David Bradley 917.60029

[Stihler650]

I recently picked up a David Bradley 917.60029 from an older guy that bought it and never used it. The saw is in good shape and doesn't appear to be missing anything other than the spark plug. He said it didn't have one when he bought it 30+ years ago. I did some searching and find it calls for Champion J8, which I bought and does not fit the cylinder. The spark plug thread diameter is too small. What spark plug should be in this saw?

 

[pioneerguy600]

I recently picked up a David Bradley 917.60029 from an older guy that bought it and never used it. The saw is in good shape and doesn't appear to be missing anything other than the spark plug. He said it didn't have one when he bought it 30+ years ago. I did some searching and find it calls for Champion J8, which I bought and does not fit the cylinder. The spark plug thread diameter is too small. What spark plug should be in this saw?

If a J8 does not fit then the hole has been stripped out, possibly it has been rethreaded to a larger size but it certainly is not original.

 

[pioneerguy600]

The stripped out sparkplug holes are often rethreaded for a helicoil but most times they are installed incorrectly and will wind out along with the sparkplug during removal. The best option is to have a permanent insert installed so that they stay in even when the sparkplug is removed over and over. There are several types of inserts that will work, ie Timeserts is the one I use most.

 

[Stihler650]

If a J8 does not fit then the hole has been stripped out, possibly it has been rethreaded to a larger size but it certainly is not original.

The stripped out sparkplug holes are often rethreaded for a helicoil but most times they are installed incorrectly and will wind out along with the sparkplug during removal. The best option is to have a permanent insert installed so that they stay in even when the sparkplug is removed over and over. There are several types of inserts that will work, ie Timeserts is the one I use most.

Thank you. That’s what I am thinking happened. It is threaded, not stripped out so I think it was drilled and tapped larger. I guess I’ll look for a new cylinder or do an insert in the current one. Thanks for the information

 

[pioneerguy600]

Thank you. That’s what I am thinking happened. It is threaded, not stripped out so I think it was drilled and tapped larger. I guess I’ll look for a new cylinder or do an insert in the current one. Thanks for the information

I have had the pleasure or maybe the displeasure of repairing many vintage saws with this problem and found the inserts the better fix but they are not cheap to get set up with, the inserts themselves are not so pricey but the install kits often run a bit more than a one time user would want to invest, some machine shops and small engine repair shops can do the job but again they charge a good dollar for their services. Finding a good used cylinder should not be a very difficult task as most Bradley's I have seen never got enough run time to wear them out.