I feel pretty confident that I can do the Ryobi myself. I've already ordered an engine mount from a guy on Ebay. I'm going with the CH on this one. I talked to them yesterday. Really nice guys and very informative.
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Nothing to it...
Just cut the backplate down even with the case sides...make sure the you place a washer between the low spot in the back plate, (You'll see it) as not to distort the motor mount or back plate...with the bolts that come with thre kit, their will be two new gaskets that comes with the kit that you ordered from Whacker Engines, their's a aluminum spacer that goes between the carb and the back plate, a gasket goes on both sides, make sure that the pulse port is not covered by either of the gaskets and the hole drilled in the spacer lines up with the carb...if it's inverted the adjustment needles are straight up...Some times you can get the whole carb through the hole in the motor mount to bolt up the motor sometimes you can't, if you can't the motor has to be bolted up first to the motor mount, then the the carb bolted to the back plate. Don't use two grunts and a grone for tightening the screws...or you are going back to the junk pile for a new backplate. I do recommend a good grade of thread locker be used on the bolts to the case and lock washers under the heads of the bolts..
The throttle arm my give you a fit..I soldered the ball of a ball link set to the arm after it was screwed together..never had a problem with it..
The pickup ring (actually a hose clamp with the chip mounted on it) and the prop adapter have marks on them and you just line them up...the will put you in the ball park..mark the snout of the motor and the hoseclamp with a scratch mark to use as a reference point to tweek the timing...
Here is the good part....SNICKER...I had this problem and called Terry...their will be toooo much clearance between the magnet in the adapter and the pickup...the only way to adjust it is to smack the brass channel with a hammer, (not a big one) and tweek in the clearance to specs...I kinda' fell out of my chair when I talked to him...just spent a lot of $$$$$' and he tells me to smack something with a hammer...But it works..
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I'll try to move the reed valve limiter out a bit to improve performance. I've got a friend who is willing to deck the cylinder a little for me. I read somewhere that you can go up to .025" on the cylinder. I'll probably go a bit conservative there and only deck it about .015" I'm going to get ahold of Frank Bowman and get a new ring from him. CH sells a bigger carb for it, but I've read conflicting reports on the carb modification. One report says that if you want to swing a big power prop--like an 18-8; the you should stick with the stock carb and plan on running the engine at lower RPMs. The other report says that if you want to swing a smaller prop-- like a 16-8---then you should get the larger carb and let the engine run up to 8000RPMs or thereabouts.
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This part here I don't fool with...I ran a 18-6 wood Master Airscrew with the stock carb. and it loved it..

I'll just run it with the stock 9mm carb for now and see how it likes a few different props. It will just depend on where I can get the most thrust and still have enough clearence to swing that particular prop.

Has anyone done anything with the exhaust port on these? I would think that if you were to shave .015" off the cylinder that you'd be loosing something on the exhaust port. The compression would go up- but you'd be changing the exhaust duration and timing by lowering the cylinder. I guess you'd just grind the top of the exhaust port out the same amount that you took off the cylinder?? Maybe a bit more
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I don't fool with this either..Have read about making a base gasket out of a office folder and reducing the cylinder height that way...Haven't tried it...

CH told me not to try and run it too hard. He told me that it would probably fly apart if I run it too hard and try to hop it up too much. After looking at the crank and connecting rod----I'd venture a guess that CH is right.
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The rod is a two piece affair with the bearings in the middle, the back of the crank is plates sandwiched together..ALA...if it goes too fast or tooooooo hard, "somthin' gotta' give."

Moral of the story..."Ya can't make a Silk Purse out of a Sow's Ear..."
You just might be spending enough money to make a "hot motor" that can be purchaced for the same price that you will have in the one you just converted..

Hope this helps...
BB1