OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Scott Bonnar 45 Restoration Advice

We'd just had a previous thread on his newly-aquired SB45, complete with Kirby-Lauson. He'd restored the mower in that thread, and at the end of it he decided to write up the work he'd done on the engine. Here is that other thread:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=37551&page=1

This is a borrowed photo (I'm not currently at home to take one) of the crank case breather from the Kirby. The tube shown in the photo was VERY brittle and broke when I touched it. I took off the crank case breather plate and as luck has it the gaskets broke. The second photo is of the home made gasket cut using my Silhouette Portrait Cutter (computer aided cutter), which is a cheap hobby cutter that I usually use to make vinyl stickers and heat transfers for t-shirts. I scanned the original broken gasket and then cut it using the Portrait Cutter. I think it came up well. There is a metal fitting with a barb on it inside the crank case breather. The tube fits into the barb. If I fit the tube to the barb and then try and push the barb though the hole in the breather plate it is very tight and breaks the tube. How is the plate, the metal barb fitting and the tube meant to interface?

Problem solved. Push the tube through the plate, fit the barb to the tube then push the tube and barb back through the plate (not too tight as this will break the tube). No oil leaks.

I'm very nearly complete.



The fuel tank had tiny pin sized holes in the bottom so when I put fuel in it for the first time after painting it blistered the paint. I have since covered the holes with some JB Weld and repainted. Photos to come tomorrow. I also wasn't happy with the supplied fuel tank sticker as the orange of the sticker wasnt exact to the orange I used. So I cut my own sticker out of black and white vinyl.

Using plastic sealer (phenolic resin) to seal a fuel tank may be a short-term solution. I haven't researched this particular product, but in general epoxy resin lasts up to one year in that application.

Hi Melb,

Any chance of getting a few of those B&W versions of that sticker from you as I thought that this would be an issue with clashing oranges ?

Cheers,
BB

Hi Melb,

Honestly is that the same mower as in the first photos you posted up which I called a survivor ?

If it is you've done a fabulous job of the resto. BTW where did you get the Green paint from and was it a custom mix or an off the shelf colour ?

Cheers,
BB

Hi Again Melb,

I've just had a look at my identically coloured Kirby powered Solid Deck 17 inch unit which has the following numbers on the ID plate;
45-05387

Yous is;
45-20211

This is a difference of 14,824 machines if the numbers were issued in sequence, but to this day we still don't have confirmation of how their numbering system worked, but I guess it could be possible that they made around 15,000 machines per year which equates to 60 machines per day, sounds doable I guess taking into account that they were all different models and configurations and as such the number after mine could've been a standard type of slasher and the one after that was a gang mower, so on so on. As the numbers were never stamped by machine until much later it would've been easy to just make up the ID tags on the bench in sequence to suit each machine as it was finished and packaged up for dispatch. One day I'm sure we'll find out, but if I'm to be correct then it makes my mower to be older than yours.

Hopefully DeeJay might join in to this conversation when he gets back with some fresh ideas.

Cheers,
BB

The paint is a dark green Hammerite paint from Masters.

https://m.masters.com.au/product/10...-rust-metal-paint-hammered-dark-green-5l

Color and finish it's great however I'm not sure of its durability as some had already chipped on the catcher. This is the reason the catcher hasn't had the sticker added yet. I will see how it goes then add the sticker if I'm happy enough

The finished product. As I said, I'm not super happy with the durability of the paint on the catcher, also it's a bit knocked about.

Hello Melb, BB and Grumpy

That colour seems to capture the Scott Bonnar green I like.
The tank decal is the best job I've seen.
That muffler probably makes it a bit noisy...

Excellent job Melb!
--------------------------------
JACK.

Jack, do you think the muffler would look better the same orange as the engine? I was a bit undecided on this as there was already lots of orange on the engine.

Hi Melb,

I think Jack was referring to the actual physics of the muffler not the aesthetics of it as it would look silly in orange and only last 3 minutes until the paint burnt off of it. One has to use very high temp paint on exhaust parts and it's rather pricey I might add.
Black is fine.

Cheers,
BB

Hahaha, yeah, now I think about it, and re-read it you are right. Yeah it's REALLY bloody noisy. Are there any other options for mufflers that bolt straight on?

Hello Melb and BB,

Yeah, BB knows me - it was about the muffler design.
I have this thing about mowers being seen but not heard (too much).
I hope someone here can tells us if the original mufflers are available.

Cheers.
-------------------------
JACK.

Hi Jack and Melb,

Sadly the original square box type with the internal baffle are no longer available, but there are other aftermarket ones out there that will do the job. In actual fact the original units weren't that quiet either.

Cheers,
BB