Took me three days to fix and modify the deck, tried it out today: no major hitches, just one blade needed a bit more clearance in one spot on the bottom rim... must check the blade to see if it's bent, as it's only doing it on one side.
There was an unrelated problem when I tried to start it after fitting the deck back on: a noise form the radiator cooling fan (like it was hitting something). Turned out to be a chewed out center of the fan blade (something must have got stuck in the blade when I was cleaning it?). Reversing the blade made it workable again but I think it's not as stable on the shaft as it should be. Was trying to find a replacement blade for that fan but haven't come across one yet, only a complete fan for an outrageous price!!! The fan also goes at full speed constantly now, so will have to track down why it's doing that (maybe a faulty sensor?)... Any suggestions would be appreciated, also do you know of a source of one of those fan blades? Thanks.
I took photos of the repairs, but couldn't work out how to attach them here...