Stihl 075 - Complete Rebuild, Performance Mods

[bulletpruf]

Lookin good Scott, One of my 076's has the spacers to move the muffler guard out. It came that
way when i got the saw. The saw is in really nice shape so i think it is original. I like to look as
it makes the saw look wider and stout.

On the 051 mufflers, They have a smaller port and bolt pattern where it mounts to the cylinder.

Lee -

That's my understanding on the mufflers -- the spacers are original. I have a saw or two in my collection with these as well.

Good point on the mufflers - they're not interchangeable.

Scott

 

[jacob j.]

Hey Scott -

This is a great thread and nice work! I've done complete rebuilds in my day on two 075s, an 076, and an 051. They're good saws, even if the fasteners vibrate out occasionally.

 

[bulletpruf]

Wasn't happy with how intake gaskets and carburetor heat shield protruded into the intake port so I did some minor grinding and trimming.



Noticed that the case I was using was a bit different than the case that the parts came from. It has an extra threaded boss for the later style muffler guard to attach. I ended up using a spare muffler guard that I had that had matching paint and patina.





Here you can see three different muffler guards that I had in my stash. I'm not sure if there are other variations out there.



Fuel tank/starter assembly cleaned up and ready to be reinstalled.

 

[bulletpruf]

Got it all back together and then the fun started....

When I pulled the starter handle, the cord wouldn't rewind. No big deal; I installed the pawl and spring assembly upside down. Easy enough to fix.

Then it turned over fine, but made a helluva racket. I knew what the sound was immediately -- noisy crank bearings. When I removed them, they felt a bit gritty, but I thought it was just some carbon and grit that needed to be cleaned out. They felt good when cleaned and oiled so I reinstalled them. Dumb move. New bearings are only about $20 for a set ($90 if you buy NOS Stihl) but I didn't have any handy when the saw was coming back together. So it has to come back apart to install a set of new SKF bearings. Fook.

Also checked for spark and didn't see any. *s-worde. I have a few extra coils, trigger units, etc, so I can swap stuff around if needed.

To add insult to injury, there was an 076 that just sold on eBay over the weekend for $660. Seemed to be in similar condition to the 076 that sold for $1525 a few weeks ago; only difference was this one was a Super. Is a Super really worth more than twice what a regular 075/076 is?

 

[hseII]

Lookin good Scott, One of my 076's has the spacers to move the muffler guard out. It came that
way when i got the saw. The saw is in really nice shape so i think it is original. I like to look as
it makes the saw look wider and stout.

On the 051 mufflers, They have a smaller port and bolt pattern where it mounts to the cylinder.

Hello Uncle Lee-

Have you had one of these ported?

Are their gains to be had?

It seems either they are great or they are turds depending on each saw & luck of the draw. I just happen to know where a decent one resides...


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[huskyboy]

Then it turned over fine, but made a helluva racket. I knew what the sound was immediately -- noisy crank bearings. When I removed them, they felt a bit gritty, but I thought it was just some carbon and grit that needed to be cleaned out. They felt good when cleaned and oiled so I reinstalled them. Dumb move. New bearings are only about $20 for a set ($90 if you buy NOS Stihl) but I didn't have any handy when the saw was coming back together. So it has to come back apart to install a set of new SKF bearings. Fook.

At least you found a set of bearings, it’ll be worth it for the peace of mind. I had a 066 I just had rebuilt that had the factory shielded bearings (a terrible idea on there part by the way lol). They too seemed ok until I flushed the case... then they made noise and play was able to be felt. I guess a layer of carbon buildup and oil can hide stuff in a way? This was a fairly low hour saw too. I’ve learned to ask the question “when was the last rebuild”... before buying any old used saw. If never... well the price goes down.

 

[Lee H]

Hello Uncle Lee-

Have you had one of these ported?

Are their gains to be had?

It seems either they are great or they are turds depending on each saw & luck of the draw. I just happen to know where a decent one resides...


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How's it going Heath, No never ported one. Dave Smith has one that he put together
that might be port but i can't remember.

 

[hseII]

How's it going Heath, No never ported one. Dave Smith has one that he put together
that might be port but i can't remember.

I previously owned the one I have on my mind: I think the nice chap would let it go however I don’t remember it being very sporty.


I hope you & yours are doing well.



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[Lee H]

I previously owned the one I have on my mind: I think the nice chap would let it go however I don’t remember it being very sporty.


I hope you & yours are doing well.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You as well Buddy. Hope we meet again in a not so distant future.

 

[Lightning Performance]

You as well Buddy. Hope we meet again in a not so distant future.

Like maybe a gtg?

I've heard of those

 

[bulletpruf]

SKF bearings will be here today. Time to disassemble again. At least I won't have any cleaning to do; I spend way too much time on this - q-tips, dental picks, etc.

Also have pretty much decided against any mods. From what I have seen, mild porting doesn't seem to make much of a difference. If anything, I could shave a bit off the crank key to advance the timing a bit.

How are y'all heating up your cases for bearing installs? The bearings weren't too difficult to install, but still had to pound a bit. Wondering if my heat gun isn't putting out enough heat; maybe toss these in the oven? I think I could convince the Long-Haired General to let me use the oven for this. She's already ok with me throwing bearings in the ice bin to cool them off.

 

[JonCraig]

I use a propane torch (but then again, I’ve never repainted nor powdered case halves) to heat cases to 300 or so dungarees Frankenstein. On Stihls when the powder starts to bubble I’m there. And I have the bearings in the deep freeze for a half hour or more prior.

 

[bulletpruf]

Saw is partially disassembled; just gotta split the case and tap the old bearings out. That'll happen today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, what do y'all think about these air filters? Looks like three different styles. The mesh one I had in my parts stash. The used flocked one came off a saw, and the new flocked one came from eBay. Looks like the new flocked one has some n*pples on the bottom over the carb to keep it from collapsing.

Any thoughts on which style is best/preferred?

 

[bulletpruf]

Ok, saw is finished and running and oiling good. Just needs to be tuned.

Tried installing the SKF bearings without heating the case; I just cooled the bearings. Not a good idea; definitely took more force.

I also figured out the ignition problem -- there's a wire that exits the top of the coil and goes to the trigger unit under the flywheel. It's a tiny wire under some insulation and it was broken right at the coil, with really no wire left to strip back and re-connect. So I went to my stash to get a good one and it had the same issue, so I re-connected it with a bit of solder.

Used a new flocked air filter on it.

While it was apart, I also swapped out the rubber o-rings on the oil pump (7 x 1.5) and the oil adjusting rod (7 x 1.5 and 9 x 2.5).

Also went with a half-wrap handle. I have several full wraps, but short on the bar mounts and buffers to mount them. I'm going to try to get some made.

Grabbed a vintage 36" bar off the shelf with some good .404 chain. Also ran across a 3002 mount bar with 7/16" chain; forgot I had that. Not sure I'd be able to find a sprocket to fit that.

Had planned to toss it up on eBay, but there are a few 075s listed right now, so I may wait a bit.