90 440 & 88 550 .... What to do?

graebz28
08-24-2004, 06:53 PM
Hey what's up everybody,

Just joined up today!!

I'll try to get right to the point. I have a 90 Kaw 440. I ran it twice a couple years ago, and during the second time one of the screws for the butterfy valve dropped in. It must not have had loctite on it. I pulled it apart, saw a little groove in the cylinder wall and it has been sitting ever since.

Last summer, an old roomate that burned me on some cash had someone drop off a 88 Kaw 550. He said that it ran fine. I tried to start it once or twice, then lost interest yet again. It might have had bad gas.

So now I finally graduated and have some cash to do something with them. I really just want to get one out before summer ends. I was thinking to do whatever I need to get the 550 tuned up and at the same time the hot rodder in me is making my eyes wide open when I see all the performance upgrades that I could do.

Questions:

1) What would you guys recommend within $300 or so to get the 550 out.

2) Should I drop a entire new motor in the 440. A friend told me a while back that combining the 440 pump with a 550 motor was some tricked out thing to do because of the pump ratios or something. I'm pretty certain that a 550 is the largest motor I can drop into that hull. Where and for how much could I get a rebuilt decent motor and for how much.

Thanks in advance

Mike
Tempe, AZ

TexasRex
08-25-2004, 12:50 PM
engine upgrade is a good idea. You can always look on ebay for a new engine, it is kinda a gamble cause you dont know what your getting.

graebz28
08-25-2004, 02:35 PM
Anyone else with some ideas for spending 300 on the 550?

aboarder
08-26-2004, 05:35 PM
Buy a 550 top end off ebay. If it doesn't come with pistons, buy them after you receive the cylinders. If the cylinder needs to be bored then buy an oversized set of pistons from a dealer or off ebay (you may have to keep watching ebay but there is usually a set of oversized up at least once a month). If the cylinder is in good shape then buy stock 75mm pistons. You can bolt the 550 top end onto the 440 engine cases. This will give you the power of a 550 with the 440 pump, and you don't have to spend money on a whole engine.