OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Idle Chatter Re: Victa VC 160 - Engine overhaul

Just and quick note and update on my attempt to fit a Victa Power Torque Conrod to a single piece crankshaft that was used in Victa 160 2-stroke mowers from 1974 to 1982.
With help from the Forum members and ESPECIALLY Norm K who kindly donated the Conrod and provided excellent friendly advise when I picked it up from his home address, I have successfully rebuilt the old engine and the mower is effortlessly chewing up the grass on our 1/3rd acre block.

The was an earlier thread on this subject but I am unable to find it and add to it hence this thread.

I can unequivocally confirm that the Die cast aluminium Power Torque conrod fits perfectly between the lobes of the old 70's style full crankshaft and that its Big End bearing is s perfect match to the old 0.775" dia crank pin. Additionally, for those who are unsure, the PowerTorque piston, gudgeon and small end bearing is identical between the 70's series Victa and the Power Torque engine.

The brains trust at Victa did a terrific job on these engines with parts interchangibility ..... Just a pity that they didn't ditch the plastic G4 / LM Carbie, swallow their pride and opt for the up-market Amal Carbie.

The attached photos show some important stages in the re-build.

I'm 74-years young and I expect that the ole Victa 160 will see me out.

FINALLY, A MASSIVE THANKS TO NORM K (Forum Specialist and close neighbour) for supplying the conrod, magneto and grass catcher to help me out during the re-build.
It was nice speaking with you mate. Pity your health issues did not allow us to choke down a couple of Lagers.

Hi Bumps,
All good, happy to be able to help and as you say it will hopefully outsee both of us. I just hope whoever gets it next appreciates what it is. Just curious as to how you trued the wheels up?

Hey Norm,
I don't understand your query .......... "Just curious as to how you trued the wheels up?"
- Mower wheels or engine terminolgy that I haven't yet come across?

sorry Bumps I meant the flywheels

with the full round older cranks I've use a 6 inch metal ruler to line the 2 halves up at home.

The Jig Holes are Reference Points


. The Ruler Acts as a Parallel Gauge

you are checking for two things simultaneously:

Twist (Clocking): Making sure one half wasn't rotated further forward than the other.

Parallellism: Making sure the two halves weren't "pinched" or "flared" relative to each other.

Just have to be careful when welding parts together to hold them in place, as a little heat can make metal distort easily.

but A quick tack or spot weld doesn't inject enough total thermal energy into a piece of steel that thick to cause warp or distortion. The surrounding massive volume of cold steel acts as a "heat sink," absorbing and dissipating the localized heat from the spot weld almost instantly.

So looks like a good way to align the 2 halves for this project.

Cheers Max.

Yeah Max, your absolutely spot on (apologies for the pun ... Ha!)
I've probably done three or four engine re-builds over the last 20 or 30 years and tack welding the spacer plate to the crankshaft lobes (I think Norm K referred to them as flywheels) to lock the crankshaft in position before removing the crankpin and conrod has worked well for me and I've never had any adverse consequences from the procedure. Of course the procedure relies on crankshaft alignment being correct in the first place but I think this a relatively solid assumption.
And of course, you're absolutely correct, the tacks don't put sufficient heat into to crankshaft to rise its temperature sufficiently to cause distortion. Any localised stress of minor strain at the point of the tacks is ellimated as soon as the tacks are cut out with the angle grinder wheel.
Norm - I've never checked the alignment after this procedure because I don't possess the necessary equipment and tooling to do the check.

The attached photo shows the now very "weathered" spacer bar that I've used over the last 30-years but its still sufficiently serviceable to do a few more jobs if I feel the need in my "wind-down" years which is most unlikely, I may add.

Hi Bumps,
That will do it no problems, I thought you had split the wheels apart. It is not too difficult to make up a jig so you can press them back together but this idea saves the messing around