OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum OutdoorKing Showcase atco resto

Hi Guys you may recall my atco collection photos back in sept, here's one almost full restored rgds Peter

very nice peterrm what type of wood is used for the front roller? i have 1 of those engines in my shed regards steve...

Hi peterm, on your resto thus far, you machine is looking like a bought one!
Just had a look at your 'before' photos, you certainly had your work cut out for you.....well done, mate!!

I had a 12" that looked extremely similar except for the muffler, which is entirely different: mine was a typical vintage job: a long black cylinder with hemispherical ends, one of which had a short exhaust pipe sticking out from it. My flywheel was just like yours, but seemed to need a cover to keep dirt out, and had a spigot and 3 tapped holes for holding one on, so I cut an aluminium disk and fitted it. There seems to be something amiss with your kickstart return spring, and the chain cover and drives don't seem to be fitted yet. Otherwise it looks a lot better than any near-new ATCO I ever saw back in their day. Incidentally I considered mine a pretty horrible mower: the 1940s Villiers engine vibrated excessively at idle, and the clutch was purely in or out which made starting off from stationary a fairly messy business. However it was totally reliable with negligible maintenance, and it cut a really fine lawn.

g'day grumpy, thanks for your comments, i have plenty of flywheel covers but looked so good without left it off. as for kick start spring , chains, cover etc all parts will be fitted this weekend to make complete.To be honest do not want to use it, too good to use on lawn besides ive got another 10 atco, rgds
peter

g'day steve, i've used tassy blackwood for rollers. I've actually got 12 atcos in various condition, i've produced about 5 sets of rollers ready for resto. rgds peter

Thanks Darryl,

Hey Peter, that restoration looks quite incredible to say the least....well done. I'm curious as to how you got that finish on the top half of the Midget. Have you gone back to the bare iron and sealed it or sprayed with a cast iron shade of heatproof....it looks damn good.

Craig

G'day Craig thanks for your comments,yeh went back to bare metal with electrolysis and sprayed with hi temp paint made by white knight, it's ok but stays tacky for a long time probably needs to be heated to harden. i.e. once engine runs for a while rgds Peter
P.S. I've actually finished resto and it's for sale on ebay at the moment have a look if you like,

wow i wish i had the time to do that when i had them gr8 job mate. Now i have my work cut out for me if i manage to get the time to finish the remainder of my collection.

Hi peterm

great looking resto!
I notice it still has brass model tag on the frame. I have a 1454, what model is yours?
1454 has an enclosed fly wheel, un like yours.

hi Steve flywheel cover taken off for effect rgds Peter

Hi Peter

I have just got my first atco myself, and have been taking it apart slowly and cleaning bit-by-bit and had it running and cutting. I really like the way they are built, with lots of common sense and logic. Is the muffler you have a standard fitting? I currently have the barrel muffler fitted, of which I've recently cleaned out the carbon gunk. Appreciate finding source for replacement.

I would also be interested in wood roller replacement parts if you could info me, please.

Cheers,
Greg

Hi Greg, with regard to rollers I am a novice with turning and bought a cheap lathe,pretty simple hardest part was drilling hole down centre. With regard to mufflers varied depending on model/year. best source for all parts is buying more atco's on ebay, I've got 14 average price $40, problem ow is where to store. I've just started dismantling all to save space, good luck Rgds Peter

Hi Peter,
My Grand father "POP" had one of these for the tennis court! same muffler etc but I think the flywheel was solid? and it had ATCO across the tank?. As a little Kid I use to annoy the hell out his neigbours as I'd run that Villers all day around his 2-3 acre block when we visited, great fun!!! thanks for pricking the memories.......to Quote the Castle "there's nothing like the smell of two stroke in the morning"......
Nice resto, well done!
John

Hi peter,that is an excellent resto,why are you selling it after all the hard work.how much are you hoping for?...ken

Hi mower man, I'm pretty sure Peter sold this one on eBay, I don't know how much it sold for.

Hi Ken sorry for delayed reply , I,ve got about 15 atcos in shed in various stages of resto, i sold the first one to see what they would get, sold for $550 but buyer said he would have paid much more after seeing it in person.rgds Peter

Hey Peter, I would agree with the purchaser, mate. With the amount of time and effort you put in , should be worth twice that for a collector, Great work, Pete!