Just had a 55 given to me :)

[tickbitintn]

Hyway makes a 46mm closed port kit.
Overall it looks pretty good...
Working on one now...

A little thick in the squish area....

Solved....

 

[Motorhead]

Hyway makes a 46mm closed port kit.
Overall it looks pretty good...
Working on one now...

A little thick in the squish area....

Solved....

Does that come with a windowed piston? Pics

 

[tickbitintn]

Yes it does. On the left...

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

So the closed port type runs a windowed piston then?

Not sure how they compare to the ms260. My brother has a low hour closed port 55 and it does seem to run pretty respectable... It's no 357 but I think it's a descent non-xp mag case saw.

 

[Milkman31]

The worst thing about these saws are the impulse grommet, intake boot, carb base plate.

 

[riverrat2]

well at least you (The OP) got your 55, I bought one on an auction that was supposedly donated to Jeremy & Shauna's fund raiser over on the other forum by a deadbeat "Good Guy" and I won the auction and he never shipped it!!! So I am out $250.00... The dude is a POS!!!!

 

[Tor R]

It is a Mahle cylinder, and the number you list sounds right but I didn't write it down.

From what I can see shopping around for 55 top end kits, it looks like a 51 top end will bolt right up.

yup, you have correct, different distance from the base and to top 55 vs 50, base gasket is same though so I thought maybe they could be swapped.
I'll take a closer look on them later today, none of them are really perfect.
I only got them because i steal parts from them, both had broken crankcase

 

[Redfin]

well at least you (The OP) got your 55, I bought one on an auction that was supposedly donated to Jeremy & Shauna's fund raiser over on the other forum by a deadbeat "Good Guy" and I won the auction and he never shipped it!!! So I am out $250.00... The dude is a POS!!!!

Wow man, who was it?

 

[Tor R]

Well, I had a few minutes today so I pulled the top end to have a peek. It is an open port cylinder.

Piston and cylinder are toast and I don't think the cylinder can be saved, it's pretty bad.

So I had this idea, I'm thinking about seeing if I can make an ultra-cheap junkyard dog out of this thing. I see some chinese made kits on ebay that include crank bearings, seals, piston, wristpin bearing, cylinder, fuel line, fuel filter, recoil handle and gaskets for about $35. Think I might experiment a little with this one just for the fun of it. Get one of those el-cheapo kits and see what it can do and how it holds up.

there are several 55 jugs on ebay, you may do a better deal with one oem jug + 1 new meteor piston, at least you keep the value one your 55. Mine has a mild scoring, and one half broken fin, have to sanding it a bit before I can see if it's worth any effort, you can have it for the shipping cost.
That said, shipping cost, you may still do a better purchase by getting one from ebay......

 

[nnero]

So what is the benefit of the closed port and windowed piston? This thread is going to be very helpful to me lol

 

[Tor R]

Personally I dont like the 51 and 55, nor do I like the 50, it's the intake who is so little compared to 254 + intake system work flawless on 254, and that can't be said about 50,51,55 and so on. Weird, but both the 50 and 55 that i got had scored line from the transfer ports..

In size 51 and 55 is like 254, share same fuel tank, front handle bar and clutch, luckily we have many 254's in Norway, so I've never thought so much about 51 and 55

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

Yep, you have a problem. Just send the saw to me.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

It's going to be a little bit before I start rebuilding this 55. My 359 is all apart now for a crank bearing-up rebuild. Once that's done I'll get started on the 55.

 

[Tor R]

It's going to be a little bit before I start rebuilding this 55. My 359 is all apart now for a crank bearing-up rebuild. Once that's done I'll get started on the 55.

that would I also do, that also give you time to decide how you will build the 55.
Those who have patience end always up with the best deals
Problem for most of us is that we put to much money into the saws, special on low value saws, just a few of my projects that I know I can earn money on, most will be a loss

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

that would I also do, that also give you time to decide how you will build the 55.
Those who have patience end always up with the best deals

Well, that and the 359 is a better saw hands down too.

I took my box-o-359 to work with me today with the intention of cleaning my parts in the parts wash tank, but we were out doing trees all day and I didn't get any spare time to do it. I have my crank bearings, seals, and gasket set so far. Once I get the parts clean, I'll get the bottom end together.

 

[Tor R]

Well, that and the 359 is a better saw hands down too.

I took my box-o-359 to work with me today with the intention of cleaning my parts in the parts wash tank, but we were out doing trees all day and I didn't get any spare time to do it. I have my crank bearings, seals, and gasket set so far. Once I get the parts clean, I'll get the bottom end together.

thats what I do also, to finish bottom end on most of my projects, all the other thing will come when they come, before I used to live on ebay, nowadays I call to dealers to get part saws, end of the day they are cheaper then ebay.......
Even you wasnt pure lucky with your 55, I know you will make some money on it if you take the time to get the parts you need.
Wish we where neightbour so you could picked the 55 parts you wanted from me.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I hear ya Tor, but shipping to me from Norway would probably be quite high

 

[Spike60]

Like @Wolverine said, switching to the closed port jug isn't as dramatic as it's often hyped up to be. Yes it's better, but not in an "Oh Wow!" way.

The open port saws run pretty nice and respond well to a muffler mod as the stock muffler is pretty restricted. Aftermarket kits for these can be decent. These straight open port castings are easier to get right than some of the more complicated cylinders. OEM kits are now just $110, so if you want to go aftermarket, trying one of the cheapie kits is worth a shot.

This whole saw family usually gets overlooked here in saw land cause they're a simple chassis with the open port top end that doesn't have enough bling for a lot of guys. But they are great general purpose, reliable workhorses. Nice and light, good handling and decent power.

 

[Wolverine]

@Spike60 My boy made vids, same b/c, same wood. Muff has a gill mod, closed port has a base gasket delete.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

To my ear, the two sound virtually identical.