Well, it took a while, but I finally picked up a 14" solid. Still had original brass height adjuster, grass deflector screws and thrust pad!
She had been repainted at some stage, but the original colour is still visible inside the chain case and under the deck. Lots of surface rust as it was a Geraldton machine at some time in its life and the strong, salty sea breeze has left its mark. Looks like a bit of structural rust on one of the braces under the deck, but that's going to get fixed if needed.
The engine has been replaced at some stage, as it's running a Briggs 3HP 82232 I/C from 1988. Actually not a bad motor for a Briggs thumper. It had an oil leak from a cooked as crank case seal which I've now replaced. I'm currently in the process of dismantling it to replace all gaskets, etc and perhaps give it a "Briggs Assembly Style" respray. I really just want to put a GX120 on it, but where is the fun (and involved swearing) in that?!
Despite the rust and dirt it's actually in great nick. Previous owner oiled all the bearings and kept the chains nice and greased. Even went over it with me when I bought it to make sure I knew where all the oil holes were! I've used it a few times on my Buffalo and the cut has been great. I bought a new 8 blade reel and high cut roller and bracket.
I wish I took a few before photos, but I didn't. It's currently in a million pieces, if you're interested in that and can use your imagination...
Looking forward to getting it rebuilt, thankfully winter is truly here.
