Homelite Build thread

[sam bennett]

I was able to find most of this thanks to Dave and Brian.

I'm going to document the slow rebuild process of some Homelite KR82 engines. Fortunately, these engines don't require a great deal of skill to rebuild. If you have some common tools, a press, heat gun, and internet, you'll do just fine.
 
This is what the final product should really look like. I'm going to take a few liberties and deviate from the factory perfect route i.e., fasteners and paint color.



I've done KL100's, KL92's, hybrid KR95's, among others. Below are my only two HL 82cc blocks. The part casting number 56694 is shown. The actual part number from the IPL is A-56714.




Here are the bare blocks after powdercoat. After blasting I use the high-temp tape (PET) to mask off the gasket mating surfaces.



See the bushing and roll-pin slot? It's a good idea to replace the bushings. Every HL engine I've done has an unacceptable amount of wear.
 
Fastenal has the bushings and the pn is 0434810. You'll have to groove the outside to fit the roll pin. I used a ball-mill to slot the bushing. Anything which can make a similar slot will work. Press a new 3/32 X 5/16" roll pin in to keep it from spinning in the block.



The bushing is a few thou too big from Fastenal. There has been lots of talk about grinding bushings and this may or may not clarify anything?

This type of bushing will crush proportional to the bore they are pressed in. Without modification, the new bushing from Fastenal is too tight around the crank.

You can't mess with the bushing bore, so you need to turn the outside down to get the proper crush. I found by making the OD around .874 worked fine. It was a light press fit in the block and was perfect for the crank. Waaaay better than the wallard out bushings in the used blocks.



At this point you can check the crank fit on the bushing.

If it's too tight, then press the bushing out and take another .001" off of the OD of the bushing.



Freshly burnished crank and new bearing. Snap ring in place.

You'll never find these cranks by looking for the 56423-A (right) or 56810 (left) part number. With that said, the 82 cranks are very common in the early saws. They had no counterweights and a 1.50" stroke.

The bearing part number is Nachi 56097. The metal shield is on the outside of the crank.



Some of the blocks can be really rough if water was left to sit inside. In the race to make saws lighter, Homelite used magnesium for the blocks, manifolds, and shrouds. This block in in great shape.



I made some "gasket-crankcase sealing" (55048-A) for the block. These are still available from the vintage saw collectors. If you have gasket material in the .020 range and a gasket cutter, make them yourself. The OD is just over 1.55" and the ID is about .800".



Heat the bearing pocket in the block with a heat gun. When it get's around 200F+ it's ready for the crank assembly. It will push right in with almost no pressure. With the bearing fully seated, the groove will be aligned for the retaining washers. If you mess this part up, then press the crank out and redo.