tuscarora dave
Active member
- Aug 21, 2009
- 5,408
- 12
I picked up this mower for free this Friday and thought I'd give it the go over this weekend. My goal was not to create a perfect looking mower but rather to clean it up a bit and go over all the mechanical needs. My Mother and I went halves on this mower some 4 years ago so I guess it wasn't actually free but now four years later it feels like it. Since purchasing it back then, all I did was run the crap out of it mowing her property and with a full time job and running the detailing business that's all I had time for so the mechanical end of it was a mess as well as the cosmetic end being a mess.
The entire mower was soaked with Optimum power clean which etched the paint and the plastics. Full strength is way too strong. Thank god I learned that on this project and not a customer's car.
After the Power clean soak I agitated everything with a soft bristled parts cleaning brush and then pressure washed the entire thing. The tires had to be gone over 3 times with Power Clean and a stiffer brush to get the years of grass buildup off.
The red paint was rotary polished with an orange LC CCS 4" pad and a mixture of old Poorboy's World polishes and compounds. SSR 2.5, SSR 1 and "Super Synthetic Compound" (a rocks in a bottle compound using non diminishing abrasives that is not available to the public) that Steve (Poorboy) gave me a long time ago.
The tires and plastics got a liberal coating of UTTG and the paint was coated with UPGP.
I replaced the two drive belts and both blades then adjusted the deck height, repaired a broken support bar that supports the front grille and headlight assembly and replaced the battery with a new one. I have one minor adjustment to make on the shifter but thought I'd post this while taking a break to dry off, cool down and re hydrate. I worked pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday on this and it looks and runs pretty much like a newer mower. I think this mower is about 10 to 12 years old.
Here's a few pics. TD
Before the work.
After the work
The entire mower was soaked with Optimum power clean which etched the paint and the plastics. Full strength is way too strong. Thank god I learned that on this project and not a customer's car.
After the Power clean soak I agitated everything with a soft bristled parts cleaning brush and then pressure washed the entire thing. The tires had to be gone over 3 times with Power Clean and a stiffer brush to get the years of grass buildup off.
The red paint was rotary polished with an orange LC CCS 4" pad and a mixture of old Poorboy's World polishes and compounds. SSR 2.5, SSR 1 and "Super Synthetic Compound" (a rocks in a bottle compound using non diminishing abrasives that is not available to the public) that Steve (Poorboy) gave me a long time ago.
The tires and plastics got a liberal coating of UTTG and the paint was coated with UPGP.
I replaced the two drive belts and both blades then adjusted the deck height, repaired a broken support bar that supports the front grille and headlight assembly and replaced the battery with a new one. I have one minor adjustment to make on the shifter but thought I'd post this while taking a break to dry off, cool down and re hydrate. I worked pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday on this and it looks and runs pretty much like a newer mower. I think this mower is about 10 to 12 years old.
Here's a few pics. TD
Before the work.
After the work
rops:
