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I am new to the "forum" game, so this is my first actual "thread". I am not new to Lawn-Boys though. I caught that bug a few years ago. I have bought and sold more than I could begin to count. I have been repairing small engines for a few years now. I did the Briggs school and got my MST cert. I have tried to keep one restoration going in my "down time" because I really enjoy doing so. I picked up a 1984, 6302 that was in rough cosmetic condition. I decided to give it a little love before selling it. I thought this would be a good mower to start my first thread with. I will post a few pictures now and ad some more in the next few days.

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Here is the start

That is a nice looking mower keep up the good work.

Now yer talking. This is what I love doing too!! Would be interesting for you to comment on just what techniques you use to clean all the bare metal parts (those that won't be painted), such as the wheel adjusters, the engine cylinder fins, etc. I use a wire wheel on a grinder for a lot, have yet to figure out a way to clean the cylinder cooling fins satisfactorily.

Now yer talking. This is what I love doing too!! Would be interesting for you to comment on just what techniques you use to clean all the bare metal parts (those that won't be painted), such as the wheel adjusters, the engine cylinder fins, etc. I use a wire wheel on a grinder for a lot, have yet to figure out a way to clean the cylinder cooling fins satisfactorily.

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Pretty much the same here. Some stuff gets wire wheeled, some sand paper or steel wool. After that I throw some polish (Mothers) at them. Most of the time the metal cleans up really nice, not perfect, but definitely presentable. I haven't really put any effort into the cylinder head. I have been toying with the idea of buying a media blasting set-up. That's probably the best route to effectively and efficiently clean a cylinder head. Plus, it would be a nice addition to use on the smaller parts. It definitely would save some time.

It doesn't look like it in the original picture, but the gas tank was really oxidized on this one. It had an obnoxious white tinge to it. In the past I have tried several different ways to remedy that . Usually with minimal success. This time I tried the technique with the razor blade and heat gun. I am a big fan of that. It was a bit time consuming, (little over an hour) but the results were great and I imagine will last for a long time.

Stripped the deck down to bare metal. 2 coats of filler primer, 2 cans of Grabber Green (Dupli-Color), 2 cans of auto-grade clear (Dupli-Color) New decals. Stripped and painted the wheels ( Chevy Orange) Replaced all but 3 of the bearings. Stripped and re-painted the shroud. New flywheel cover. Re-covered the handle with PVC shrink tube. Used the same razor blade and heat gun technique on the bail handle. With the new decal it looks really good too. Came back to the same shade of white as the new. New blade.

I still need to finish the muffler and the mounting plate. I am not going to do too much to the engine. The piston and rings are pristine. Still has 120 psi cold. Crankcase is sealed. It will clean up really good. I will put a new needle and seat in the carb and a new fuel line. I definitely think this one will turn out awesome.

Next up will be a 1014 edger. First one for me.

Where do you buy your Decals?

The last 3 sets I have purchased off a fella on eBay. I have been very pleased and will continue to use him. rsmotorsports_racing_collectables The guys name is Sam. He is easy to work with. Decals are far better than what I was used to.

Looks great!

d_sharier said:

It doesn't look like it in the original picture, but the gas tank was really oxidized on this one. It had an obnoxious white tinge to it. In the past I have tried several different ways to remedy that . Usually with minimal success. This time I tried the technique with the razor blade and heat gun. I am a big fan of that. It was a bit time consuming, (little over an hour) but the results were great and I imagine will last for a long time.

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I would sure be interested in you explaining your razor blade and heat gun technique.

There is a video on youtube produced by "jennies garage" It is called "How to restore faded motorcycle fenders (for free)" That is where I got the idea. I will be honest, at first I was really skeptical about trying it. I remember thinking that there was no way it was going to work as well as it did in the video. I was pleasantly surprised. It works great. The more time the better the outcome.

I was bored this week because I have been sick and not able to work much. I go a bit stir crazy when I can't keep myself busy. So I undertook a small project that took way more time than it was worth. LOL.

At some point the bail cable on this mower broke. Instead of replacing it, the previous owner removed it and threw it away. He also removed the brake switch from the engine but left the flywheel brake intact and on the unit. Then he proceeded to cut a hole in the side of the primer box on the handle and install a kill switch from an old D-series engine. He then wired that switch to the ignition coil. It worked, but looked like crap. It also meant that if the bail handle was released before the switch was turned off, then the brake would engage the flywheel while the engine was at full rpm. Thankfully there was still a little pad left so there was no resulting damage.

To me, that seems like wwwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy more work that just changing a cable or even the switch. Anyway, this primer box was oxidized and it had this giant hole in the side. Really looked awful. Wouldn't you know it, I could not find a replacement anywhere. No used ones, no NOS ones, none. I was considering relocating the primer to the blower housing and just scrapping the original box. But there I was with pneumonia and stir-crazy, I thought, I can fix this. LMAO. I cut some plastic off an old transmission cover in my scrap bin. I got out my soldering gun and went to work. I patched the hole. I then primed all of it with plastic primer. Top coat is DupliColor Grabber Green. It is nowhere near perfect, but looks a lot better than it did.

Please Note: I am aware that the cost of this repair exceeds the value of this part. LOL.

Today I got the model i.d. tag back on the deck. I finished the rest of the hardware. Lastly, I got the muffler cooked, cleaned, and painted. Hopefully I will start putting it back together this weekend.

I like what I'm seeing here. Reminds me of the 6262 Commercial that I worked on early this last spring. I am looking forward to the finished product. Thanks for the photos.

d_sharier said:

The last 3 sets I have purchased off a fella on eBay. I have been very pleased and will continue to use him. rsmotorsports_racing_collectables The guys name is Sam. He is easy to work with. Decals are far better than what I was used to.

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I only use Sam for my decals...he also sells parts. If he don't have what you need listed you can send him a message..more times than not he has what I need.
Lee

I only had a few minutes today, but hopefully I can finish it up tomorrow

Looking good big brother!!!
I just tried the razorblade heat gun thing on an old tank....works good, but a word of advice to those who want to try it...use caution with your heat gun...if you get a little over zealous, you can warp you plastic. A practice run on somthing you don't intend to use is a good idea.
Lee

Yes. A practice run is a good idea when trying a new technique. I have found that this method works well on the trailing skirts. It also works really well on the PVC bail handles. This turned out just as white as the new cover for the main handle.

Well I didn't get it finished today, but I am pretty sure that I will be able to wrap it up tomorrow.

Finally!!! It is done!!! Here are some pictures of the final product. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It is not a "museum quality" restoration, but I still think it turned out nice. I can pick apart any job I do but overall am pretty excited about this one. I used some 1,200 degree paint on the muffler. Does anyone know of a high temp paint in the "green" color that is sufficient enough to use on a muffler? Unfortunately I can't seem to convince my wife that I need to keep another mower. Currently have a driveway full and a 1 1/2 car garage full. LOL. I am not sure which I will start on next, but it will either be the 1014 edger or the spare 5006 bricktop I have. Flip a coin!!!!!

I figured I try again to ask if anyone has suggestions for painting F-series mufflers the original green color? The only rattle cans I can find are tolerable up to 500 degrees.