2 saws that I want restored

[sothere]

In the mid to late 50's my father and his dad bought a # 17 Homelite,I used it in the mid 70's to deal with about 100 ash trees we took down on the farm and then it was parked,He bought a Homelite 450 at that time to take the pressure off the 17.
I would like to have the saw restored to good,usable running condition and give it to him for Christmas.
Paint and decals are not important and we have another for parts if needed.
There is no one local that I would be comfortable with so would anyone here care to tackle this for me.
Also I have an XL-923 with scored P&C that I'de like to get up and running for an occasional use saw.It will do the job of severing root balls and the alternative is buy a 7900 Dolmar or the equivalent for a substansial amount of money.
I'de like to squeeze more power out of it (The 923)but it must be dependable as well.
I'll get some pic's up later today as it's raining and it will be a good diversion for the day.Thanks and Best;ST

 

[Al Smith]

The best thing to do with old saws is keep them stock and if you use them do so just on occasion .

These things are built for torque and longgevity of service and not for break neck speed . Sure you can tweek them and make them scoot but it takes a lot to just keep up with a modern saw that weighs half as much and cuts half again faster even in stock form .

As far as a ruined cylinder and piston you would be better off finding a donor saw engine for parts and use two or three to make one . It's been years since that thing was made and parts are rare as a hens tooth for it .

Now that said ,I have a shed full but I only use a very few .The rest are just a hobby of restoration .Most only putt a couple times a year for 10 minutes or so at a time .

 

[stehansen]

That's a really cool gift idea.