Hmm, going by the older Kirby-Lauson manual, it would seem that "LKV" is just a fancy way of saying:
L = Lauson, or perhaps "Lightweight"?
K = built by Kirby after 1963
V = Vertical
So I guess this means it is basically equivalent to the American LAV-40?
LAV = "Lightweight Aluminum Vertical"
And possibly it is similar to the earlier Kirby-Lauson VK-40, except that Tecumseh decided to swap the positions of the intake and exhaust valves and ports. I was never sure of the reasoning behind their decision to swap the ports, but I suspect there was some technical rationale for it, when they left most of the other parts the same? It did at times make life difficult for restorers and tinkerers. I even came across a bizarre thread on another forum in which one of their members had tried to swap the ports back to their old positions by altering the camshaft timing. LOL! Of course it didn't work and became more of a technical nightmare than a challenge. He soon dropped the project.
Last edited by vint_mow; 11/03/18 10:35 AM.
