OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Finally Found One - Vortex Mustang GTS

I brought out the yellow Vortex beater bomb with the intent to give the base a touch up of brown Rustoleum hammered finish paint but upon removal of the front wheels, discovered a crack forming at the top of the already very worn U point where the axle fits and decided it's just not worth keeping this base which already has two other cracks on the edges as well as a pushed in front skirt.
The mower has really has been through the wringer and I have another old GTS Mustang base with a better running engine on it. I'll paint that brown and turn it into a yellow Vortex with the cover I've got. The left edge is badly worn and there's a hole punched in the right side (which I've filled in with Selleys Knead It filler) but the front axle is firm as can be.
Front is also pushed in on that so I'll attempt to bash that out into a half decent shape.

May ditch that idea if that proves too difficult. Will see.

After pulling off the front axle, I found the LH location to be badly worn but the RH one ok.
I made a shim out of tin and replaced the bushes with ones cut to size from the rear axle of a discarded steel base and now it's totally firmed up.
I'm just going to touch up the LH side with some paint and leave the mower patina.

MF,
I have spent many hours repairing some of those alloy bases they can be a pig of a job but the bases are just junk if the front axle is flopping around, that drives me absolutely nuts

Yeah NormK this base is junk and the whole mower should be parted our as the engine isn't flash either but it still functions as a mower and I kind of like that it's a survivor and it's an original yellow Vortex instead of a made up one and until (if ever) I find a better one, I'll keep this one going.