OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers What model Victa 18 is this please I have engine n

Can someone please identify this model for me. The engine number is 136175 with the number 3 under it.

Hi and welcome,

A picture of the complete mower would be helpful as an engine could be fitted onto any chassis

With that engine number it may be a Victa model 4 standard

I purchased it for $20 2 days ago, not even knowing there was a following of these things. I just thought it would be a good project for me and my 9 year old to get going and to get him away from the playstation.
I have found one drama, there is no spark, so im thinking a coil issue? are they easily sourced?

Good project, no spark might just be a combination of dirty points and a poor coil lead. To get at the points you will need to remove the cowl/fuel tank and then the flywheel. Use a puller on the flywheel, there are 3 threaded holes to take the puller bolts. I think the bolts needed are 1/4" whitworth.

Oh and to get the starter pulley off you need a block of wood and a hammer, knock the pulley backwards by putting the wood against the rope slot and give it a good hit to jar it loose.

Have fun

Thats an Auto chassis special isn't it Paul?

Thanks Paul, I will be looking forward to us stripping it back and getting it sandblasted.
What year do you think this would be. My son keeps asking but Im not sure what to tell him.

1957 I think, it is missing all the Auto parts, which are the dear parts, luckily for you! These are not needed to make a full restoration, as you can see on the second link I say, these mowers were sold like this. You can find an Auto with all the stuff on it here , they cost lots! But yours is a Victa Special with a Auto chassis, which is the first one here . If you really really wanted to you could collect all the parts, but the side flaps recently went for $700 on ebay, the rear flap went for $600, and I haven't seen a front flap, so they become an expensive mower! I have been told a complete one sells for around $5000! good luck with the resto and i can't wait to see it!

umm mate. NICE MOWER. listen to paulc. be very carefull taking the flywheeloff. what a great project
good lad you have there

Hi Kye, Sean & Brocky,

I would say that the engine number is too high to have been an auto, the chassis kept going for a while after they ditched the auto idea.

So putting auto parts on this one would make it a not original mower then? Sorry Paul i am still trying to work my way around what is an Auto and what is a Special

Yep, the highest confirmed engine number for the 'Model 4 Predicta/Auto' is around 128-130,000, as far as ODK members have been able to determine.

So as you posted above, that would make this one a 'Model 4 Standard', 1957-58. These were made concurrently with the Model 5 Special Series 1, seemingly to use up the Model 4 chassis that were on hand.

Therefore, setting this one up as a Predicta would be incorrect, as it wasn't originally sold as such.

I appreciate all the info guys and going by what you guys are saying, it is just a run of the mill machine - nothing to special.
Which is fine for me as it was just a $20 purchase and a project for me and my boy.
I think the good news for me is I dont have to go looking for parts that cost more than my first car!
Does anyone have any idea on how to clean up the exterior motor and carb i.e a bath in some sort of solution? also are people painting them or just bringing them back to their former glory by cleaning them?

Hi Brocky,

Painting is your choice, if you are going to use the mower just give it a general tidy up. The surface oxidisation will come off with a bit of rubbing using a scotch pad, that's the green ones that you use on the pots. To clean the exterior use some spray can type degreaser and a brush or just plain kerosene.

Be careful not to get water near the carb as it finds its way in through the primer pin and ends up in the engine if you pull the motor over. Generally a good idea to clean out the carb as well because they usually have old fuel and corrosion in the fuel bowl. When removing the fuel bowl if the gasket isn't broken already just loosen the bottom nut and with a spanner or the like tap all around the bowl near the gasket until it loosens.

If you just pull the bowl off the gasket will break for sure and they are not easy to get.

For deep corrosion in the alloy I use JB Weld seems to work well, bit tedious but effective

Norm how good is that JB weld? I have a base that is pitted really deep over a large area and actually has a couple of pinholes. Would this be the silver bullet? I plan to use the mower.

Slash, it is pretty good, scratch out as much of the corrosion from the pitting as you can with a pick to get as clean a surface as you can, as I said tedious but you can get good results

Thanks mate. I was planning on building up with weld but on looking closely realised there's not much left to weld to.

Sorry to crash your thread Brock. That's a great looking mower I have seen much worse and am keeping my eyes open for a rotomo. Working with your young bloke is a great thing, My Mrs is starting to give me grief to get out to the garage and fix a ride on for my young bloke who is 5. I remember loitering around my dads shed as a pup just drinking it all in.

I hear your slash, my boy just wants to pull everything apart and want to know what this does and this and this...
Thanks for all the help guys. I will keep you posted on the work in progress.