210B-H overbore a 126 to a 148???

I recently purchased a Case 210B-H with a model 21 backhoe-loader. The previous owner said it had some engine issues that needed to be addressed soon. Well he was right. I got it off the trailer, took it into my shop, tore it down and found spun bearings. The real challenge began when I started to look for rebuild kits for the G126 engine and found very little on the market, and what is out there is very expensive ($1,745 for an out of frame kit). I've purchased the service manual and the parts manual. The tractor also came with a 300 series parts manual. When I compare the G126 engine components from the 200 series tractors to the G148 from the 300 series tractors I find they have almost all parts in common. The key difference I'm seeing is the bore (3.125 for the G126 and 3.375 for the G148). I'd like to know if I can just bore out my 126 to a 148 and purchase the more-readily-available and much cheaper (about $650) G148 rebuild kit. Does anybody know of a reason why that wouldn't work, or does anybody have a better solution? If I could just replace the whole engine, I think I've read that a 148 would be a direct bolt in (if I could find one). But my concern there is the cost for an engine plus shipment, then have an old engine that might also need a rebuild. Thoughts???
 
A long time ago I overhauled a G126 using a G148 kit. If I remember right the upper counter bores were the same. The lower counter had to be enlarged, ever thing else was the same.
 
(quoted from post at 05:50:11 06/18/20) A long time ago I overhauled a G126 using a G148 kit. If I remember right the upper counter bores were the same. The lower counter had to be enlarged, ever thing else was the same.

Thanks for the input longcases.
 
I don't think I would do that unless you have exhausted all other choices. A quarter of an inch is an awful lot to remove from the cylinders. You might look to John Saeli for options. www.external_link.com
 
We have furnished several 148 overhaul kits for the 126 engine. Gaskets are all the same, engine bearings pre 1960 are the same, upper counterbores are the same. Some of our customers said the 148 sleeve "dropped right in", some said the lower counterbore needed to be opened by about .005" on a side. I remember one customer taking his block to a shop and another customer telling me he simply honed the lower bore to accept the 148 sleeve. I am stumped over the inconsistency of feedback we got. Not over a year ago there was discussion on this board on the subject of 148 kits installed into a 126. A search will find it.
 
Yeah, that's my concern too. 1/4" does seem like quite a bit of a bite. However, the pistons seem to be one of the most difficut things to acquire for the 126. So my hope is that if I can get away with the overbore than I can get the 148's pistons.
 
My concern is some engineer has determined the thickness of the cast around the cylinders and if you take that much out the cylinder walls may someday fail. Of course a steel sleeve would counteract some of that but it's uncomfortable making a call like that not being an engineer on engines. John Saeli seems to think it's alright though.
 
It sounds like the two engine's bores aren't really that far off from eachother and maybe I can get away with removing a small amount of material from either the bore, the new sleeve, or maybe both? But I agree, without knowing why the Case engineers came up with their design, it's hard to know how much a guy can get away with.
 
TW, As Jim, I also put 148 sleeves and pistons in a VAC block with no machining required, be aware that the 148 pin size is the same but pin location in the piston is higher so the pistons will not come to the top of the bore, No problem though they turn good HP set up that way. IIRC that one turned 26 with no break in.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top