Thanks again Gadge, I'm also in contact with Bruce @ ODK.
I might try to get the rest of the grease off with a bit more fuel and a nylon brush. Thankfully my local council will properly dispose of waste fuel and oil in appropriate containers for no charge.
Mowerfreak, I'm in two minds about this sort of thing. If the mower is in working condition, half of me says keep it going. The other half thinks that if it can complete others, maybe it's worth a part out. I could come up with a dozen arguments for either side. It looks in pretty decent nick, and I do love those embossed early bases.
Haven't really progressed much. I did get some of my car care products out (a shameless plug for Bowden's Own here, and they're Aussie made and owned!) to see what I could achieve with some of the chrome work. I'm actually amazed at what I managed to do with a couple of cloths and some cleaner, metal polish and sealant. Almost all the surface rust has been removed, even though some of the chrome is flaking off in some parts. Kinda fits this rebuild though. Worn, used character, but solid. I couldn't really take any decent photos in the evening light. Now that I know I'm not wasting my time, I might really get stuck into it.
