I’ve done over a couple with cranks that were a bit short for the pulley length without problems.
For belt covers I’ve had to modify several with cuts here and there to accommodate the replacement engines. The worst was fitting an new 11hp OHV for an 8hp L-head That same Ariens body came with 11hp L-heads but the footprint slightly different in the front.
The belt cover was short in height and the front just hit the end of the crank which I later noticed wore it’s own hole for a clean looking cut. The height was done by cutting both sides of the top about 4-5 inches and one end making a liftable flat about 4-5 inchs long and as wide as the belt cover top. That was pushed up in place leaving a lower top side section exposed. The lifted up top section accommodated the drive pulley and taped in place with an arch. The tape used was black duck tape which was cross layered a few times. It’s held up for two seasons without the tape lifting. Duct tape patches covering other cutout sections also have held up. Molding and shaping with fiberglass would be much better but messy to work with.
The ¾ to 1 inch conversion sleeves with keys are fantastic.
