Hi BB
Appreciate your input.
To be clear, I am not looking to "modify" my 20" mower as opposed to returning it to its original and intended design. My machine was a twin rail unit someone has modified presumably following a rail failure. These machines are getting harder and harder to find, if every mower that we come across requiring some work to return to its former glory was scrapped and replaced what will that do for the availability of this Australian Icon moving forward? On a smaller scale, these mowers can now be likened to an old Holden or Ford, things wear, break and get modified. When things are resonably young anything that's patched up really isn't tollorated as there are other options. Conversely, as things get older people relax their standards and expectations of old equipment accepting there will be some work to be done to wind back time.
My qualifications and experience in the engineering field make this an easy task and I am in no way willing to scrap this mower, I do however need help with original dimensions of the rails. Perhaps, this thread should be promoted as a way of educating people on a very sound any professional way of replacing a damaged rail rather then trying to patch it up? My repair will make use of jigs and templates to maintain original geometry in a way easy for anyone with some basic metal working skills to reproduce.
If your position is unchanged after reading my response I will of course respect your position and decision. A final thought, the forum pages on this site labeled "restoration", if not exactly for the type of project I am undertaking, then what for ? Paint and bearings ?
