to grab with pliers. Last night i got the fuel tank back on, so antivibe and dust boot are on. Rebuilt carburetor and put it on. This fuel tank is much different than a regular 82cc saw. It proved more tedious to install. Much more. Took me nearly half an hour to get it bolted in place. But its on there. Ive got the bottom plate to go and handlebar, lower mount, clutch and test fire this evening i hope. Gotta mow grass tonight. Heres progress so far...View attachment 993798View attachment 993799
Ill add it did have a dsp but its badly broken and not operational. This saw has the q-port exhaust so im going to put a bolt in there for now. I think id say this saw either had a tree hit it or it fell off of something. Bent up bottom brace, broken handlebar, cracked starter cover, and totally wrong clutch cover. It may have rolled down a hill. But theres no bad scratches..???

Sounds like crush damage, I've had a McCulloch grabbed by a storm damaged tree from me more than once and flung anywhere from 10' to 40' feet ,it will just land and idle waiting to be picked up.
 
It is/was. Lots of love in it. I got this saw from my uncle. It was in with a pile of 10-10s he had in the shed for parts that I bought. With all the saws I have, I didn't have a 55. I decided to go full bore on her. Mechanically and cosmetically. What knowledge I have acquired over the years, most of it is in this saw somewhere lol. Honesty I think subconsciously I poured into this saw so deep as to distract myself from my Uncles health situation. Regardless, I am not going to put this kind of time into every saw i touch. I decided this one is going on the shelf.

I understand the distraction of a good project, I often think that I got into maintenance because there was so much in my life I wanted to fix, and my philosophy degree was just trying to figure out how I worked.
I've got 1 ProMac60 in my collection and honestly I enjoy cutting firewood with it so much I can't let it sit for long.
 
Sounds like crush damage, I've had a McCulloch grabbed by a storm damaged tree from me more than once and flung anywhere from 10' to 40' feet ,it will just land and idle waiting to be picked up.
I must agree. With what is bent and broken id say it took a hit to the clutch side. Torqued the whole thing, bent and cracked parts on the way.


Tonight after i mowed i fired it up!! Runs like a top to be honest. It surprised me. Started and idled right like i ran it yesterday. I have a fuel line leak right at the carb inlet but other than that and a sluggish return throttle linkage it purrs like a happy kitty!! Lol. Few more things to tidy it up and this saw will be complete!!
 
I'd have to say that your DE80 & my DE80 met similar fates Vinny.Although I've concluded that my DE80 was unsecured on a load of freshly cut wood & the owner was tooling down the highway doing about 60 mph.The rear handle was broken off the tank,the front handle was partially broken,the clutch cover was missing entirely,& the recoil was in shambles.I got the donor saw from Mark for the rear handle/tank & Feebay for the clutch cover/brake.I had to replace one of the AV mounts compliments of Bob J.,& I managed to be able to save the recoil.I also ended up putting a new recoil spring in it.I never had to touch the carb other than take it off & put it back on again.
 
Maybe so ed. But it runs fantastic. Last evening i got the fuel line repaired. Retuned a bit. Put on a bar and chain. It starts great, idles very smooth. Oils great. Just has a few cosmetic issues to work thru. But all said a good 82cc mac engine alone for 100 bucks is a good score, this saw is nearly complete and runs. Id forgot i had a antivibe mcculloch half wrap handlebar that i found last night. Ill be putting it on this saw next go round. I think it was for a sp60. Gotta look and see what else i got. I know ive got a nos clutch/brake for it. Had it for years in a box. Now its needed. Ill get some pictures when i get all that put together.
 
The SP and PM model handles mount differently. On the SP the two bolt holes are horizontal and go through the clamp from the front. On the PM models the two bolt holes are vertical and the come up from the bottom of the saw.

I had some reproduction handles made that could accommodate either type saw. There is a solid plug in there so the steel tubing won't crush.

The OEM handle in the front of the stack is an SP type.

20220317_172023.jpg

Mark
 
The SP and PM model handles mount differently. On the SP the two bolt holes are horizontal and go through the clamp from the front. On the PM models the two bolt holes are vertical and the come up from the bottom of the saw.

I had some reproduction handles made that could accommodate either type saw. There is a solid plug in there so the steel tubing won't crush.

The OEM handle in the front of the stack is an SP type.

View attachment 994222

Mark
Yes i saw that mark, ill havta drill holes.
 
My son & I got some Mac time in today.I took a Stihl 017 for limbing & the oiler didn't want to work.My son had a Husky 41 for limbing & it lost a muffler bolt.The PM55 saved the day.It felled the tree & bucked up the major portion of the tree.Here's my son cutting with the PM55.The tree was a pine that was planted in the 40's & was dead.The base was about 30 in.across & the 55 had a 20 in.bar & chain on it.It ate through that pine like a hot knife through butter.
 

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Bob Johnson update:I just got off the phone with his long time lady-friend (Joan) & he suffered a massive heart attack around Memorial Day.The drs.are having trouble with his blood clotting & are trying to get that under control before they can send him to the cath lab for a catherization to find out the extent of the damage to his heart.He also has a very high white blood cell count.The way Joan was talking,she was not expecting him to make it out of the hospital.
I've only known Bob for 4 1/2 yrs.,but feel like I've known him much longer than that.I ask everyone to keep him in your prayers & thoughts.
 
He called me on the 17th. We have spoken on a few times, yet he calls and speaks like we are buddies just to let me know he had more saws to dig through looking for a part for me. Said he would give me another call after he was done looking.

Will pray for him. Ed, thanks for letting us know.

Ron
 
So as many of you know I have learned a great portion of what I now know about these old Macs from my Uncle. I have told a few of the cool stories of events and saws that relate to him, and the history I have growing up around him and them. He is a remarkable man. A tool and die man. A fixer, creator, tool maker, problem solver. Chainsaw and otherwise he has fixed many a thing for many folks. Not because it was his job, or he got paid but because he cares for others and loves to troubleshoot and solve problems. Now as many of you know his health has declined to the point that each day I can hear is voice is a prayer answered. We though we had lost him two weeks ago, and yet again he made it back home. He can no longer get to his basement workshop but he is home and feels like talking about saws and such. He has several DE80s. He is not a fan. Honestly they aren’t my favorite 82cc ten series either. But one in particular has always caused him to scratch his head. Months ago he had decided to convert it to a PM805. I talked him out of it because, well DE80s are in demand. I didn’t want to see one wasted. Earlier this week he asked me to take it home and see if I could get it to run right. He had been having issues with it for years. It never would run right. In his words “it was a dog”. I brought it to the house. Pulled carb (SDC 85) cleaned it rebuilt it, slapped it on the saw still a dog, plus it was pooling gas on the throttle butterfly. The carb was tested before I put it on. I leak tested the saw. It was good. I had to surmise that the carb body had some sort of hair line crank in it. After a few calls looking for the somewhat elusive SDC 85 the DE80s have. I decided to see if I could modify a 65 to it… Well long story short, I got it to work and the saw finally runs like it should. I made some test cuts. It cut really really well I called Uncle to let him hear it over the phone, He said “wow that saw never revved up like that before. He thanked me. I told him, all I did was what you taught me. He was surprised I figure out how to modify the idle adjustment to make the new carb function. All those years of him helping me solve issues with saws, I was honored to solve one for him. Truth is I was determined to get this one right for him. I will test fire the DE80 tomorrow, then drain the tank, run her dry and take her home to sit on a shelf beside the others he has. Life has a way of coming full circle. All I can add is I am a blessed man!


Max
 

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Back almost 10 yrs.ago my Russian buddy asked me to help him take down a monster maple that he was afraid would fall on his house.My friend is a very frugal guy who doesn't spend money unless he has to.He got a lift from his nephew & we proceeded to start hacking away at this monster maple.We got it down to where I didn't have a saw big enough to take down the main trunk & it sat there like a giant monument on his front lawn till last yr.He cut all the way around it,sorta like girdling the tree & let it sit for a few yrs.,then ;last yr.he hooked his truck on it & toppled it.I told him last yr.that I had the saw big enough now,an SP125 with a 36 in.bar on it.Back in 2013 the biggest saw I had was my Timber Bear with a 20 in.bar.I started on it 2 weeks ago & had problems with the chain on the 125,so had to quit.Today I took the 125 with a new chain on it & my PM55 to do some cutting as well.I cut several rounds with the 125,then cut the rounds into 1/8th pieces so they'd be easy to handle.I've never seen a maple as big as this monster.It's higher laying on the ground than I am tall (5'9").Here's the result of today's work.I'm having trouble keeping the chain tight on the 125 & my friend was a bit on the tired side today because he got up at 3:30 to go to work for overtime.To get an idea of the size of this tree I have my 125 sitting in front of the main trunk of what's left of the tree.(2nd pic)
 

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