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Atomic Babe The Atomic Babe Garden Tractor was built by Doylestown Machinery and Iron Works, Doylestown PA, in the late 1940s or early 1950s. As is the case with many obscure brands of garden tractor there is very little reliable history of the time period in which they were built or the quantity of production. The Atomic Babe was powered by a NOVO single cylinder gasoline engine and utilized a Crosley automobile transmission. Some other garden tractor manufacturers including Economy used the Crosley transmission. At least one other company used the Atomic Babe as the base for their Garden tractor. The Sheppard SD-1 was basically an Atomic Babe with a 5,4 horse power single cylinder air cooled Sheppard Diesel engine. There is no data available about the quantity of SD-1s produced.

knew it was there , just a very collective growth going on , filled up a garbage can of , empty bottles , related belts , etc. also refilled my tool boxes , lots more to do but its a start . saposed to be close to 60 DEG this week end, if I dropped a plow it would snow, going to replace shed door , like a shed tune up ! found stuff to sell , let you know , pete

I'm just going to go ahead and throw another NO vote. I wouldn't trust that person to hone down a broomstick I didn't care about.

I say BS. The only reason I can think of to use extra oversize rings is if you are trying to file them to an extra tight gap. If you do that, you run the risk of heat expansion seizing the rings in the bore. Don't ask how I know. The parts are what they say they are. Crank will depend on inspection when you get it apart. If it's clean and shiny you might be able to use it as is. In my experience, the thing that usually breaks rods is that it galls up and seizes. There's a reason they make .010 under rods and sometimes even that is not enough. Find someone who doesn't think he knows better than the manufacturer.

If'n I gotta 'splainitt you prolly don' want th' answer.

Would you mind explaining how to do that to one you do care about?

You guys did it again. Brought back my grade school memories from the '50s. On our last school day before Christmas vacation, we oiled the wood floor in our one room school house. Eight rows of desks, one row for each of the 1 thru 8 grades. The first day we came back, we sprinkled sawdust on the floor and swept it to soak up any oil that didn't soak in. Yeah, we all walked to school so our shoes were oil free till we got home. One big old coal fired heatrola in the middle of the room and 2 seater boys and girls outhouses. Sorry for hijacking your shed thread Pete.

One question: Do you grease or wax the floor?

your engine guy does not know what he is talking about. I'd move on to a different shop. The K161 in a 701 is an older style with a standard bore of 2-7/8". I had my 701's K161 bored from old bore to new standard bore of 2-15/16". The new piston and rings installed were the "new" standard size for a K161/K181. Also, even though my crank and connecting rod weren't damaged, the crank pin was out of round. I had it ground to .010 under, and replaced the rod with the same.

Haha I never told you guys about the time I drove 5 hrs to buy a black hood. Got there and all the photos where from when he got it 6 months ago.... BEFORE HE HIT IT WITH A BULLDOZER! He didn't think was in to bad of shape. But I mostly went to get the wh plow and frame and a free blackhood I saved a few parts and had to scrap the rest, but it was a experience. I think yours and @WHX?? are perfect compared to mine.

Here is a very easy and non-messy solution to filling the gearbox....or anything similar.

More progress on the 867

Then your hobby would be playing with HVAC instead of tractors.

You're a good man Jim. I won't say anything bad about you for at least 15 minutes.

Sounds like you have a ton of options. Tell you what if your not comfortable doing it yourself box it up and send it to one of us. Very few working small engine guys I trust these days. They are just not into saving vintage steel. I know I would do it for free. Just parts & machine work. PM me if interested.

They are available yet. Not in after market tho just NOS Kohler so abit more $$. Yes just go to 15/16 if it needs a new bore. Parts more available for the bigger bore. Doing a K161 now just inside 2 7/8 spec so can get rings in in std or .010 with some end gap work and a hone job. Saves the expense for a bore and don't have to pull the whole motor apart.

The last time I had engine work done, I saw the Kohler spec sheet on the wall in the office of the shop I was using. When I asked questions, the guy immediately went to the sheet for answers. If your guy doesn't have a copy, he should appreciate you getting it for him. If he doesn't, keep looking for an engine builder. "Rules" that a builder clings to (.015 ring stuff) with a water-cooled V8 build do not necessarily translate correctly to these air-cooled blocks. They get hot!

@Sailman This shop does not look to be all that far from you. Might be worth checking out. Looks like they can take care of boring the cylinder and turning the crank. https://bradsautomachine.com/services This is how I work with my machinist. 1 - I measure every thing to see what I will require for parts. If you do not have a way to measure your parts, take them to the machine shop a long with the Kohler spec sheet & let them measure them for you. 2 - I take my new parts to the shop along with a copy of the Kohler spec sheet. This way they can fit the new parts to the tolerances given by Kohler.

I have used .010 over rings in a stock bore IF the bore is at the outer limits of wear BUT is still strait and true with in specs. This allows you to get a better seal. If you need to over bore the cylinder, the correct rings will come with your new oversized piston. Unless you go with OEM parts, then you may have to buy the piston & rings separate. The rod is softer than the crank, this part is true. But I have measured many of crank shafts that were warn down, out of round or tapper. The only way to fix this issue is to turn the crank down. Wish you lived close to me, I'd hook you up with a guy who won't try to blow smoke up your rear. Maybe try @richmondred01 to see can do for you?

I couldn't wait that long! LOL Achto wrote "Wish you lived close to me, I'd hook you up with a guy who won't try to blow smoke up your rear." Jim just does sunshine! No smoke

My fingers aren’t able to do the two part cam anymore. I can certainly can have the machine work done. Grind the crank, bore the cylinder ream new guides and cut the valve seats. PM me for details.

If you remove the piston from the cylinder, then you will at the very least have to get the cylinder ball honed to put new cross hatch in it and replace the rings. The manual that I posted for you does a very good job of walking you through the disassembly and reassembly of the engine. Removing the oil pan is just 4 bolts, this simple task will let you see what happened to the crank. Post pics when you find the damage please. Special tools needed to work on your engine. Feeler gauge torque wrench ring compressor - a wide hose camp will work in place of this valve spring compressor - can be done without but this makes the job easier. Plus you have the total support of your family here on the forum.

@ri702bill , when its tough to wade around in your stuff , its time , found 2 pairs of channel lock , wire crimpers , the extra length makes quick work of any connection . maybe I should have a mini plow for shed plowing ? would still have to sort it out , actually not too bad , dozer , pete

Excellent memories!!! Fixed it for ya'...

I tend to oil mine - unintentionally.....

Oversized pistons and rings MAY not still be available for the small bore 701 and 702 K161 engines. Best to have it bored to the later 2-15/16 dimension - those parts are available. Sounds like your local guy just does not want to bother cutting the crank journal - too bad - for him. Get your new parts FIRST before any machining, so the yet TBD shop can cut or bore accordingly to provide the best fit and clearances.....

They have this thing now. It's called a interwebs or something. Craziest damn thing. You can order stuff and people in trucks will bring it right to your house.

Auction sale tomorrow. 4WD simplicity w/ 2 stage blower and cab.

One off my favs... 1961 - 2024 right up there with Charlie Daniels, Willie n the boys. Let's see some Y tube. My all time fav.

Raise ya red solo cups folks!!

One of my fav's.

It's just what I enjoy doing in retirement EB. Keeps me out of the tavern. Only problem is I question my choices 40 years ago ... shoulda opened a power shop rather than HVAC.

The Simplicity line was taken on by my WH Dealer once Toro stopped production on our favorite tractors. They seemed very nice taking a close look at them. These pics I took while picking up some WH parts. I think this was 5 ish years ago and these were selling for 13 to 15 thousand. On another note I bought one of those chute controls at my local JD dealer 10 years ago to install one the 520-H. It is still on a shelf in the shop, just never got to it. Very high quality piece. @Ed Kennell

Oops, I knew that John. That was a test...You get an A+. That blower was so big and I was checking out the front drive shaft and a really smooth pull and turn to lock cable chute deflector. Looked like this one.

Page 1.6 has all of the info that your machinist will need. I usually print this page & take it along to the machinist with my new parts. https://resources.kohler.com/power/kohler/enginesUS/pdf/tp_2379.pdf This is a very good source for parts. I have had very good luck with this seller. Measure or get things measured so you know what you need. Read through all of his instructions so that you order the correct parts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/143655761198?hash=item21728cf52e:g:RUMAAOSwMRtek66Z&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0MFDQnYz8aI7e50TlWY9EmA%2FU0ICDAg8wfPBe4FDGLdWLCEjy0yxEapnyQNX7E8rDfCz8T%2FsuAqlEOajDHyqTBn7F8rAHhoQHLmfJI481EY4poB7sFzhE8MSvjVboCxuH57Ug6nZVN4xNbSUyfUML7e3p8FTHaoId90ZskJKtdOKd0jwfpk6G9GHlv%2FkuUTbeay%2BylowqRcHHVQJwtH7nA1vt9mdNafaOJwfcnjQgnYkdGvmSeKrL9z043G3lJWy2snLB5j0I9qA75XKGZSygZM%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4bct_SvYw

Got the head sanded to 400 grit. Looked good, showed the boys how to get it properly torqued down. Since many members reported failure with cheap gas hose, I replaced red hose with my usual thick durable black fuel hose from ace hardware. Used my "anti-rub" fixtures. AKA a ziptie and little section of proper size rubber hose. We use this on our Honda 250R's 400ex, 300exs to prevent hose chafing. Always worked well with good quality zipties. not necessary on a tractor, but i like it. Also got the new idler and wh oem drive belt hooked up. Glad that things are progressing nicely.

Thanks Ed! Soon as this one's done there'll be another coming in. Either the Military Tribute Tractor or my parent's C121. Stay tuned!!

Ethanol gas and 2 stroke equipment do not play well together. so, a story of what I saw a few years back. I went to an Outdoor Power dealer to buy a used 2 wheel trailer he had for sale. I had a bit of time to kill while he was looking for both the registration & title for it. No luck - no deal.... I spotted two 55 gallon barrels FULL of ZAMA 2 stroke carburetors - I asked what was up with that. He said that most folks do not drain them (but they drain themselves). Come spring, they put the gas/oil mix in and it runs out of the exhaust. The ethanol had eaten up the red sealant on the welch plug - NOT fixable at the time. Barrels full of carbs with the plugs that had fallen out - no compatable sealer available at that time. NEW replacement carbs did come with a green sealant that was compatible - but not available to the public. Figure that any yard sale 2 strokes will need at least a new carb & fuel lines......

Well done son. Well done. Remind me to tell you about the first time I heard that classic sometime....

Set my high ball glass down & broke out a red solo cup in memory.

Jada has spent three sessions with me in the shop. Tonight, we got it to a place that we could turn the key and make some noise! The front bumper, lights, coolant flush, passenger side CV axle and a few other things need attending to before driving it. It does feel good to hear a u-pick engine start for the first time though!

The shop I was talking to recommended this shop for the actual possible bore and crank work. I was hoping to get some help with the tear down and reinstall from the guy I contacted as I am unsure of my abilities in that department. I will check and see if Bradsautomachine does any of that. I checked with @richmondred01 but he no longer rebuilds K-161.

If the shop @Achto gave you doesn't pan out , contact @richmondred01

@SylvanLakeWH usually oil wins out , but grease is a close second , was just doing a choke linkage detailing , just very small adjustments , cable lube in my choke / throttle cables , spring pulls , make for a smooth solid movement assist , also lubes the wooden floor , go greasy , pete

That hub looks like it could be a modified Dodge Taper Lock Shaft Coupling.

Also the fact that a new carb at least a couple of years ago was maybe 17 dollars and it makes sense to just replace them.. Even on my Echo, the Walbro was made in Hong Kong and the parts guys said they have no kits that they will guarantee to work, so chuck the thing and replace it.

I'm old fashion ... support local... that kinda horse crap...

He ain't missing much ... just a carcass but fairly decent shape. Dan already had his way with it. Anyone wants it it's a buck. You be smokein E60 leaf Sylvia. There is no Mrs. E60 nut It stays here. Or I would sell it to you for the princely sum of what Richard and I have into it.

Little time today. BBT got her seat pan off and did some vacuuming on the chassis.