OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Victa Lawn Mower Frames Victa 18 Project

Hi there! I've been a long term lurker, this is my first post.

I've been into mowers since I was a teenager, I'm now 38 and still obsessed! My passion is for Victa's, mainly because my grandfather had a green Victa VC Mustang, which he gave to me, and I still have running to this day. I've since owned countless Victa and other branded mowers as part of my business and as a general hobby.

Yesterday I picked up a Victa 18 that had been used as a showroom display for I'd guess at least 30-years. This is easily the oldest mower in my collection and my first interaction with these OG Victa's.











As you can see, she needs a little work. I would love to restore it to showroom fresh, but.........................then I wouldn't be inclined to use it. My goal is to just get it running so that I can use it as an occasional novelty.

The engine hadn't run in decades, and with fuel leaking from the fuel tap and carb bowl, it won't be for a little while longer yet. My first step was the remove the carb and assess what I needed. With it removed, out of curiosity I gave it a shot of starting fluid to see if it had spark, to my surprise she came to life.



So, the plan is to clean and rebuild the carb, rebuild the fuel tap, clean the fuel tank, then sort out the intake side of things. The choke lever on the dome-type air filter housing has broken, the rubber tube completely perished. I've since started ordering parts and I look forward to seeing where this project goes. For context, I have never rebuilt a carb before, let alone working on a machine this old. So, I'm learning new things.

Would love to hear what you think and what I should look out for.

Cheers!

Hi DFB,
Welcome here where we love our 2 strokes. No surprise that it fired up, they are amazing machines that changed the way the world cut grass/lawns all those years ago.
Good luck with the resto, they look amazing when brought back to when they left the factory.
Those wheels you have there are worth a kings ransom, be careful with them
My parents bought one exactly like that in probably 1963/4, first and last thing they ever bought on HP, Mum was horrified with the interest they paid on it it scared her for life. How times have changed, they were about 54 pounds and I think wages about that time were about 5 pounds a week

After doing a bit of reading, am I right in assuming this is a 1957 - 1961 model 5?

These are the numbers on the engine, which I can't make much sense from....................

The main concern with this mower is the carburetor. I have never touched one of these before, so I was flying blind. At first, I couldn't understand how to remove the throttle cable, not realizing how the throttle on these worked. I eventually figured out how the throttle works and determined that the throttle slide was frozen in place, which would explain why the throttle cable was frozen as well. Some light pressure from underneath with a flat blade screwdriver released it from the barrel and allowed me to disconnect the cable and remove the carb from the machine.

After partial disassembly, it was looking quite nasty inside, with aluminum corrosion on the body and float. So, I put everything into a bath of kerosene to soak overnight. I then went and watched some YouTube videos on this carb so that I wasn't flying so blind for the next steps.



The next day, I went about cleaning it up piece by piece. The brass components cleaned up fine, finished off with a light scrub with a scotch pad, then rinsed with carb spray. I needed to use a wire brush to remove the aluminum corrosion present on the carb body and bowl. That corrosion had also set up around the float needle and the classic "tickler", both frozen in place. A blast of carb spray and some light pick work got both free. I then used a torch tip wire to unplug the emulsion tube orifice, then gave the body a good flush with carb spray.



The throttle slide tube that was frozen in place is now moving freely in the barrel, some light scuffing with a scotch pad sorted it easily. All clean and ready for full assembly once the gasket set arrives.

From here, I decided to remove the blade carrier. A little penetrant and a few zips with the rattle gun had it off hassle free. This gave me access to scrape away the dirt and grass cocktail that had been there for 30-years, then a quick blast with the pressure washer. The blades on it are as thin as a piece of paper and in no way safe. So, I have ordered a replacement disk, NOS blades and a new disk nut. Which disk I use will depend on what I find on closer inspection of the original. Apparanly the original owner had a special set of blades made so that they stuck out beyond the deck and wheels, meaning he didn't need to use a trimmer along his fence. Yeah, nah, not keen on that idea.



I just love how form and function combine on these machines. The gorgeously designed spiral muffler takes exhaust gas from the engine and directs it down through the deck and into the lower muffler plate. This type of arrangement was used on those 2-stroke Lawn Boy's in the USA, just without that 1950's design flair.



I have multiple hobbies, the one I'm most invested in is car detailing. While I like to keep my cars spotless, I have to resist that urge when it comes to mowers. Yes, I like to keep them maintained and give them an occasional clean, but they are money makers first, hobby second for me. Still, there is some cross-over with these two hobbies, and frankly, I much rather work on a clean machine, hence the next step......................

I didn't want to be blasting this machine with a pressure washer or use aggressive alkaline chemicals. So, I mixed up some DIY Detail Rinse-less wash at the 128:1 water-less ratio. Why this product? Because it would offer a gentle but effective clean, reducing the risk of damaging the 70-year-old paint, again, I've decided to preserve rather than restore. Being a surfactant-based rinse-less wash, this particular product also lathers up under agitation. Again, having sat in a showroom for so long did me a favor here because it was pretty clean and tidy to begin with.

https://detailingshed.com.au/produc...OA2a_FGOgG7ubAuRdKZTS-XXBwVCF1fjAEdcBK4U



For those that don't know, rinse-less washing provides a blend of lubrication and cleaning ability without the need to remove the residue with water, simply dry with a towel afterwards. I use this method for cleaning cars that are merely dusty, its also great for classic car preservation as you don't end up with water doused everywhere. In this case, I chose this method over heavy duty all-purpose cleaners or degreasers as its gentler and less likely degrade the surface.

I then gave it a spray down with Meguiar's Hyper Dressing mixed at 4:1 for a natural finish. This is purely for cosmetics, a water-based dressing that adds a little luster to the degraded finish. Not a massive before and after difference, but its clean and tidy....................

https://automotivesuperstore.com.au...UBDANQPoAKikQqiLPKBTERghYKxoCiDkQAvD_BwE

As you can see by the final photo above, I removed the fuel tank from the machine. This involved removal of the cowl, and removal of the spark plug wire, which ruined the brittle plastic/rubber boot. I've since ordered a replacement, I'd say most Victa 18's these days wouldn't have a spark plug boot at all.

With the strap loosened from below, the tank came away from the cowl with ease. This then allowed me to remove the brass fuel tap, which was leaking when open, then allowing fuel to leak past when closed. A little penetrant and some gentle persuasion with a set of multi-grips, the tap cracked loose and was removed from the tank. It will be cleaned and rebuilt with new o-rings that come with the carb kit.

The only thing I'm unsure of is the fabric wick-style fuel filter on the end of the tap inlet. The wick is still in tact and seems to have cleaned up ok, but are these replaceable, or do I install an external inline filter?

The inside of the tank is pretty rusty. Before adding fuel to the tank to see if the engine would fire, I had rinsed it out with some fuel but clearly needed more. Someone suggested I try white vinegar and some stones to help dislodge any rust flakes. To keep the vinegar inside the tank and facilitate soaking, I used an old plastic fuel tap to plug where the brass tap was.



After letting it soak, I felt I needed to step it up and decided to try another recommendation, CRC Evapo-Rust. I emptied out the vinegar and stones, rinsed with some carb spray, then dumped the whole bottle of Evapo-Rust into the tank to soak. I've never used this before, so I'm interested see how this plays out.





From here, I'm waiting for parts to arrive.

Hi DFB,

The wheels can be worth a lot if they are like new but most are worn flat on the outside and or have cracks ,I still see lots
of mowers with good wheels way cheaper than what people ask for a set of used wheels.

There is a list of models here if you haven't already seen them https://www.vintagemowers.net/Victa_Specials.php

With the engine numbers the early ones were 1 to 360,000 roughly then they used letters like A ,AA, AAA, B. BB ,BBB,C,
D,with numbers after the letters

These are probably the easiest mowers to work on , set the float height , clean and adjust the points, set the timing ,
check the plug gap , clean the carby out ,buy carby gaskets ,fuel tap o rings on eBay.

PDF manual below to download.

Cheers
Max.

Also these engine don't run right without the snorkel connected to the carby and the air filter housing, they needs the restrictor in the
lower half of the air filter housing too.. This is mentioned also in the manual.

Cheers
Max.

Thanks so much! That workshop manual helps a lot, very much appreciated.

Mine has the short pod style choke/air filter. One of the lower tabs and choke switch is missing, the rubber hose turned to dust. The machine came with a replacement hose but it doesn't quite look right. It also came with a filter but its horrid, the manual says you can't clean it, so I'm not sure what I'll do there.











I did order a long tube and filter housing, so hopefully that will work with this engine?

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/N08XT2p0/s-l140.webp[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/j5s7hqF4/s-l1600.webp[/img]

I'd just clean that original filter with the compressor and air gun DFB and see how it looks after a clean ,some
people just use a pit bike filter etc.


Cheers
Max.

My intial attempt at cleaning out the tank wasn't getting me anywhere, so I gave this stuff a try. Very impressed at how well it cleaned up!



The kit to rebuild the carb and fuel tap arrived today. With the carb fully disassembled and cleaned, putting it back together was far less daunting than I was expecting. Helping the situation, the seller of the kit includes an instruction sheet. In my case, I didn't need to make an adjustment to the float level.



Next, the fuel tap. The carb kit includes two replacement o-rings for the inner slide, the originals were hard as a rock.



New o-rings installed, the slide was then reinserted into the brass body, followed by the holding screw. Initially, the new o-rings make the movement very tight, but with a bit of working, they free up and begin to function properly.



After rinsing out the tank with carb spray, I then reinstalled the tap, which are a tapered thread and go in very tight. Some fuel in the tank verified no leaks from the fitting or past the o-rings. Sucess!



I then connected the new fuel line included in the kit, turned on the tap and filled the carburetor bowel with fuel. I even gave the tickler and tickle to verify it was working. Again, success! No leaks.



Super pleased to get this step completed, let's just hope it works as it should.

What are people using for blade bolts on these blade carriers?



I have a set of replacement blades, but they didn't come with hardware.

Go to a bolt shop and get some high tensile bolts with lock nuts DFB or buy original Victa bolts for $30. that were 58 cents.

For $30. you could buy a complete mower with good blade bolts.

New aftermarket snorkels are available online. I'd be keeping that original filter housing if I were you they are hard to find with the VICTA logo, the later version didn't have the VICTA stamped on it.

The blade carrier you have pictured was used on the earlier rotomo model, the special had a different blade carrier.

Max, do you know if that fits inside the original filter hosing?

For some reason, the disk I removed from the mower was earlier 3B design. Doing some research, I came across the following thread, seems some early Specials came with the older disk and blade arrangement.

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/11511/re-18-special-blade-disk.html

I tracked down an another one, which I fitted today, I'll fit blades once I get some bolts.

Starting on the Victa 18 this morning, I fitted a replacement blade disk in anticipation of getting the engine running. I'm waiting for a set of bolts to arrive, so the blades will go on later.



Next, I reinstalled the fuel tank, followed by refitting the carburetor, throttle and a temporary intake. From here, I trimmed the new fuel line to length and connected it up, then added some fuel to the tank. Time for the moment of truth.

Fuel tap on, throttle opened halfway, a pull of the starter and ziiiiiing, she was alive. This initial off camera run was super promising, taking a moment to clear its throat but was eventually started to run nice and strong. I then shut it off and set up the camera and things went downhill. The engine just wouldn't run clean.....................



After that video, it only got worse until it wouldn't restart. I pulled the plug and it seemed quite dry, so I'll have to dig into the carb again. The plug itself was quite worn but was delivering some spark, I have a replacement Champion N21 on the way so I'll see if that helps the matter.

I have to say, I'm a little disappointed, but that's what you get playing with old vintage stuff. I'm fairly sure its fuel related as it was running very well initially and the engine has excellent compression. I do also wonder if having the incorrect intake is playing a part too.

What fuel mix are you using and what intake did you put on?

I use the Victa Formula-V in all 2-stroke Victa's, mixed at 25:1. For all other 2-stokes, I used the Stihl HP Ultra Synthetic because it significantly reduces carbon.



The intake I used was the long type with the filter-less restrictor, mainly as an interim until I get the original short pod style one sorted.



I've since pulled the plug again to check for spark and found the original plug has virtually no electrode left. I'm still waiting for a new plug to arrive, but I hooked the plug wire to another brand new plug I had in stock and it was producing nice blue spark. So yeah, new plug most certainly needed.

I don't think it will QSR ,generally they use that filter instead of the Victa filter but you still need to install a restrictor.

You can buy air filter foam if you just wanted to use that .


I use the 2 Stroke Outboard Oil - Valvoline at 25 to 1

Cheers
Max.

Working on the Victa 18 yesterday was a mixture of pleasure and pain. Getting the carburetor refitted and fueled up, then getting the engine to fire off for the first time in decades was very satisfying. But then the frustration of it getting more and more erratic to the point where it wouldn't refire. Very deflating. Rather than pulling it all to bits right then and there, I decided to put it aside and let things cool, both me and the machine.

Initially, I assumed it was a fueling problem. The engine would rev up, then break down, rev up and choke............rinse and repeat. Thinking about it, the fact I could get it to rev right up indicated it was getting enough fuel to do so. Changing tact, I removed the spark plug and immediately noticed what the problem was................................



"There's your problem......." a spark plug well out of spec. I'm normally onto this sort of thing, but for some reason neglected to check the plug.

With the plug lead still connected and the turned over, I was getting an erratic blue and orange spark. I then removed the wire and connected it to another plug, this delivered nice blue spark. So yeah, it just wasn't getting enough or consistent spark.

As luck would have it, the brand-new plug I ordered showed up this morning.



Included in that order was a new spark plug boot, the original crumbled in my fingers when I needed to remove the plug wire to access the fuel tank.



With the fuel turned on, throttle halfway, the rope pulled once, then twice..................off she went, settling into a nice stable idle. Once it was warmed up, I cracked the throttle open and ziiiiiiiiiiinnnng, that classic 2-stoke scream! After several restarts spread over a few hours, it seems like I have the engine running well. So, a simple spark plug solved the problem.



Reinvigorated, I therefore decided to keep fettling.....................

The original owner had used electrical tape to secure the throttle cable to the handle.............yeah, that's not DFB-Spec! So, I went and tracked down some vintage cable clips.



In preparation, I actually stripped the remains of the fabric sheath surrounding the cable for a cleaner look. These clips really tidy up the look of the mower, as well as solving the issue I was having with the throttle lever popping the retainer out of place, thus preventing the cable from functioning properly. A double win here!



I also had a play around with the choke selector on the original pod filter housing. For this, I cut the leg off the choke, drilled out the circular piece then inserted an 80mm M4 bolt, locking it in place with a nut and washers. I then double-nutted the bolt about halfway down to set the correct height and installed the refurbished choke into the housing. Next, I installed another nut to help lock a small doorknob in place for the selector. I then orientated the choke into the lower housing and marked the knob for direction. I'm just waiting for the correct size tube and I'll give it a whirl. The reality is, the engine is starting pretty easy without a choke.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/pinnacle...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.bunnings.com.au/taskmast...-knob_p0132795



The tidied up cables and temporary cable ties for the intake tube have really smartened up the look..................



Still to come, some blade bolts so that I can actually cut some grass. And the above-mentioned correct intake tube so that I can make it look right. I also need to put an inline fuel filter on it. From there, I'll have to figure out the height adjusters. But.........................I'm super happy to have revived this piece of Australian history.

The Victa cut grass for the first time in decades....................



I had two passes by today say how cool this thing is, and like a proud "grandson" (it's just too old for me to be its fatherly figure), I couldn't help but proudly agree. It's not perfect, it's go a few battle scars, its noisy and kinda dangerous.......................but oh-so full of character.

So, while there is some tinkering still left to do, but I'd consider this old Victa recommissioned!

I wish you could come and do my edges like that. Where are you with a street with virtually no cars parked on it?

Mower looks and sounds great and not over restored.

Danny

I toyed with restoring it because I usually like things to be perfect. But for some reason, I think there is charm to be had here so I decided to just get it running. If I had restored it, I'd then be inclined not to use, which would defeat the purpose of buying it.......................I just like the sound these things make.

The street, byproduct of living in a country town. And the edges, credit goes to a Atom Edger..................the only Honda engine in my fleet.

In May 2018, I had a rush of blood and decided I needed to buy one of the last 2-Stoke Victa’s. Actually, I had already done that exactly three years prior in buying a 2-Stroke Mustang. By 2018, the 2-Stroke was in its final days and I wanted that engine on the classic Utility format.



I actually had to special order a MasterCut 460 with the 2-Stroke engine, which I traded for a perfectly fine Masport 21-inch Utility with the excellent Briggs 850 engine. Shoot me, I like lawn mowers and 2-Stoke Victa's to be specific!

Brand new off the showroom floor in May 2018.........................











What I love about the Victa Utility is how bloody light and maneuverable they are. The large pro-grade double ball-bearing wheels combine with the low weight to make this mower very easy to use. The 2-Stroke variant weighs in at 27kg, the Briggs only 26.5kg and the Honda the heaviest at 29kg. On 2-Strokes, there was a large 3-litre capacity fuel tank remote mounted on the handles, in fact the 4-Stokes look naked without it. I actually snapped the plastic fuel tap on the tank very early on, dumping the better part of 3-litres of 25:1 fuel into the tray of my Ranger. I was filthy angry over that, not only did I break the tap then footed the bill for its repair and lost fuel, but I also made a giant mess that took ages to remove from the tray.

So, I mention all this because I now own one of the first Victa Utility mowers, and also one of the very last fitted with the 2-Stroke engine. My childhood neighbor had a 1970's Victa Utility, a mower I was always fascinated with. He would be out there on a Saturday cutting the grass with the engine screaming its head off. Ever since, I’ve been into Victa’s, 2-Stokes Victa’s to be specific. That’s why I bought one back in 2018, and now I have its grandfather for good measure.













And so, that is what a 60-year age gap looks like!

For those wondering, yes I detailed the MasterCut before taking those images.

Enjoying your photo-rich posts DFB and liking your criss-cross flooring material. What is it??

Floor is called Swisstrax Ribtrax, which is made in the USA. Typically used for detailing because it allows moisture to drain through and out. I chose this because the concrete underneath looked absolutely terrible with peeling paint, never paint concrete by the way. Rather than completely stripping the garage and having something else applied, I chose to install Swisstrax myself.

https://www.flexico.com.au/?utm_source=googlebusiness&utm_medium=seo&utm_campaign=clicks
https://www.flexico.com.au/collections/ribtrax

I actually installed it on Boxing Day back in 2021. I had some help from my Dad, but I did all the connecting and cutting. Took us about 7 hours, most of the time being the cuts. Each tile locks together with pegs and loops, so it goes down pretty quickly once you get into a rhythm.









The main attraction for me, other than how it looks, is it meant I didn't have to gut my garage in preparation. All I did was move things as I needed, then slid them back in place when I had finished.















The great thing about this stuff is that it means I can always have a clean surface to work on. Water and dust just flow through, I then occasionally vacuum or blow the garage out. Prior to the floor, I would have to be doing that every few days. I will say, there is a few versions of Swisstrax, but Ribtrax is the one to go for as it helps with the cleaning better than the smooth.

In the end, the fact I could install it myself so quickly meant the price to do this was less than having someone come in and apply epoxy, which isn't great stuff, or grind and seal the concreate.

Fitted an inline fuel filter on the Victa 18 today.



I tried to get these locally, but my options are limited with small engine shops, and the one I went to of course doesn't bother stocking these very common Briggs & Stratton ones. Once again, online shopping to rescue.

These are a 1/4-inch barb Sten's branded aftermarket filter, OEM Briggs is hard to find in Australia. There are two types of these bi-directional filters, the white ones are for engines fitted with a fuel pump, the red ones for gravity fed fuel systems.





It obviously looks a little out of place on such an old mower, but it's at least functional, unlike the rope material used on the fuel tap submerged in the tank. I've been focused on getting this mower to a usable condition, so the filter makes sense in this application. I actually mowed my back lawn with it the other day and came away very impressed. For such a small engine, its got bags of grunt to rip through heavier growth.

Paint it. Trompe l'oeil!

Danny

I can't believe how hard it is to buy a replacement / alternative air filter for these.

I came across this video in my searches, and went looking for the Mann C88 filter, but it looks to be NLA.



After sifting through countless filters online, I came across this Baldwin PA1834 which on paper suggested it would fit.

https://www.filterdiscounters.com.a...rj6s2QcJh1MVz2qs#product-additional-info

These are the original filter dimensions -

Outside Diameter – 90mm
Inside Diameter – 40mm
Height – 60mm

These are the Baldwin dimensions -

Outside Diameter – 89.7mm
Inside Diameter – 50.8mm
Height – 50mm

So, I took a punt and placed an order.



My heart dropped when the outer diameter was just a shade to big to clear the indents on the filter housing. A little gentle persuasion on the outer rim of the filter with a hammer and it was fitting nicely. Just like in the video, there is a height difference between the old and new, so I used an foam tyre dressing applicator as padding, which I traced and cut to fit the central intake.



The new filter fits snuggly in place, just at the right height. My main problem is the broken tab on the lower filter housing doesn't hold the cap in place firmly to help seal the filter to the base. I'm still looking for a replacement, so had to resort to cable ties to hold it down. Not my usual style, but it will work for now.



I then went and cut the back lawn, which I had let grow a little taller than normal to test out the performance of the engine. Nothing beats a 2-stroke in heavier conditions, I just love how they sound when under load and powering through thicker growth. It's also interesting not having a traditional engine governor, the engine speed regulation is purely on the user. Not sure the neighbors appreciate the noise and smoke these engines make, but I'm having a ball! Actually, I'm surprised how well these mowers cut, the finish left behind is superb despite the lack of a catcher or a directional deck design or blades.

Look what I just scored.............................