G'day folks,
Also, I picked up ANOTHER Victa last night.........that's what happens, I guess, when you get home early and get on Gumtree, lol! Can you also identify this one for me please? I'm guessing that the air cleaner housing is not original.....would I be right? Also, is the handle correct, and what do you think about the damage at the front of the base.....?
CyberJack has nailed it once again; a Consul 2 with original engine. Yep, the bi-fold handles are original - part of the design intention was so that when folded up, the mower would fit easily into the boot of a normal sedan car.
This sort of front damage is very common on this chassis design - the casting is quite thin, compared to later side throw models such as the 160 Special.
You're correct in surmising that the air cleaner setup isn't original.
The factory setup on these was a flat paper element, in a steel housing mounted across the front of the engine - as shown in the owner manual in CJ's linked thread.
As I recall it, by the 1970s these flat elements had become quite expensive, and didn't last very long, being down in the 'dust zone'. So it was common to remove the whole setup, and replace it with a snorkel and 'short' cartridge air filter assembly, as used on later models.
