OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary COWLING CORNER

I thought I'd try and start a thread to see people's collections of cowlings! On a mower, off a mower, wall hangers, any make or model, any way you like or any era you like! Just show us your cowlings. I'm kicking off with some of the plastic 70's series cowlings I have. (Yes the powerplus one's are borderline 70's/80's)

I will continue to update this thread with many more cowlings as my mower journey unfolds!!!

Don't have a cowl man!

Actually I do. What a great topic.

Here's a start. More tomorrow.

Gold!!! More from me tomorrow!

Some more of my 70's series cowlings. I have to dig the last couple of my 70's ones out. Next posts on this thread will either be my utilities or my 80's series....

I got 5 new mowers on Wednesday. Here are the cowlings of 3 that I have removed to keep safe and 2 others still on the mowers.
1 Purple VC-SPORT
2 70's series Mark 4 Mustangs with red decals
1 80's series Mark 1 Mustang
1 80's series Mark 2 Mustang

More of mine. I transferred a good motor from a far gone steel base onto a good ute base I trash picked from a skip. I replaced a cracked shute with a better one from another ute base which I painted.
I trimmed the rear section off the cowl to make up a ute one with large fuel tank.
Next is a Powertorque with a later type cowl I fitted to a thumblatch base to make up a unique combination along with the solid rubber early 70s 8" ball bearing wheels.
Then we have a Powerplus cowl cut to accommodate a FC Mustang type fuel tank, in turn fitted to a VC160 mark III base.
Finally, my entire collection of the plastic 70s and early 80s low arch cowl. A couple are hard to get to but you get the picture from the others.

POWERPLUS!!! Has it got the correct high compression engine?

Oh NO!! It's a true Frankenstein mower. Probably just a bog standard 160cc mark IV. According to the serial no., it's a 77 build.

What's the number? I bet it's not 77! Still, if you have a good powerplus cowling the rest is pretty easy to find!!! I can help out with that.....

The number is 119 770 778. I doubt it's a Powerplus or Powerminus engine. Just your bog standard cup starter plastic carby 160 Victa churned thousands of in the disco era.

I'm really not after any powerplus motor. Very satisfied with what I've amassed so far. Only wanting a Victa VB (what I nickname the VC 125 mk 3 as I recalled the label saying VB for so many years and only got my memory corrected when I saw my first pic of one in 2016 since my 1988 encounters with the fabled mower) and a purple VC Sport -which I can live without.
After that, that's pretty much it.

You still have some pretty nice machines hiding in those pictures there!!!!

I forgot, I do have a Powerplus in the form of a side pull full crank self propelled.
Engine started briefly when I first got it then it made some popping sound, stalled and wouldn't start. It's been stored since (five years). SP system needs work, mainly the cable and belt pulley by the looks of things.
A couple of others I peeked at with the phone camera, including a better look at my 72 VC Auto Drive with the SP removed and carby troubles.
Silver streak and Corvette work but SS doesn't stop and Corvette runs ok but is loudish and has bearing noise that gets taxing as you mow.

I love it mate!!! They are your mowers, and if you want to leave some of them on the shelf then that's awesome! This is the best thing, they are yours and you can do as much or as little as you want!!!! It's not like you have just stuck them in the yard.... My car has been evicted from the garage. I needed the room because I'm in the middle of putting all engines that were on the wrong bases back to the correct orientation, then I can take a quick photo with all the cowlings back on and the catchers on too before I start doing what I'm going to do with all of my mowers.

Im also in the middle of tearing down a 71 125cc utility and a 72 160cc utility for parts for 3 other utilities I'm doing. Oh and that consul 2, I've found a great original deck and bars. So that's getting done too..

I used to love walking past the mower shop each morning to catch the bus when I lived in Maroubra in the early 1990s and always wondering what mowers would be parked out the front awaiting service or collection from customers. Always a great variety of two stroke Victas from the 70s and 80s guaranteed.
Now they're mainly boring modern Briggs things with the occasional Powertorque or two oh a good day.

I remember visiting a another mower repair place with someone in 88 and seeing at least three green VC Mustangs and a couple of the earlier shape VC as well as a Victa Twin which this bloke had never seen. That further fired up my fascination with these mowers. I was amazed at their styling.

MF, I was going to do a thread called catcher corner but I think it's just you and I posting so here are 11 of my green catchers. All have mowers to go on.

I have never seen so many in one shot lol.

You only need the late 70s green Corvette and the Victa Compact/electric to complete the set.

That's incredible how quickly you've amassed so many.

Can we see pics of your VC 125 mark III posed with a good original green catcher and the later type in the foreground that normally fits on the SPFC Mustang?
Also wouldn't mind seeing what the Vortex catcher looks like on it.

Your wish will be granted! I'll get all of the mock up's of the mowers I'm doing ready this week with catchers, decks engines and cowlings on them. So I should have
1 Red VC-SPORT
1 Purple VC-SPORT (no catcher 😔)
1 VC125
1 PowerPlus
1 Mark 3 Mustang (G3 carby Light Blue decal)
3 Mark 4 Mustangs (2 Blue Decals 1 Red)
1 of the first 80's Series Mustangs
1 of the second 80's Series Mustangs
1 Green 75-76 VC-SPORT
1 Green 76-78 VC Mustang S
1 Store Brand High Arch V186 (Badged as a Contessa)
1 Red Vortex 83-84
1 Yellow vortex 85-86
1 White 83-84 Mustang with Turbo blade decals
1 Utility 70-71 V83

I have more to sort, but I'm ready to do the mock up's of these ones to take pictures of. I'm documenting via video and pictures all of my mower stuff im doing! I've found so many mowers that have had engines swapped from their original deck but then I've been able to find the correct parts to put these all back to original set-ups. So you will, hopefully, get a flood of these mowers in the coming days and weeks!!!

G'day Sean and Mf

I can't get access to most of my mowers / parts atm but here are a few.




Cheers
Max.

MAXEEE, mate those are all some great pieces there mate!!!

I love the shine on those catcher's, I haven't had time to sit and shine up my catcher's. Have you cleaned those catcher's to get them so shiny or is that the condition they were in when you bought them? Doesn't matter either way! They are stunning!!!

Great cowlings too, I'm sure you have plenty on mowers too. But I definitely see my favourite's there!!!!

Thanks Max and MF!!! I hope a few more members join this thread!!! I love these mowers so much and just like seeing other people's collection's and their own way they keep their collection's!!!

I'm finding as I meet people, weather they are selling me something, someone I meet randomly in an OP-shop, my postie or anyone else that I have talked to about my new hobby and passion, that my enthusiasm rubs off on them, especially when I show pictures of my mowers and someone says "my dad had one of those". I'm getting so much pleasure from sharing all of this. Then I also love the "hunt" for mowers, parts, manuals and collectables. I love working on them and learning how to do all of the necessary things to properly restore them the way I want to. I could go on but I won't....

I've washed the catchers Sean ,that's all ,a few catchers look like they haven't had much use probably sat in a garage
most of the time since new,

There a few products you can use on plastic to bring back the shine.They are advertised for Black but work
on any plastic colours.





Cheers
Max.

Hi MW and SN,

Since we're on catcher corner now here are my black Corvette catchers. Probably the most stylish of all thumb latch designs. Both have damaged lips which have been repaired with metal and rivets, which you don't see while on the mower. It's hard to find them undamaged but they're out there.
They also weigh a lot when empty and have only one handle which make them harder to empty out.

I need to find a good one for my gold hi arch mower.

The red PT cowl has the grill missing which makes them look crap, but it's undamaged and may be useful down the track.

Thanks Max, great little clip!!! I struggle to learn by reading things but watching something like that and it all goes in.

So I really appreciate you posting that mate!!! I think 2 of my Green catchers are only good for testing products, techniques and as pieces to use to fix small damage to the others.

I've only got 2 red catchers at the moment and one has 2 small holes and the other has had a dog chew on the handel. But otherwise both are great condition. I'm going to have to wait until I'm confident with plastic welding and repairs until I do anything with them. But I have quite a few crappy black catchers to practice on too. I also have a lead on a Red VC-MUSTANG MARK 3 with a catcher in decent condition, but I think the catcher for it is a little bit darker Red.

Any way, thanks again Max and MF

I need to put the Impala 2 cowling in the cowling corner now don't I!!!

I threw in an old picture of some mustang cowlings. Some are mint some are beyond repair but have great store brand decals that I'll manage to ether use on another mower or as a display piece.

I think you'll find that Holley Equipped job is not original. Someone's stuck it there later on.

Good finds those white(ish) ones. No damage visible.
I can't believe a white grip really was released on production examples.

You must be a little sleepy MF. Those 2 "white" ones are actually green ones that are so weathered they look like they are white. They are both absolute destroyed. All the other green one I think have zero damage and they are for my main Mustang restorations and of each different V code.

Perhaps I should have mentioned I was talking about the 500 and Impala cowls but I did say undamaged cowls which those green Mustang ones clearly are not.

2 of them are mint, 1 has 1 scuff on the edge around the decal, 1 has minimal scuff damage and 3 are stuffed. My other good ones are in the house. Yeah those white ones are nice

Ok MF, you're going to be upset when I show you what I've found. I've just made an offer. The white cowling in perfect condition.

I also got some of my mock up mowers out today for a few pictures so here are 9 of the 11 I took pictures of.
73-74 Green VC125 V138
73-74 Red VC-SPORT V137
78-80 Green high arch store brand CONTESSA V190
76-78 Green Mustang Mark 4 V206
80-81 Black and Silver COMMODORE high arch VG 183 A0
83-84 Red Vortex VM 168 A2
85-86 Yellow Vortex AJ 059 A5
78-80 Green and white Mustang WA 174 A8
80-81 Green and white super start Mustang WA 150 A0

Love that shot of the 125 flanked by the two Vortices!
That is very significant to my memories seeing the yellow Vortex and white Mustang models on display in the shops and thinking about the fact they have the same thumblatch button as the older models people I knew had like the white topped mower in your first pic and the mighty 125 mk3. It was like a continuation of a tradition of the great high arch designs Victa came up with.

I would get mega upset if the skull shaped top mower you got had the 125. 160, not so much but would dearly love to get my slime soaked hands on that remarkably untarnished top.

Thanks for indulging me all those pics. Thumblatch heaven!

The spark plug is going in straight unfortunately. So it's a 160cc

Here is the side shot of the line up today