OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds Interesting White Briggs 110908

I Picked up this masport recently, It caught my eye due to the more unusual engine.

The engine looks quite small, and a little different around the cowl, it also has a plastic, slightly domed spinning grid on top.

After emoving a bracket that covered up most of the number i found:

110908 0538-01 82031204










Quite an interesting little one, Anyone know what the odd brackets on the back, and front (removed to read number) of the engine are for?

Hey that looks familiar,did you get it working?Also did you get the supa swift I gave you going?

There both on the list, Currently Getting this years spring sales lot up and running (bunch of 90's powertorques, etc.)

Once i have finnished the money makers, I will have the cash comming in to get to work on the ones i want to keep!

Sounds good

I have had a look at the engines manual for this one, on the Briggs site, and I cant see those brackets in there, so they must have been added by Maspoort, or the previos owner

I know that the bolt protruding up through the lower left corner of the cowl is where a knob should go for the throttle, these early Masports had the throttle contrill on the engine, not on the handles.

It is 11 cubic inch, where the usual size for mower engines at that time was 9 cubic inch, so it would have been 3.5 to 4 hp. It had the automatic choke version of the PulsaJet, and the normal (for March 1982) vertical pull starter. I can't tell whether it had points or Magnetron ignition - that was just about the time Briggs changed over.

Those little brackets seem to be injection moulded zinc, so they were made by a serious manufacturer, they aren't "the tenant's improvements", but they are horribly ugly and the installation is very crude. I don't believe Briggs would ever have screwed such a crappy bracket on with self-tappers right across the identification number. They wouldn't have been pleased with Masport doing it either, but I don't suppose they could have stopped them from doing it. Alternatively they may have been parts of some aftermarket kit - perhaps they were part of a device that would make it manufacture its own fuel from water and dog turds, while increasing its power by 600 percent.

The brackets felt plastic, But i didnt pay them all that much attention, I will see if i can work that out tonight.

Whatever they were made to do, they are not doing it now, plus they are broken in plces, so i will remove them, and try to find a way to make the holes less noticeable.

I Will check the ignition on it, I supoect it may be mechanical, as from what i have noticed, Briggs advertised the early electronic ignitions on the centre of the spin-frid, while this one has the ols Easy Spin sticker.

The brackets could as easily be plastic mouldings as zinc mouldings Ty, I just noticed that they were injection moulded. Maybe they used to hold up an ornamental hat that sat up above the center of the mower - I'm visualising a Carmen Miranda type chapeau with lots and lots of pieces of fruit, maybe 18" high? It would look a lot better than that monstrosity mower with the tailfins that keeps turning up here.

I dare say it would, Also, if you used real fruit, and kept it fresh, it would be convinent mow-time snacking!

As I pull this one apart to work more out about it, I will make sure to post some more pics.

I'll also decide wether i want to remove the brackets, or make it a hat!

Wobble handle Masport.
Worst thing with them was the handle slop and the bar blade if its no good.
Got a few catchers here, they had the good solid hard plastic ones and also the metal frame bag ones.

Not sure what the plastic brackets were for. I had one here with the remanants of the bracket on it.

The 11ci was a 4HP.
Pretty much everything except the coil is different to the 9ci. Tank and carb ar the same but the jet is different. It steel, the 3.5 and 3 hp have a brass one.
The control on the engine was because of the way the handle folds i would say. have seen a few 9 series motors with a similar type thing.



Bob.

Yes, I have a Masport from 1980 with a 92908 on it, It also has the same knob ontop for the throttle, and the same handle set up.

I have a slighly newer Masport, Witha a tecumseh on it, whitch looks like it has the controls on the handle bar, however, there is a couple of minor updates to its folding assembly.

Hey Ty

Those mowers use to have a plastic cover that went over the top of the mower engine. Those brackets on the rear of the motor are the remains of the cover, they use to tilt back to allow access to the motor.
They had brown plastic covers on those brown 460 series mowers and black plastic covers on the earlier blue 8-04 model mowers.
I will see if I can upload a picture of one of them.

Over here in NZ all of the 1970's - 1980's mowers with those 3.5hp and 4hp motors had the engine control on the motor - it was standard.
Also a company called lawmnmaster here in NZ had a similar cover over the engine with controls on the motor.

Those bodies are very well made at the mower shop where I work heaps of those mowers still come in for services with the bodies still in great condition.

Cheers

Cheers VC, I would love to see the pics if you get a chance!

Why did they have a cover over the engine?

Maybe Masport had a deal with Carmen Miranda, to produce a model labelled with her name?

Hi Ty

Here is a pic of a Lawnmaster mower that I have with the plastic cover over then engine the masports are pretty much the same. They had the covers as part of the top of the rage additions to make them look better as far I know there was no benefits in the covers other than making the mowers look good.
I will try to get some better pics when I can.
Cheers

The covers make it look a lot newer, but it looks like it could be a pain in the neck to get fuel in there!

Hi Joe

Your right there mate, you need to tilt the cover up to allow for easy access to the fuel tank. The covers are geting rear on the older mowers here in NZ many of the covers have been broken off or removed.

Cheers

Wow!

I'll have to keep My eyes out for one with a cover on it, I had no idea thaey did that!

It does sound and look a little irritationg to fill, but I would still ove to have a complete one in the collection, It's quite a unique look!

I'll keep my eyes peeled, though I may have to wait till i get the chance for a holiday, The Missus keeps saying she would like to head over to NZ... I wonder if this would count as carry on...

Hi Ty

These covers where common as anything on mowers in the 1970's and 1980's infact they only had the covers removed once the body design of masport mowers changed around the late 80's. I have several mowers here at my place with those plastic covers on them.

Also here in NZ at least the throttle control remained on the engine into the early 1990's on some models. Below is some pictures of one of these 3.5hp motors with the stickers showing throttle operation and one of the earlier covers used by Masport - they were made from steel not plastic and painted to look similar to the engine (sorry about quality)

Cheers

Cheers VC, I recognise the first picture, the black engine, it looks to be the same as the on on my 1980 Masport 460.




It's currently waiting for me to find the time to finish it's restoration. I don't think it would have had a cover, as it still has the throttle knob intact, and it has the sticker from Masport directly on the engine cowl.

I love the one with the metal cover, it's quite an interesting machine, What era is it?

Hi Ty

It's a 1960's era Masport President mower, at that stage the flagship model. As you can see it does need some work.
It does however run really well.

Cheers

Just to add a little more detail, I recently spotted one with the cover, I have not bought it, but I might yet.

The brackets will need dome repairs, but it's all there, A little newer than my widecut I believe.