Clone ms660

[BedfordT]

Order soon or wait till Feb they are going on vacation

 

[stihl saws]

Really trying to decide between the 440 or 372. I'm obviously a Stihl guy, so....help me not go to the dark side.

 

[BedfordT]

The 440 is very appealing to me. Big not huge, 70ish cc. When the put out their 200t kit that will give you a limber. I am a Stihl man. I have 5 real stihl's and 1 aftermarket.

 

[Ethan Hamby]

I wouldn't buy another kit lol the cylinder port timing sucks and the cylinder itself sucks. Transfers have holes in the casting. Port edges are sharp. Blowdown on mine was 28°. The carb sucks also

 

[Ethan Hamby]

My list of replaced with OEM keeps getting longer.

 

[BedfordT]

I suggested a cross cylinder. I am sorry you did not get the same satisfaction. Some guys just make a mistake buying anything other than a real stihl. Motivation is important and ours are likely different

 

[Ethan Hamby]

I did it for fun but at $300 you can buy an old used saw and do the same thing

 

[Ethan Hamby]

With all the new parts it needs including cylinder you could rebuild a saw

 

[BedfordT]

With all the new parts it needs including cylinder you could rebuild a saw

You could not

 

[BedfordT]

It funny I knew better than come to this forum and not take performance seriously and I feel I covered my bases by suggesting a aftermarket performance oriented kit. But these saws are very appropriate to build and put a good cross kit on. I always appreciated my VW bug and that's what the saw kits are

 

[BedfordT]

Not a stang

 

[Ethan Hamby]

You very well could get a scored 066 and rebuild it for the same or less and have an end result that doesn't have the issues

 

[stihl saws]

So, what's everyones true feelings? Lol. For me it would just be a fun project. I have way more true Stihls than I will ever wear out in my lifetime.
I kind of think of them as a "wild thing" in a box, with issues that need fixed.

 

[Ethan Hamby]

If you want performance don't buy it the crank and bearings won't take high compression or ported rpm well. Mines almost 200 psi but that's with no base gasket and .008 machined off the base

 

[subnivean]

Hi Everybody, I just joined the forum for a couple of service manuals but saw this thread and thought I'd comment. I bought the complete 660 kit from Huztl and put it together. $186+shipping. I had many of the same issues others have described. I'm not into big performance, nor a big modder, but I was looking to get the kit for fun and maybe to end up with something that I could hook up to a Lewis winch and then not cry too much when it blows up.

My experiences:

1. Case issues. The tensioner doesn't fit in it. I wouldn't necessarily say the brake hardware didn't fit (as some others have reported with theirs) but it doesn't fit well. With some parts from HLS, the brake works fine now. Generally, the cases were meh. Chipped paint, thick in spots. But the halves went together, so for the price . . .
2. Tensioner. Horrible. I was able to make it work after a lot of grinding and persuading, but I did have to leave out the plastic cover plate. No way to fit it in there. Lot's of gear tooth shavings. I don't expect it to work for long, but for the price . . .
3. Brake hardware. The linkages had the wrong geometry and the recess in the lever that accepts the linkage was too open on the top end, so it wouldn't engage at all. I put a shim in the recess and even then the linkage required a lot of force to engage. The brake band was too long and didn't want to fit in the case. Bought lever and linkage/band kit from HLS and it all went together and works fine. The band still doesn't fit great into its home, but it fits well enough. Cost 28 bucks for the replacement parts from HLS.
4. Seals. As everybody has noted, they come pre-installed. I caught the clutch side seal on the crankshaft putting the halves together and so had to replace it. The flywheel side didn't give me any problems.
5. Filler caps. Garbage. Replace. In one of my videos, you can see the gas just dripping out as I hold the saw.
6. Carb. Seems to be hit or miss according to what people are writing. I'm still working out some issues with my saw so I can't give a final verdict.
7. A few minor missing pieces. Foil heat shields, air shutter, and a few nuts for the dawgs. On the flip side, it came with several additional rubber and plastic parts that were already installed.

So I'm $370 all in (I bought the Tillotson), and I largely agree with what others have said. Don't buy it as your only working saw. Buy it for a fun project and enjoy. I had been looking for a burnt up 660/661 to rebuild but those don't come on the market every day around here, so I went in a different direction. Besides, unless you get a screaming deal on the trashed saw, you'll likely spend twice as much to buy it and get it back up and running . . . which would still be the better way to go for a good, strong, and reliable saw. But I really don't have any use for a 91cc saw, other than to play with and occasionally winch with, so for me the box-of-parts-saw is a good deal. Hope this helps . . .

 

[Ethan Hamby]

I got my tillotson this week and that fixed all my issues. My saw is a good running and working saw now. I'd still like to switch the p&c for cross or OEM though

 

[Brian Brady]

Thanks for all the information ordered one of these kit's not because of a lack of saws but thought it'd be a good project for me and the boys to put together

 

[Ethan Hamby]

I have a cross performance cylinder supposed to be here Friday for mine