OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Rare Finds & Donations 3 of my newest mowers,for my collection.

Even though I haven't been to well.I still have managed to get 3 more mowers for my collection.


The first one is the other version of the Consul 2.These ones sat on the same base as the model 6 Sheerline.This one came from Pambula on the south coast of NSW.Thanks to Ty's friend for bringing it up for me.


This one was donated from Ty,and I'm glad he did I really do like this one.Can't wait to get it going.Thanks Ty.


...and this one here I picked up today.Yes that's right another VC-160.As we have been calling it a Mark II,but it's real model number is 71VJ.1971 to 1972.Victacode V96.


Here they all are together.


Hopefully during this Christmas break I will be able to get them running.If and when I will stick there videos up for you to see.

Hi Jeffery, on some good scores there mate, the Consul looks a bit of a challenge...Is that another edger groove I see in the Sheerline base?
And it's great to see you've got another VC160 for your collection, as is the Autodrive.
Good to see you on the mend mate.

Yes the Consul has the same base as the model 6 Sheerline.Not sure what I'm going to do with the VC-160,except get it running again.I do like the auto drive and it will look good sitting next to my other auto drive.Yes I'm getting much better now arm is great and my gum is getting better every day.Good not to be in pain all the time now.

Have you decided on a date for the 'big trip' with Ty?

Not quite as yet.We are thinking around Australia day,but not completely sure yet.

I still dont know what to make of a vc 160, I love the mustangs and vortexes but a big white round cowl I cannot fully appeal to. Some good scores there anyway...

The thing I believe though Joe.If you even have a small interest in them I believe now is the time to start collecting,as in a few years time they will be much harder to find.The VC-125 is already getting hard to find.I have so far managed to find 3 VC-125's but they haven't been easy.One was just by accident,I was doing a delivery at work to a private address when I found it.We don't normally do delivery's to private address.So naturally I didn't leave the street until it was in the back of the truck.

After checking all the books here I have a funny feeling that the mower here that I called a consul 2.Is in fact a Cadet.As I could not find anything that match's the year and or that engine,cowl on a Sheerline base.It has 62 in the engine number which would mean 1962,the Sheerline finished in 1961.The cowl appears to be off 1962-63 Model 505-517 Viceroy.Due to the lines on the decal at the front.Apart from that every thing else match's the 1962-63 Cadet.Any info on that would help me to identify.Here is some pictures.




Please help me identify it as I'm not too sure of what it is now.I really do believe it could be a Cadet.To many things match it to that.

I'll pop by thisafternoon and have a good look at it with you.

I have seen use of that cowl on some standards (although the base is incorect) the viceroy, cadet, and sheerline, however the combination of handles, base, cowl and badgine is not specific to any one in my records.

The sticker on the front of the cowl looks possibly Viceroy, but the handles are wrong, the handles also dont match my documentation of the cadet...

Yes I know but have you ever seen a consul 2 with the handles in the books? I know I haven't.There just illustrations there not gosble.Or I've seen a lot of them not correct it was just to give dealers a rough idea as to what they were looking at.

I'm starting to think it is a cadet.If you take the cowl off (which the paint doesn't match anywhere on the mower) being a 62 model it points to a cadet.Anybody else agree?

I'm not sure the base is not original to the engine (as you said, the paint does not match, and by 62 those handles were not used as frequently)

The base could be sheerline or consul, but the engine appears not to be, cadet is a possibility, but I'm fairly confident that engine, or at least the cowl came from a Viceroy.

I think you missed what I had said.Take the cowl out of the picture.Those handles were still being used in 62 and for many more years after.Stop looking at the illustration as 100% true as there not.It's not a Consul.Consul's had castings for the front filter whether they had them or not.This doesn't.I'm not sure what your trying to point to,but I'm not sure your helping.Forget this viceroy thing it's not. Let's put it this way,it either has to be a model 6 Sheerline or a cadet.Almost exactly the same engine. In fact I think they the same.The only reason I'm not saying it's a Sheerline is because it was made in 1962.

Well, the cowl has points that lead me towards Viceroy, however, the air filter mounts you mentioned on the phone could also be an issue.

The viceroy was the only time that badgering was seen on that cowl, but it also had the extra holes.

The cadet may well have used that base set up, the base itself is a match, but I cant find images showing the handles (then again, i can only find drawings of the cadet handles, and I know the drawings were often incorrect)

However, I cant see how anyone could possibly be able to tell if the engine is original to the base, or the cowl original to the engine, unless we had a listing of that era serial number available.

Without serial number details, cadet photo's or knowledge of the mowers history, we can only speculate.

I strongly suspect the cowl to be viceroy, however, the base is most definitely not, the engine I have no idea about, it could be original to the cowl, and be on that base due to damage to the original, or it could be original to the base, in which case the cowl was used to replace a rusty one.

Or it could be made up of 3 mowers, there is plenty of home made mowers out there.

If the base and engine left the factory together, the year, lack of front box mounts, and use of that base suggest it is a cadet, that has had a viceroy cowl fitted, presumably due to damage.

However, if the engine is original to the cowl, then i would strongly suspect a viceroy had a nasty incident with a rock or wall, and a new base was required.

Personally, I would apply Occam's razor to this, considering that base was run over multiple mowers, across quite a few years, while that cowl was quite limited in it's run, especially badged like that, and further considering how easy it is to see a nasty bit of damage to an alloy base, the more likely solution is a viceroy meets a rock, and a new base is found.

However, due to the air filter holes on the cowl not being drilled out, and Victa's preference at the time for using non model badged replacement parts, it is also a possibility that a cadet needed a new cowl, and that is what the shop gave it.

Also, in regard to the starter, the viceroy used the old square bang down starter.

Personally, if we could get some serials together, that would help accurately narrow down the engine, which in turn may link it much more with either the cowl or base.

What is your serial number, I believe at least one of our members has access to a viceroy, I will try and get that serial too, and if we can gather a few Cadet serials that will also be useful, so I will get the word out.

Basically, there is a lot of guesswork here at the moment, as we cant be sure the originality of the mower, so this way, we can move from guess to hypothesis.

Ok, to update, I now have a post up here, and on another mower site, asking for serial numbers of cadets and viceroys (also consul, just to rule it out for certain) and pictures where possible.

I have sent a message asking stationary if he can help, and I have just emailed the power house museum, asking if they have the serial number for their viceroy available!

Hopefully, we can ID the engine, and then we will have a much stronger starting point.

You do realize that at this point in time for Victa was a very busy time.Authorized dealers were given specific allotments of numbers to stamp on engines before sale.So even if you find these numbers the only thing you may find is similar numbers which would only help in locating which ones could have come from what store,and seeing as nobody knows what stores had what numbers.I'm not sure that would help.Now seeing as all 3 models in question were the same period it's not going to identity which model is what.You have to remember it's not like around the VC's time where numbers were so uniformed.It wasn't about coding or identifying models,it was about getting them out the door quicker.I do appreciate your efforts but it's not going to identity what model it is.

Looking across the mowers I have from the 61 - 63 period, there is and identifiable model pattern, it seems to me the 60's brought in a crude attempt to make the serial numbers more than just a numeric sequential string, as seen in the 50's.

I've found enough to be able to identify the serial of an early 60's corvette, and further, unlike the chaotic serials of the "get them out the door" 50's, they had already revised the serial system in 62, as you can see by the year code apparent in your serial, that is not seen in a 50's serial.

Anyway, seems worth a shot to me, as I really don't see how you can be sure the heritage of a confirmed bitsa.

Your the one going on with the bitsa.I know what it is,I'm happy with what it is and I'm going to restore it as it is.For some unknown reason your just trying to destroy this happiness and turn this in to some kind of federal investigation.I really don't give a [Censored] any more and I'm over this swing back and forth.It's funny you said to me before Christmas you've never seen a cadet.Now I know why as when one (that is close) comes along your saying its a bitsa.Just drop it I'm done.So I'd like this thread to be closed now.I'm happy with what it is,and I'm not going to let you destroy that.

Well, after that phone call, I think you might be right, at this point it's not really easy to confirm 100% what's what, however, as far as we `can tell, although due to paint, you feel this mower is not all original, the main point is all these parts were on cadets, as well as others, however, they were only ever all together on the cadet, so once restored and painted, this one is a cadet, regardless of where the parts came from in the beginning.

A bit like the VC-125 i'm building, which has a 125 S70 MKII engine on a vc-160 base, which is the exact same base as the 125.

As you are now no longer worried by what the specific parts may or may not have started life on, and as you have asked, this thread will now close.

If you want to add anything later, Just PM a moderator!