Jason,

Why not just set the engine further back on the frame a few inches? You'd have to get a shorter drive belt, but it could be done....

Maybe relocate the battery box to under the seat? A motorcycle battery will crank that engine with no problems, and you can get them cheap. MUCH smaller than a lawnmower battery too!

Just my .02...

Kevin

I hope you have luck with the HF (Honda knock-off) we put one on a pallet dismantler. It ran really well at first, then we started having problems. I agree th price was right, but the one we got had issues. If I remember right we actually went through a full break-in period... These motors last longer if you baby them.

China has come a long way But they are still many miles from Japan!

I guess I would try to move the engine back a ways to Jason fab it the way you need it. Making a hood grow is going to look funny.
Mike in N.D.

I would NOT move the engine back. If you use it for anything except pulling a trailer, nothing will work. The snow blower belt won't fit. The mower deck belt won't fit, the tiller belt won't fit. You name it, if it's belt driven, it won't fit.

I had a clearance problem like that when I put a larger air cleaner on C-Horse. Actually, it hit the headlight bucket. So I removed that, put just the plate on the front, and it fit.

If you NEED the headlights, you have the option of extending the hood as you mentioned, or finding a hood from a later model, with the attachment point on the front tach a matic, and adapting it to fit.

Thanks guys, I'll be looking into the options soon... I hope. I like the idea of moving it back and relocating the battery to under the seat, but like Dale says, that would throw off any belt driven accessories. I would imagine though, I could probably just remeasure and lengthen or shorten belts. I'm thinking about the hood extension too... I agree it might look a little funny with a longer hood, especially since the two tractors I'm looking at for the transplant are both long frames already. Be kinda neat to see. I'll keep you guys posted.

What about sacrificing a "not-so-good" hood by cutting out a section of the grille enough to give you the needed clearance?
It might look a little strange, but big engines protruding from the confines of the engine bay have been COOL for years!

All long frames have the same length frame, even the 500 Series, but some have much longer hoods.

The hood is simply extended forward from the pivot point at the bottom, as well as on the top, and it winds up looking right.

they have a Briggs engine too. My experience with Chine copies is they are attractive because of price, but don't expect the same service.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=97202

Jason,
Since Pete resurrected this thread, how's your progress on this project?

Hey Terry... haven't taken time to work on it. I've been busy with a few things lately.... besides the new baby... I have been restoring an old kickstart Briggs Y for my father in law to run a squirrel cage fan at tractor show, I've torn apart that B-80 and have been cleaning parts to start listing on greedbay, and just the other night before we went into the hospital, I finally got my new 603 up on my work table so I can try to have it ready for the LeSeuer show in August for the North Central Wheel Horse Events Club meeting.

I'd like to get working on that repower though... that big dumb engine is taking up a lot of valuable bench space at the moment! I'll post pictures when I get to it. My next door neighbor is a body shop guy who works in a special section doing restorations for his boss, he said he'd help me try to extend the hood the few inches I need. My B-80 hood will probably be the sacrafice... it's ok... it's got a beat up grill anyway.... and I'll add the TT front hitch adapter (front hitch is another salvage part from the B-80)... that should give me the extra necessary space up front . I think I'll just cut the flat steel I need for the adapter out of the frame.... nobody wants a b-80 frame anyway.... Thanks for checking... I'll keep you posted.

That's a good idea, Jason - since the matching holes should already be drilled.
Just remember that you'll have to flip the pieces "inside-out" because the inside of the angle-iron is tapered. (I know you knew that already, but it never hurts to post stuff like that. )

Oh yeah.....Thanks TT, yes I knew that... but without being reminded... I probably would have ended up with them backwards, upside-down and cockeyed. (and swearing at them!)

Jason,
Thanks for updating your progress, or lack thereof as it comes to the repower. I know that with the new addition to the family that time has been, and will be, scarce. Sounds like you have multiple projects in progress or soon to be in progress.

I know some folks here check other boards as well and may have already seen this... but since it fit this topic I started a while back, I thought I'd add the link. This guys project is coming out nicely. He is looking for a sacrifice 604/654 belt guard so he doesn't have to cut his original. Can anyone help him out?

http://wheelhorse.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=892

ok i knoweveryoe is going to get mad, but i have to say it, why would all of you guys sit here and allow this guy to buy this POS enine, they are not honda's they are brought into my work every week buy guys just like you guys " trying to save money" they suck, they ae impossible to get parts for nd what a joke. theres a reason why kohlers are around so long and tecumseh as much as you hate them they work fine when taken care f, same with briggs, but to take an american made tractor with such a history and throw some POS JAP made junk on her, you should be ashamed, and hat me all you want right now, write back to me in 12 months when this engine is in the scrap pile, oops i mean plastic recycle pile.