OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Idle Chatter This weekend's finds.

So it did come with a colour coded starter handle.
That looks in good condition, no fluting missing.
I wonder if the catcher came without a thumblatch as shown in the brochure?
I'm beyond jealous. If you get the Chevrolet, I won't speak to you again!!

Here is the operation instructions and part listing for the 72-73 Impala 2. I'm receiving most of this unicorn in the coming weeks.

OK MF, ILL AGREE I HAVE CRAZY CRAZY LUCK. I BASICALLY HAVE EVERY MOWER WITH THAT SHAPE COWLING NOW.


All because I spotted the deck in an old photo. All I need is a victa jet.

Chevrolet? Mower Freak? What's the Chevrolet? Unless you mean the impala.

Im more of a 64 impala myself when it comes to cars.

Im going to send through a scan of all the decals that it needs and I'll get the guy to make up some extra main decals.

Thank goodness. If you got an 80s one, it'd just be too much to take! 64 is a sharp looking rig. You have classy car taste.

1973 Holden Torana XU-1 LJ. Now that's my dream car!!!

I like grandpa cars like the 1978 XC Falcon with crossflow six and ordinary hubcaps. Overtly sporty cars have always made me cringe.

I have a very very serious problem here people. I wasn't even doing anything to do with mowers and I managed to somehow buy another 78-80 PowerPlus. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty happy with the purchase

Nice, but I still prefer the VC 125 mark 3. Never seen that with a series 80 before. I take that to be original spec -apart from the catcher haha.

Neat repair job on the top. Looks like armour.

It's very mad Max, which will suit a custom mustang perfectly! It was $50 and great running condition!!!! So now I can use my other 2 to make a self propelled PP

Ahh, so I believe I have found myself a fairly good condition purple/blue VC-SPORT catcher for my blue/purple VC-SPORT. It's heavily faded from weathering and could be extremely brittle but for $15 I'll take the chance that I can bring it a new lease on life.

Fingers crossed and wish me luck!!!

That looks technically intact, but you could end up being able to poke a hole in it with your pinky.
It looks suspiciously like it's been sitting there a long time and has discoloured into more of a dull blue than the purple it once was.

You will probably have to paint it and use it strictly for posing purposes. I suggest you buy this plastic primer available at Super Cheap and apply White Knight purple available at Bunnings onto it. At least you will know it's the genuine article under the paint.

I have managed to revitalise the sheen of Victa hubcaps with a small butane torch by running it over the plastic in a rapid sweeping motion several times over sections, after thoroughc scrubbing first. You must be very ginger. You can try a small section to see if it works but be very cautious not to warp the plastic.
Err on the side of caution and don't try too hard because warped or melted plastic is forever. Have a practise on a worn plastic item you don't care about first.

I suspect that catcher is too past it for that to work. Only a suggestion you may be able to use.

So I got better pictures and I'm shattered. It's been painted purple and the paint is peeling off badly to show a mustang green underneath.

But!!! In the pictures I received I can see a few catchers and parts I can use and I'm thinking I've found a honey hole for catchers and victa 2-stroke parts. They have hundreds of mowers, catchers and boxes of parts. Can't wait to have a good look!!!

Why don't you make an offer or get out thrown in with a deal and paint it up for practise? It's the same casting, come on, and it will need painting into green as well.

I've already organised to go and look at a bunch of different mower stuff. But Victoria is in lockdown and I can't go until it is relaxed

Looks like I'm going to be doing 2 model 5c restorations after picking up these today.

A victa special badge, a base and an almost rebuilt engine.

My original was and is still going to be a custom paint and plating resto. The colour scheme had been chosen but if my footy team wins in 2 weeks, then the theme will be based on my team colours ❤💙

The other will be as original as possible!

So I finally got to pick up one of my first Scott Bonnar 2-stroke rotaries after a little bit of freedom. I've added the advertisements that I know one of is definitely my mower. The other that says 1973 model is more of a drawing and there are a few small differences like the colour of the catcher and the handelbar are complete different, so it's probably an earlier model. I don't know, I haven't done enough research on Scott Bonnar mowers yet as I've been mainly focused on my early Victa model restorations.

Never seen a Scott Bonnar base like that with a two stroke. That's a beauty.

Neither had I. I have seen a few 4-stroke versions but most of the time the deck is broken at the front. This one is bent but not broken. The catcher is in better condition than it looks too. It will polish up nicely!!!

I wasn't sure if I would keep any of the Scotty's I find, this one is a keeper!

It's a very good chassis and has all it's wheel covers. An old fella who fixed mowers in his yard around here revealed to me that they are the best chassis you can get. He had one with a Honda OHV he fitted to it.

Im not sure if I'll have the energy to post pictures tomorrow night but im picking up the rest of my Scott Bonnar mowers parts tomorrow afternoon along with a heap of other stuff. A large number of 70's 160cc and 125cc engines, carbys both G3 and G4 and I could go on but a picture says a thousand words so I'll show with pictures when I have them.....

I wish I had endless capacity to store mowers. I'd have a very valuable collection indeed by now!

So a very interesting early 80's Victa mower that came up for sale recently and I had a friend ask what I thought about it? Straight away my head thought it was just a bitsa but very quickly realised that the paint job was to legitimate for it to be repainted. Then the lug hole in the base was suspicious, the wheels looked like early 70's style and the base itself is larger, about the size of a twin.

So I started looking into it and I found an advertisement for it in the UK, then I looked at the advertisement for the mower properly and saw all the pictures and that this was the original owner who has the original paperwork that came with the mower, I then found the the catcher reference and finally in one of my parts reference manuals I found a Pro Deluxe Contractor from 80-81.

Im not sure if you have seen one of these before MF but I hadn't and I found it interesting, nothing I'd personally like except if I was still a gardener.

So one of the mowers I had to wait a long time to go and pick up is my 1974 build Sunbeam 160cc low arch.

I just gave it a very basic clean off yesterday and took some pictures. The engine case says it's a 74 build and it's got a G3 carby on it, so that all lines up.

Anyway here are some pictures of it and its immaculate catcher, also the serial number and pictures from my 75-76 dial a code with my exact mower except the Carby in the dial a code picture is G4 and the fuel cap is in a different position, otherwise it's a very very close match...

I would not restore that. Maybe replace the broken wheel cap, but that's in great sound survivor condition.
I only restore far gone machines. That's got rich patina, particularly the base.
The catcher is the right shape, but wrong colour. I never knew there was a blue version unless that's off an older model before the Victa association before they supplied the engine.
That's certainly a unique base casting not used on any Victa. Later Sunbeams used the store brand type high arch base, making it a fully Victa product wIth only a unique engine cowl and of course labels and wheel covers.

Good afternoon MF and Seanoss

Spot on MF, blue catcher is for the earlier Sunbeam lawnkeeper 2.

Cheers
wce

Is this the correct catcher for it? Because I have 5 catchers that came with everything else I got that day and 3 of them fit. I found old picture of 4 other catchers I have.

Hi Seanoss,
I dont think any of those are the correct ones for that model. If you put Sunbeam lawnkeeper in the search bar I am sure there are images of your mower with the correct catcher on it.
Cheers,
WCE

Thanks WCE, I'll do that. I'm sick at the moment so my brain isn't ticking over so well.....

First one's a replacement low arch Mayfair/store brand catcher (like my KMart V170).
They are a surprisingly easy catcher to empty out. Others don't empty as easily.