LTX1040 Repower

Lost one.
Cannon

Since I took this picture I have wire brushed the engine shrouds and was going to prime and paint them with Rusty metal primer and Rustoleum paint. Do I need to use engine paint and primer. I'm not sure how hot these get.
Cannon

Normal paint should work okay. Usually the only place the paint burns off is the exhaust port and the muffler. Roger

I got the shrouds painted and back on the motor. I looked at the local mart for red heat/engine paint and the only had black so I used regular paint. I was cleaning out the inside of the flywheel and one of the magnets moved so I tried wiggling them all and 2 were loose. I took the 2 out ( being sure to keep them in the same place) and used JB weld to glue them back in place. I'll probably let that dry for a day. The cub uses a gravity feed tank so I'll either buy or make a block off plate for the fuel pump hole. I'm getting a little anxious to hear this motor run.
Cannon

would add an inline fuel shutoff valve to guard against future raw fuel in crankcase... modest investment.

Getting a little closer on the engine. After glueing the first 2 magnets on when I set the flywheel back on 2 more came loose. I glued them on and tried to remove the remaining 2 but the would not come off by hand. I was afraid the hit them with anything, I would probably break them. Got everything back on it yesterday and this morning made a crude block off plate for the fuel pump hole. All I had was some 1/4 plate, little thicker than what I needed but should work. I need to get it set in the Cub and figure out how fab up a muffler. The Courage muffler looks good so I would like to figure out a way to use it. I don't think this model LT ever came with a Command single so there is probably nothing to buy that would fit.
Cannon

I got the engine set in place and after fighting the pulley and belt got the mounting bolts started. I cut the Craftsman muffler off the head pipe and put it on the engine before I set it to see where it would end up on the frame. The head pipe makes a 90 degree turn out of the engine and clears everything. I would like to use the Courage muffler but don't have a way figured out yet. I've used the after market mufflers with the pipe threads before but they are to loud. I ran my Ossa Stiletto with no muffler in the '70s but that won't work now. I have a new exhaust flange and may just need to get some tubing and start from scratch. No wiring hooked up yet but I may hook the gas line up and see if it will crank today.
Cannon

Yesterday morning I hooked up the gas line, ran a jumper to the fuel solenoid, boosted the engine off and it started right up. I drove it around a few minutes to make sure the trans was ok and took it back to the garage. I started looking at the wiring and discovered there was no way to hook up the brake safety switch. I was in no mood to start hacking wiring so after drinking a cup of coffee I pulled the engine and went to the shed and got the Briggs 12 hp. I got it in, was able to connect the brake switch, shortened the throttle cable, added a cutoff to the fuel line and attached it and put a battery in it and started checking wiring. The connector on the tractor and on the engine were a match but I still checked to be sure the connector that matched the engine kill wire never had any 12 volt + on it . The only connectors that are joined are the charge wire and the engine kill wire, the others are blank on one side or the other. It cranked with the switch and is charging the battery at 14 VAC. This engine had a muffler on it and it clears everything but is aimed at the front tire. After running the engine long enough to check to see if the battery was charging the front tire was to hot to hold my hand on. I need to do something about that but that will be simpler than making an entire exhaust system for the Kohler. I would have rather used the larger Kohler engine but the Briggs fits the tractor much better. I have a couple of 38 inch mowers with 12 and 12 1/2 engines that do just fine so I think this engine will run the 42 inch deck ok. I'll try to get the deck on in the next few days and see how it mows.
Cannon

I removed the muffler shield and found that the pipe was just a screwed on diverter. So I took the diverter off the Courage muffler and put it on the Briggs muffler. I turned it down enough to not be aimed at the plastic hood, I would have gone a little more but the steering linkage would have hit it. Then I cut the heat shield to clear the diverter and put it back on.
Cannon

Yesterday I got the deck up on some sawhorses to take the blades off. I went and got the breaker bar but didn't need it because the nuts were not much more than hand tight. The star gears that go in the blades were chewed up so I spent about 20 minutes with a drill and a rotary file straightening them up enough for the blades to go on without riding up on them. Sharpened the blades and installed them. Today I put the deck back on and leveled it up then went and mower a section behind the house that was hay field last year. I didn't mow it very close or fast but it did alright except when for I would clip a fire ant hill. I'll keep this thing through the winter and decide next spring whether to use it or sell it. The hour meter shows 40.8 hours some of the time and 8's all the way across most of the time. If it only 40 it was a rough 40.

Thanks
Cannon

looks and sounds like your doing a great job !!