OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds Victa Corvette Kerb Side Find

G'day everyone,

I found this old Victa Corvette down the road today and I just folded the handles up and walked it home.

The deck is pretty bad it has a big crack where it's been patched up and it also has another crack on the other side of the deck. I grabbed it because it's an older full crank and I think they are getting hard to find in any condition these days. I thought well it looks pretty good and i'd rather save what's left of it than to let it go to the scrappers.

I had a bit of a look at it today and tried to get it started, it had no spark plug so I just grabbed an old CJ8 from the shed to try it out. Well it has a good spark. I emptied the fuel tank as I don't know how old the fuel was in it and also if it was just straight petrol.

I put some fresh fuel in it and tried to fire it, I just got a tiny flutter but it never really started. I then tried putting some fuel straight into the spark plug hole to see if it will start at all. Nope it won't start at all. Darn it I am thinking it's probably been straight fueled.

I am not sure what exact year this was made, it's missing the original Victa code sticker on the air filter cap, but I am thinking it might be a mid to late 70's model? Also I think it might be an original points ignition model. Can the points go out of adjustment that much that it would cause it not to start at all? I am hoping it's something to do with the ignition and it hasn't been straight fueled.

Also I noticed something weird on the end of the carby where usually there is a cap or the idle screw. It actually looks like a plastic valve cap from a car tyre sitting on the end cap? I don't know what is the deal with that has anyone seen this before? I just tried to turn it a bit by hand and it doesn't move, it might need pliers or something. I just left it for now but I will have to take a look at it one day and see what's going on inside that carby.

Cheers!

I always first up fit a new viton tipped needle then if it doesn't attempt to fire I then give it a squirt of starter fluid down the plug hole and then if I get a hint that it might fire and then I know one way or the other. Either way a lot of good bits there, good blade carrier and blades, couple of good rear wheels

Give me the that engine cover Converse!
A shame the base is damaged and there is no catcher.
Definitely a part out job. Exciting find all the same.

Take carb apart and clean, clean fuel tank ,filter . Blow dust out of flywheel area coil.
Check coil airgap...... check bottom bearing..if it wobbles..
Blow out air filter. new plug.....
good luck
speedy

G'day folks,

Without seeing the flywheel, I'd pick this as early 1980's, i.e. one of the last few years of full cranks. Could have either points or electronic ignition.
Have to pull the cowling and maybe flywheel off, to see which it is.

The base damage is typical of owners who insist on mowing, without clearing hard objects beforehand.
Alloy bases don't stand up well to high speed impacts.

Agree with you about the carby - there should be an idle adjuster knob there! A bodger has visited his works upon this one...

Funny Converse, I picked up a Corvette SPFC Super Start (catcher was completely buggered, but the thumblatch plate was on the top of the mower).
Was pretty lucky - the guy was having a shed clean out.
Ended up with a 4 stroke monaro, the corvette, a jetfast slasher with gxv120, and a Stihl Viking mower.
There was also a SB 720 (at least a good bloke got it), and apparently a couple of rovers and masports in ok condition.

Shame about the deck on yours, at least it has plenty of good bits

Best of luck with it
Tyler

G'day everyone and thanks for all the help it's great!

Hi Mowerfreak, the engine cover does have a crack and is missing the plastic just under where the zip cord handle sits. You probably can't see it all that much in the photo's but there is fair chunk missing under that plastic pull handle. It also has 1 top cowl screw missing where the plastic cover is broken and missing where it tightens onto the metal part. But if I do one day part it out and you still want the engine cover I can send it over your way no worries.

Hi NormK, it looks like it's had the primer cap and jet replaced not long ago, they look pretty new, also it's got a new style yellow handle fuel tap, looks like this was also replaced not that long ago.

Hi Speedy, yes I need to spend some time going over it properly and see what's going on, today was just a quick test to see if it will fire. I will check out those things you mentioned when I look at it again. Cheers mate!

Hi Gadge, I had a bit of a look under the metal cowling and it doesn't look the same as my electronic ignition full crank Commando. The spark plug wire sort of runs around the metal part of the engine then it goes up into the side somewhere. Unless these slightly earlier full cranks had a different electronic ignition setup to the later full cranks? On my 1982 full crank Commando electronic ignition you can see the coil and it's connecting wires from the side of the metal cowl, it also has the original electronic module fitted with 2 rivets on the side. This mower doesn't have those same parts in that area. Yes I think you are right about the deck on this one. My steel deck Commando has copped a battering over the years from all sorts of debris etc. Some bigger rocks were that bad that they dinted the steel deck a few times, I just got a hammer out and knocked the dints back in and straightened out the metal a bit. But I guess these alloy decks weren't as tough when it came to high speed impacts. You can't win mate, these decks don't rust but break away, the steel decks can take decent hits but they rust away...lol Yes the carby is a mystery, I don't know what they have done there. What I might do is take it apart and take some pictures of exactly what has been done to it...lol

Hi Tyler, more great finds! You have quite a few mowers to work on now. Good old SPFC tough as nails those mowers mate! If I can get this Corvette running one day, I might just patch up the other crack on the deck with a metal panel and screws or something. It doesn't worry me I can just sometimes take it for a run out on the nature strip to get people looking in the street...lol

Cheers everyone!

Converse I think I have one of those bases sitting here with no damage, I think it is a F/C not a PT, yours if you want it

G'day everyone,

Thanks for that NormK i'll see how I go trying to get this engine running, I have tried a few things and found a few issue's here and there.

Well I started to take it apart to have a look to see if it's points or electronic ignition. Well the first thing I noticed when I took the top metal cowl off was how loose the top plastic peice was on the decompressor, not just that but the whole decompressor housing was turning around on the mount. So I thought I have another same style one sitting on the powertorque mower which I know works so I just changed it. Just doing a test by hand the one I removed doesn't seem to hold the valve in at all when pressing it and holding your finger over the vacuum line hole. The one that I replaced it with which I know works well, when you press the valve in and put your finger over the vacuum line hole. The valve stays closed. So anyway at least I know it has a decompressor that works properly fitted now.

Well it's a points ignition model and I had a look at the contacts and they have a little pitting and burning, I just had a quick look at them I don't have any spares to change them over with. It seems to be getting a good spark so I just left them alone for now.

Another thing I noticed, when I was pressing the primer bulb on the carby I noticed fuel was leaking out of where the jet screws into the cap. I went to tighten it up a little and it just keeps turning, sort of like it's threaded. So I think this thing has been buggered around with on all fronts...lol

Then there is the end cap on the carby, I was right when I guessed it looked like a plastic valve cap for where you put air in your car tyres etc...lol

It looks like they removed the original idle screw and they just shoved in a plastic valve cap from the inside to close up the hole. It used to have an idle screw as the plastic peice is broken on the outside that rests on the original idle screw. This also wouldn't have been helping much with the idle speed, as what they had installed would not have been touching the end of the poppet valve at all.

I took off the primer cap, yep the primer cap and jet look new but they kept the original Victa float and red needle inside. I am waiting on a few carby bits to arrive, then I might give the whole carby a proper clean and rebuild.

I still couldn't get it to fire up though, I got a little flutter a few times it almost started but it didn't. Oh well just take one step at a time until I sort it out. Last resort it may need an engine rebuild. But I will make sure everything else has been checked and tested first.

Cheers!

Converse, one thing to keep in mind is if the points don't work don't bother with them, you just fit an ignition module to the kill switch wire and the you can ignore the points, just leave them in there. Module from a F/C or PT works fine. I put a F/C module on the Masport yesterday and then I had good spark. I want to know how you fitted a PT decomp on a F/C, F/C is longer to clear the head fins. If the thread is stripped in the carby body it is junk but I have boxes of those here I will never use. With the cap all I would do is fit a flanged 6mm nut in there with JB Weld and then you have an idle adjuster cap

Ha well here's another funny one for ya, that powertorque mower that I found 10 years ago from hard rubbish actually had a longer decompressor valve fitted...lol

I always wondered why the valve was touching the carby and also why the whole top corner in that area on that mower was sitting higher and looked bent..lol

Here's a photo below of the powertorque with the longer decompressor valve fitted. Gee who would have thought that would have come in handy 10 years later...lol

Yes I might actually do your idle screw mod on the end cap as I do want to be able to adjust the idle again once I get it going.

As for the points, I have changed them years ago when I worked on the old VC160, and they worked great. But I also don't use the VC160 all the time for regular mowing, I assume if I was then the points would wear out and need adjusting and cleaning every now and then. But yes it's much better to just do away with them and just put electronic ignition in as it never wears out or goes out of adjustment.

Cheers!

G'day everyone, i've tried a search on these forums but I can't seem to find a link or a thread to a Victa engine or workshop manual for the 2 stroke engines with a points ignition system for set up and adjustment.

I bought a Victa engine workshop manual over 10 years ago from ebay when I replaced and adjusted the points on the VC160, but I don't have a clue where that book is now...lol

I will try replacing the points and condensor on this Corvette and check and adjust everything.

If anyone could please post a link or information to a Victa engine workshop manual it would be great.

Cheers!

I have to ask why you would bother replacing the points and condenser I have new points and condensers here if you want them but I would never use them, what are you trying to build, some concourse machine so you can say it is original, it even has working points and a condenser

Hi NormK, I just like to tinker and get the original things working again. This won't be a mower that I use all the time I have my electronic ignition Commando for that. This will be just something I might take out for a run every now and then. No need to convert it to electronic ignition. Plus I also want to see if the spark timing might be off or a weak spark and that's causing it not to start.

Sort of also learn to see if changing and adjusting them makes a difference.

My son brought home a kerbside PT steel base a couple of days ago, had no head, muffler and the base was ratty, blade carrier good with good blades. Bit of scoring on the bore so I pulled the piston, gave it a quick hone, new rings put on a head, and it runs very well, another running motor to go on the shelf.

Do you mark it with chalk?

Do I mark it with chalk, where,why? I mark them with Texta colour and they go on a shelf all the running motors go on, 18 on that shelf at the moment. That way when I get a base sorted with a set of wheels I can then just grab a motor off the shelf and I know it will fire straight up
Converse in your first post you said it had good spark, so did that change, if not, then it is a fuel problem unless it has been straight fueled but the fact you said it gave a couple of flutters to me indicates it will run once the carby is sorted

I'm confident it will be chopping grass, once the carby is rebuilt and parts replaced.
NK, I meant as in marking the goers with chalk/ permanent marker/ lead pencil, what have you, and maybe the duds as well.

G'day Converse,
Sure, we have excerpts from the Victa workshop manuals for download, at https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u...ne-parts-list-and-manuals.html#Post54967

If you may want to buy a hard copy, here's a guide to what's what, of the 1974-on official manuals; https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u...s-scientific-publications.html#Post81688

The essential knowledge about points gap though, is it's 0.020"/0.51mm if the coil is under-flywheel; 0.027"/0.685mm if it's external.

G'day everyone,

Hi NormK it's on here that I have read that some other people were getting a spark when testing it on the outside but when the plug is installed under pressure it wasn't sparking properly or something. This is probably where i'm thinking maybe it's got a weak spark.

Hey there Gadge, thanks for posting those links to the Victa information it's awesome! I was searching for ages today and couldn't find anything.

That's exactly the stuff I was looking for! Cheers and all the best mate!