Well,I have been messing around with the Ryobi some and got it cleaned up pretty good. The cylinder actually looks good with no scratches at all. The chrome still is shiney from top to bottom. I did my "machine" work on it with a grinder and a dremel and that IMHO looks good. I am going to the auction site to get a new Walbro for it and am looking for a wt499, wt144, wt 197 or a wt167. I would appreciate some advice for this part. I was going to start hogging out the muffler but am not sure how to go about it. It looks like it does not come apart and I am not sure how I can get anything to come out without being able to open it up. Some shared knowledge would be very helpful here to.

My wife and I went over to my sisters and brother-in-laws house to eat last night and I was telling Dennis what I was doing with these little engines and told him I needed to find an Echo cheap. As it turns out their next door neighbors just sold their house and bought a condo and gave them all their old lawn equipment as they would not be needing it anymore. Turns out that the weedeater they got was an old,I guess, Echo SRM 2501 and he gave it to me. That was easy and cheap. It runs and starts easy on a pull or so. So I will check around as time premits and see what I can buy to made this an aero plane motor.

I have read posts where people are saying that this conversion thing is getting to be not cost effective with the Chinese engines coming onto the scene at a very reasonable price. I can see that but it is fun just tinkering around with these engines and making them something they were not meant to be. I have already got several hours in the the ryobi and can't wait to get the parts together to finish it up and hopefully get it started. I going to order some Bowman rings in the next few days. Anyway, thats where I stand for now.

Thanks much,

Bill