Hi Blade Butcher, and a warm welcome to the OutdoorKing forum. It's always great to welcome another Scott Bonnar Model 45 owner.
Well, now down to business..... You have certainly got the age right for your machine...it is a '68 model, the first of the line, solid engine deck, alloy end caps and grass deflector screws rather than black plastic knobs and will have horizontal screws in the chain case cover rather than the vertical ones of the later model.
There have been some 'tenants improvements'.... I can see...the engine has been moved to the left (viewing from the front) and the output shaft has been shortened and also the cutter clutch actuating assembly has been moved to suit. Why, I do not know....but I can see the original holes in the engine deck for the original placement. I suspect it was to fit the larger Honda engine. (My Scotty has the Honda G100 2.5HP side valve engine and is perfect for my lawns)
To the reel and bed knife...the reel, in my opinion, would benefit from a spin-grind (which only removes minimal amount of metal). This would remove any imperfections and
square up the reel; backlapping can't do that.
A new set of reel bearings will not go astray, (they are cheap) as even if they are slightly worn, you will waste the effort spin-grinding and the adjustment (reel to bed-knife) clearance will be out of whack.
What concerns me most is the bed-knife; it is not original, and has been re-drilled to suit the soleplate....In fact if you look at your pics closely....you can see the original holes in front of the bed-knife screws. You can see also the the bed-knife has curled up at both ends. It is shot!
Here are my recommendations:
(1) Remove the cylinder reel and soleplate, complete with the shot bed-knife still attached using the guide Joe and I made
HERE and take both to the engineers workshop.
He will then spin-grind the reel and supply you with a new bed-knife blade and new screws to suit, which will be the same as the original Scotty bedknife.
(2)Pick-up and install the new reel bearings.
(3) Re-install the cylinder reel and soleplate/new bed-knife and adjust the clearance using our guide
HERE.
Please let us know how you get on.
Once again,
to the forum.
