16 HP Tecumseh rebuild tips (hot rodding)

[MIteyMT]

I am not a great small engine guy, but I have some training and experience with old american engines, and I have a few hot rod tips that I am pretty comfortable with.
What can I get away with on this 16hp OH160. Some thoughts I had:
Will it overbore to a OH180 piston?
Oversize valves?
Super stiff valve springs?
Windage tray do any good?
How about a little port and polish on the head?
I am not experienced with small engines, and I don't want to change it to the point where I am screw it up and it won't act right.
What are the top ways to get performance out of these little buggers without sacrificing service length?
Also, looking high and low for an OH180. Anyone ever have one in an argo? I can't afford to repower, so I want to do what I can with what I have
Got all the pins out, and going to bolts in the axles, BTW, and I got a little electrical conduit to rework the cover. She will be ready to bust up some Caribou

[MIteyMT]

No tecumseh rebuilders out there?

[smog]

Well not much spare parts for the TEC anyway.

IF it was mine, I would get a honda GX390 clone in the 15hp variety then follow the (very cheap) mods from the Karting guys. they get more than 20hp out of the GX390 13hp engine and it's still reliable (keep in mind it's a cheap disposable engine)

right now I'm doing the karting engine mods to a honda vtwin clone. Shaving 0.1" off the heads, using a 10$ flywheel key to get 8 degree advanced timing and changing the governor spring for a 5000 rpm screaming vtwin.

just got a new comet clutch 94c from MFGsupply so the vtwin will go in the 8x8 somewhere next week so I can make a cold air intake and a nice low tone muffler for this engine. (it will replace a Kohler K582S 23hp cast iron chunk)

[smog]

a 16hp honda clone can be found for less than 300$ and will replace the old engine easily (300$ is probably close to the total price to redo the original engine)

here is one example but look around for better prices

16HP Gas Engine With Electric Start

[Don]

Engines and parts for the OH180 are very hard to find, as you're finding out. I don't think they produced nearly as many of them as they did the 160, and the builders of pulling garden tractors snapped up what they could years ago as well. I'm no expert on four-strokes, but I remember some of the builders using the head from a 180 on the 160 to make it breath better.

[MIteyMT]

wow, I did not know they had engines that cheap. I have an exhaust problem too, maybe it will be worth it to switch to the cheapie. Thank you very much

[smog]

wow, I did not know they had engines that cheap. I have an exhaust problem too, maybe it will be worth it to switch to the cheapie. Thank you very much

the 15/16/17hp honda copy will be on par with the OH160 and as your argo got a 2 speed transmission, it will be slow but ok.

[turvuren]

No tecumseh rebuilders out there?

I have a fresh oh160 for my Tomahawk with ports cleaned up etc The biggest thing I have heard about is reinforcing the conecting rod and notching the cylinder to give more clearance. This is supposed to allow you to exceed the rated rpm without breaking the rod. All I'm tinkering with now is a different carb for mine. It sputters and nearly shutsoff in sharp corners ie. Ashtabula. i'm hoping to not get lapped by the 25hp and above crowd