Hi Christopher,
The reason I asked about it being a working machine as that could have an impact as to how far you go with your restoration. For me, I didn't go for the "showroom finish" as I know my mower (currently undergoing a restore) will be used on average 4 times a week. The groomer would be used say monthly.
The bit that stands out for me, now I'm refreshing my units is the need to spend a day or 2 during the Winter just going over and really cleaning them out. Dust, dirt, and grass gets into all sorts of spots you can't see from the outside and regular "grease and oil change" needs to be more than just that. Things like pulling out the reel and bits associated with that, opening the 2 clutch components and triple checking the cork, even removing the sole plate to get in behind that...
With your bed knife - take it easy as they will test your strength. Have you got somewhere to take the reel and knife to be sharpened? They may be a good option if you have trouble with it..
The post that got me enthusiastic about doing the restoration is here:
emk3 restoration and is a great example of the steps involved.
Best of luck with it!
TC.
