OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers "NEW" Victa VC Autodrive

G'day Mystyler,

That's as good a method as any; it's the way we used to do 'in-service' bottom seal replacements.

Or you can install it prior to assembling the crankcase halves. Put the bottom half upside down on a clean flat surface, and just tap the seal in as above, until its outer edge is just flush with the lower edge of the chamfer in the crankcase bore.

Well #@*%.

Oh Bugger

If its any consolation, I did the exact same fin (1 from left of upright) trying to get the flywheel off my sunbeam - I was thinking about reattaching and put a little glob of selleys knead it epoxy steel weld,

It stuck to the crack and is like concrete - probably more or less made up for weight loss

Took it out today, gave it a light wash and clean - started first pull after 2 months

Oh well,
These things do happen. As it happens, there is considerable 'overbuild' in the 'fan capacity' of these flywheels. From a Fluid Mechanics perspective, that is.

So it may seem counter-intuitive; but the best thing to do is, to knock off the diametrically opposed fin; this maintains the dynamic mechanical balance of the flywheel, and won't affect the 'fan capacity' appreciably.

The shitty part is that it need not have happened.

In order to protect everything from the rain, the parts were put in boxes and stored in the storeroom. I needed to grab something out a few days ago, and the blade carrier accidentally took a tumble into the box next to it. I had a quick look then, fearing I may have snapped a flywheel fin, and obviously missed it.

Tyler, I'm guessing it has held ok? That was my first though, using some metal "weld" epoxy. My second though was as you suggest Gadge, Dremel the opposite fin off. My third and current train of thought is that I don't like either the first or second thoughts. The first because I'd hate for it to let go in service, the second because I haven't learnt yet to accept "good enough" on my projects. And I take great pride in maintaining all of my equipment to the highest standards. I'm entertaining the idea of it getting professionally fixed. Or finding a replacement flywheel.



I apologise for the mini-rant. I am just a bit upset when the level of effort and care otherwise put into the project is nothing but 110%, with limited space and tools to boot. I had a few dodgy aerosol cans of paint let go today as well. Character building!!

Let's see what tomorrow brings. I appreciate your continued assistance in this project.

I would suggest going to the tip and looking for one. Only problem is most already have a tooth or 2 missing. I hate to accept it as well sometimes, but others I just put up with it

Was trying to fix a hot air damper on the Camira last week, snapped the flap off. That should mean new air filter assembly, but a slim chance of ever finding one. So I will have to use a glue to put it back on and hope it doesn't drop and melt on the exhaust manifold. Putting in a new (read expensive) choke pull off valve tomorrow and if I stuff this up there's going to be a problem haha.

Have sliced fingers, lost marbles and once almost sacrificed toes in the pursuit of perfection - often can't be stuffed especially when it often comes back to bite me or ends up no better

Hi Tyler,
Just about the Camira I saw on an outback collectors show last week, some bloke in WA has a factory built Statesman with a Camira engine, only one in Aus. They were not called a Statesman, some other name, Jupiter or something like that and they were only sold in NZ, real oddball thing and I guess a bit short on power as well

Geez NormK why would anyone entertain such an idea and actually carry it out? They were not known for low end performance and they put it in a heavy car.
Reminds me of the HJ Kingswoods badged as Mazdas, exported to Japan and fitted with rotaries.
At least the Kingswood taxicabs I remember fitted with four pot Peugeot diesel engines would have had low down grunt.

I saw that as well Norm

It was a VN Calais with the 2L JE camira MPFI engine - they had around 86kw v the 1.6l 64kw - called the Holden Royale. I was sitting there watching it saying 'VN Royale from NZ with 2.0l' as I had heard of it

Cars were pretty expensive back then in NZ (before grey imports they love), so the cheaper 4 cyl (along with perceived fuel economy) probably made sense at the time

The New Zealanders did that from the VH onwards - always had a 4cyl SL/E equivalent 'Royale' - with the starfire 4 up to and including the VK, and then a Nissan RB20 in the VL



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Royale

Hey, HEY!

I can't have you lot mentioning the 160cc full crank and Starfire in the same paragraph! A rotary, however...

I must say I had NO idea that the Kingswoods were ever fitted with a diesel. Admittedly, they were before my time.

Going to see what the tip shop holds tomorrow. Otherwise I might just have to suck it up. On the plus side, the hammertone paint on the deck is looking superb! Will hopefully have that finished up tomorrow.

Mystyler, which tip shop? I can give you a fair indication of what the 2 north of the river are like. Hope you are going up to Tamala Park

Hey Tyler, I was going to have a peek at the Balcatta one. I've taken a whole heap of stuff there, but never had a look around. Not a decent selection?

Sometimes you just get incredibly lucky!

Ok, MS, explain how you got your slimy hands on it.
I think your efforts I the mower has lead to divine intervention.

MF, I happened to pass by an old mower shop on my way to get some bolts for the Pope that I know has there for donkey's. They had one, single wrecked 160cc FC out the back amongst a pile of power torques! Got a few other bits for it too.

However, the Mower Gods giveth, and the Mower Gods taketh away. Shortly after that photo was taken, I had my last aerosol can of Hammered Silver let go about 10 seconds into spraying. What a mess. OK, no worries, I took it back and they were most understanding. There were no more cans of this paint left, so I got it exchanged for a small tin of the same stuff. Light applications with a decent brush and I ended up with bristles pulled out everywhere and a sag line on the arch to round it off. I think I'm going to get it blasted again and TAKE IT TO THE BLOODY PAINT SHOP.

It was looking incredible, now it looks backyard.

Oh well.

Oh no!!
Hammered paint is very forgiving -at least the Ultra Color brand I got. They are horrible for stopping a quarter the way through. Don't t give up yet Mystyler!

I succeeded in reactivating mine several times enough to finish my gold high arch base you saw earlier.
I used carby cleaner (which is basically acetone in a can) with a straw to drop it down the tube in the can and run some though the nozzle before getting a few more seconds spray time and doing it again.
I'd sand the run and go over it with the reacivated spray can if you can get it running. You have nothing to lose.

Yep - thats how any of my paint projects end up

MF, your Gold base turned out fantastic. I can't complain about the finish quality of the stuff I got from the cans. And I'll certainly put my brush technique down as "needs more practise". But geeze, this has been an exercise in frustration.

I'm thinking I may just have to concede that this battle has been lost. I have no real work area and setting everything up to protect the surrounds takes longer than the action of painting. I can't use solvents in the storeroom as it is connected, bizarrely, to the kitchen via the stove extractor fan. If I use anything too volatile it ends up stinking the house out.

It seems I also bought the last can of Hammered Silver around me until they can get stock in. So I'm snookered there.

I shan't give up on the mower, but the painting process may have beaten me. I promised last time I would outsource my painting. Except that job turned out very well!

I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

I painted mine in a beach tent in the back yard with flyscreen windows that I covered up with the built in window flaps each time I did a pass with the can.
The base was suspended off the canvas floor on 100 mm thick scrap pieces of wood. Unfortunately as I was down the road, heavy gusts of wind decided to start and the tent was blown over in my absence. The paintwork was chipped off in four little spots around the left side of the base. I touched them up with a brush dipped into the gold paint squirted into the cap but shows as bright spots in certain light. It still bothers me but it's just not worth it to possibly risk further ruining it by another pass of the spray after months of curing. I'm hoping the height adjustment rod on the left side, which passes near the blemishes, will draw the eye away.

A drop sheet with weights around it will provide a work space almost anywhere.

You guys are enablers. I'm going to attempt some sanding, and then I'll try another brand of spray can.

God help me!