Honda Engine Transplant, (Suburban)

I have a 1971 Sears Suburban 12. It hasnt been running in 2 years and we made a homemade starter (engine wont electricly start). And it does seem to be getting gas. But my dad and I have had the thought of buying a Honda motor in it. We are thinking of swaping them. But the mojor factors would be shaft size, mount holes and pully setup. Has anybody done a swap like this?

I think the biggest pain will be the mount holes for the clutch linkage/plate,that bolts to the side of the motor. the pulley won't be an issue if you are going to buy a motor, most 12 horsepower rated engines use a one inch shaft. what is wrong with the motor that came on it? if it is getting gas there must be no spark. did you clean the points? points are very tricky you clean them with a clean piece of cardboard, thin like a matchbook cover.once they make contact they will keep working. if they are burnt or really pitted fold a piece of emery paper and shine them up, then clean them with cardboard. what kind of motor is it? B+S? tecumseh? if it has been sitting around it may have a piece of carbon under a valve or something simple like that. I just got my 67 suburban 10 running this week, it has a plow blade mower deck and sickle bar attatchments. keep us informed dave

It depends what you want the tractor for. If it's going to be a show tractor, then get the original motor running. If you want it to use around the house, the Honda will be quieter, shake less and give better gas economy....IMHO.

The clutch dilemma is easily solved by remounting the clutch pulley onto a rod that is mounted between the sides of the dash/cowling. I've seen it done before and even had a pic of it around here somewhere if I could only find it. You might have to get the pulled reamed and sleeved to fit the Honda.

Here's the homemade linkage picture. Don't know where it came from; let me know if you recognize it so I can give proper credit.

Heh, i dont wanna replace it anymore. listen to this baby puuuur!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKfjZoNVpHI&feature=channel_page