OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Another Qualcast P1 restoration

I was fortunate to pick up these two Qualcast P1 mowers before Christmas. One is badly rusted in some areas but will be a good parts machine. The other is still very sound and with some work I'm hoping it will come up well.

I've had holidays so have managed to make some progress. The mower is completely disassembled and I'm currently working on paint stripping, electrolysis bath, priming and re-painting and turning up new rollers.

I'll try and post some more pictures as things progress.

Good one Bob,
Are you turning the rollers yourself? I am currently doing one up but having a lot of problems with the carburettor.

Hello CB and Paul

This will be a great project to follow.
These are well-respected and desirable machines.
As Paul says, the unique fuel pump and carby need sorting.
Thanks for the images, too!

The exciting thing for me is the agent's plate on the handlebar.
ESCA are important - because they were very early sellers of power mowers
in Queensland. This makes your machine more desirable - because we
know who sold it.


Source: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/esca,queensland/Interesting

Please keep us informed as to progress.

---------------------
Jack

History Record:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=60359

Rollers are all done. I pinched an old hardwood fence post from my son and turned the three rollers on my metal lathe. Not sure what diameter they should be but I settled on 66mm. That looked pretty close to me. I have them soaking in linseed oil at the moment but I'll probably wax them after a while to finish them off.
What problems are you having with the carby? Have you discovered the engine manual elsewhere on this excellent forum?

Hi Bob,
The rollers look great, would you have enough material to make another set as mine are knackered. I have the manual as well, was going to send you a copy if you didn't have one. The carb despite being pulled down and set up correctly will not play the game. Can't seem to get the correct mixture and the settings are pretty bullet proof.

I have had my engine apart and rings check, cylinder honed etc. Seals are good and magneto serviced. I spent 2 days in the heat working on it, changed the carb over for the later Villiers Junior type and got it running but not satisfied with jetting. I would like it running properly on the suction carb.

Have you had yours running? Mine is below, I left the tank on in case I put the Villiers carb back on. The model with the overhead tank also has a different magneto set up, it takes the magneto with internal points not the external type. This is to fit the curve of the tank down behind the magneto backing plate.

I think I have enough material for another set. Do you live anywhere near Brisbane?
I'm no expert on things mechanical but I'm wondering if the non return valve at the bottom of the fuel pump is working. It may be gunked up and not keeping a head of fuel up to the carby.
I haven't had mine running yet but it does have good compression and spark. I plan on finishing the rest of the mower before I tackle the engine.

Hi Bob,
I am on the Northside so your not far from me, pump and tank are all good, it seems like I just have to find that mixture sweet spot. I have never struck this in a mower carb before as they will normally run even while being a bit out.

Will wait and see how you get on :-)

Have you tested the non return valve? It's behind the gauze screen on the bottom of the pump. You should be able to suck but not blow through that part from the top end.

Yes done that, the primer pump gets the fuel up to the carb and it drips from the air filter as it should. If the non return valve is crook it won't pump at all. Had it apart a few times as well. When you are ready with yours I am happy to come over to help, the pump gives a bit of trouble until it finds its stride.

You have to bleed them a bit as well at the connections to get the fuel flowing.

Thanks for the offer. As I said, I'm no mechanical genius so any help is appreciated. Not trying to be a smart alec but I don't agree with you on the non return valve thing. I reckon the pump would work whether or not the valve was working. The difference might be that the fuel may want to head back down into the tank rather than maintain some sort of pressure to the carby. I've had both of mine apart and one is now good after much cleaning and the other just will not work. Perhaps the ball is too rusted.
Like I said - not trying to be smart - just my opinion.

No worries Bob, I have tried another suction carb with the same result so anything is possible. I am happy to bring mine over when your ready and try your pump/tank, as I have tried everything else. Might just pull that pump apart one more time :-)

The roller carriers were badly flogged out so I bushed them up with some brass. This old girl's grass mowing days are done so the brass should hold up long enough to see me out. Some new galvanised bar from Bunnings should make a good new axle,

They look like they will do the job, are you going to have the reel and bottom blade sharpened?

Pulled the pump apart again this afternoon, removed the steel ball and have it and the brass housing soaking in apple cider vinegar. Ball looked nice and shiny but you never know what the seat could be a bit yuk.

I'm not planning on sharpening anything for a couple of reasons. Firstly some of the screws holding the bed knife to the sole plate were quite rusted to the point where the threads were a bit dicey. I turned down some new screws but I wasn't able to tighten them as much as I would have liked. Secondly, after putting so much effort into restoring the mower I don't want to be mowing any lawn with it. I'm too lazy to clean up the mess! Having said that, I plan on having everything functional on the mower - it just won't be cutting lawns anytime soon.
Can I ask what size O ring you have in your fuel pump.

Not sure on the size, I just chose one that was the right fit out of my Aldi o ring kit. There in the latest catalogue for around $10 for heaps of o rings. There is a metric and an imperial kit.

Hello CarinaBob and Paul

Those rollers look fantastic!
And a professional job on the axle bushings.

I understand the preference for not sharpening.
It's a bit like static display aircraft that are kept
in running condition, but with no intention to fly them.

---------------------
Jack

Starting to get a few things painted and put back together. As you can see my tyres are shot from sitting in the one spot for many years. Not a big deal but are there any suggestions as to how I can fix them.

Hello CarinaBob

I'm hoping a collector will know the answer to refurbishing the rubber.
There seems to be no shortage of advice via google for protecting,
preserving and restoring old rubber.

Would you be able to advise us on your chosen paint colour?
It seems to be pretty close to me.

I love that green!
-----------------------
Jack

I agree with LawnDownUnder on the paint question. I didn't want to run away with a lot of dollars getting paint mixed so I picked the closest rattle can colours I could find at Bunnings. Our local store carries a range of Dy-Mark water based enamels. This shade is appropriately called Putting Green.
Not sure of the quality but it seems to be holding up well so far.

Paint work looks very good Bob, it will be a while before I repaint mine. I like to get everything working well then strip down for painting. I will have a look for that paint when next at Bunnings. :-)

Just bookmarked this post on my browser

Nice read

I have a part number if you need to replace the pully belt

Thanks for that. Just last week I took my old pulley belt to the bearing shop and found a replacement. Hope your resto goes well. Looks like there's at least 3 mowers being worked on right now so maybe we can learn from each other.

Just wondering if you or anyone has a cover that fits over the front of the motor near the ignition cut out lever.

Will be posting in the Wanted Section as well.

The only spare cover I have is a beat up one on a mower that I really don't want to part out just yet. I belong to an engine club and I want to display the restored mower alongside the rusty old non-restored one - sort of a before and after setup. Can you try the wanted forum and see how you go there. Don't want to sound like a grinch but I hope you understand. Our main display is in July so if you haven't done any good by then I may be able to help.

A little more progress today. With apologies to Jack for the colour on the hub caps. I know it should be more orange but that's as near as I could find at Bunnings. It could have been worse though Jack - I was so close to painting the reel red as well. There's a lot of green on that mower!

G'day CarinaBob

These are the best images we have of a Qualcast P1 restoration!
Absolutely fantastic!

I spoke with his Holiness, Pope Francis today.
He noted your colour choice and said, "the Qualcast orange is an orange, has
CarinaBob not been to Valencia?"

I said, "No, but CarinaBob has been to Bunnings..."
His whole tone changed. He said, "I bless this new colour!"
[I think he may have confused Bunnings with 'Bunny' - Easter.]

This is a great post - in helping others - but also that it
is heading towards a resolution - the images of its display in July.

Many thanks for sharing this restoration.

Cheers
------------------------
Jack

p.s. I'm so glad you didn't go for a red reel.
His Holiness said that was the Devil's colour!
I can't repeat what conversation ensued...

CarinaBob - have you considered making a reproduction catcher?
Unusually, these were offered as standard.

Evening all, I may have a cover in my spare magnetos. I will post a reply in the relevant wanted advert of Lawndownunder.

Very jealous of that beautiful fresh paint, did you run into any difficulties stripping down the bottom end?

I spent a few hours on mine today in an effort to get it running, swapped the coil for a better one so now I can forget about the electrics. Refitted the fuel pump and it is working well, back to the carb now.

I did get it to start but it would only run for thirty seconds or so, that is a big improvement in itself :-)

Thanks for getting the blessing on the red paint Jack. I know it's not original but personally I like it better. Easily changed down the track if someone wants to get it correct. Not sure about the catcher. Any I've seen certainly don't add much to the look of the machine. I do have the catcher brackets so that's a start!

Glad to hear your engine is improving Paul. Just another thought - do you have a good fibre washer between the pump body and the brass non-return housing?
I didn't strike any problems pulling the machine apart. They are well made and very simple in design. Once you decide to pull yours apart I think you'll have it done within an hour.

That's fine i agree 100%

Hi Bob,
My mower is running now, just wondering what the number of the belt is? Normally the number is the diameter or circumference of the belt. Thanks :-) I have no belt as a sample.

Hi Paul and well done on getting your motor running. The pulley belt I got was an A21. Hopefully that's the same size that LawnDownUnder bought otherwise one of us has a minor problem!

G'day Bob, Paul and LDU
It is a real treat for members to see restorations and restoration
approaches on this great machine.

I must say, I like Paul's approach of 'sorting' the machine before painting;
particularly with these idiosyncratic suction carbies. [I say that as
a total amateur though].

I have a technical question...
Bob has given us a belt profile and size - A21.
I note that the carrier for the drive is slotted - for adjustment.
My question is: did Qualcast intend this to be an adjuster for the
chain tension - rather than the belt?

Many thanks gents for an entertaining and informative post.
I appreciate Paul's input on the carby - it is temperamental, but
it can be sorted I guess is Paul's message.

p.s. I remember using one of these as a teenager. It had a white canvas
catcher. The mower required a certain 'technique' - with precision
choice of the engagement lever. Once mastered, it was a pleasure to
use. Didn't idle that well ...

---------------------
Jack

Good morning all,
Thanks for the belt number Bob, with regards to the belt and chain adjustment. The engine mount frames are slotted as well so I think between the two both chain and belt can be adjusted, I guess when no adjustment is left its time for a new chain and or belt.

One step forward and two steps back. I fitted up the rollers as well as some other bits and pieces today. When I look at the mower it seems to sit way too far forward. I'm wondering if I've got the roller dimensions wrong. I went with 66mm diameter. Are there any members out there who could measure an original set for me? If necessary I'll take them off and turn them down some more.
I'm also wondering if anyone knows where I could buy some new handgrips. The bar diameter is 19mm. Thanks.

Hi Bob,
I have one that is left round so I will measure it for you in the morning.

Hi Bob,
I measured the best one of mine and I have 51mm, if you allow for wear perhaps try 55mm and then reduce it down if needed.

Done just about all I can on the frame, now it's time to start on the engine. The engine surprisingly had reasonable compression and good spark so I won't be going over the top with reconditioning.
I pulled the barrel off and now have it in an electrolysis bath to clean up the rust and paint residue. The engine cases cleaned up reasonably well. A little more detailing and I'll call them done. The bore, piston and rings look fine to my untrained eye.
The flywheel is badly corroded so it will also need some elbow grease to get it back in shape.

G'day CB and Paul

I really love the last photo - the way the c/shaft aligns with the
floral centre . Also, the matching of the green tones: Brilliant!
[Art incorporating steel, iron, alloy, wood and fabric in a nice composition.]

I would like expert input on subjecting the barrel to electrolysis.
I guess this means a hone of the bore afterwards ...?

Also, because this machine only has 'reasonable compression', I wonder
whether specification should be checked and new rings installed. I say
that because this particular model relies on a sound short motor to
make the carburettion system work effectively.

Cheers
-------------------
Jack

Thanks for the compliments on the photo Jack. If it turned out arty I can assure you it's totally accidental. I'm afraid creativity is not one of my strong points!
I'm interested to see if anyone sees a problem with dunking the barrel in the electrolysis bath. I'm thinking the bore won't be affected because it was still oiled up and there is zero rust in there. I thought that electrolysis only worked on rusted surfaces???
New rings would be easy. Do you know where I might be able to buy some?

Hi Bob and Jack,

Not sure about the effects of the bath on the cylinder surface, rings and gaskets may be available from 2 sources locally

John at Rustic Spares. rusticspares.com.au

Stephen at Vintage Air Cooled Engine Spares vaces.com.au

Hope this helps

Got carried away cleaning up the flywheel. I spun it in the lathe and dressed it with WD40 and sandpaper ranging from 80 grit up to 400 grit then spent some time on the polishing mop. Not original I know but I'm sure it will dull off soon enough. It started out looking like the other flywheel in the photo so I'm happy with the improvement.
Thanks Paul for the contacts. I have new rings on order so that should help with compression when the time comes to put it back together.

wow thats awesome

Looks great, who is supplying your parts?

I'm getting the rings from Vintage Air Cooled Engine Spares. I've laser cut the gaskets I need so will try those before I buy a kit.

It might etch the bore slightly; depends on what current is run, and how long it's left in the bath. Your query has sent me off looking at scientific papers relevant to this type of electrolysis...

I get the impression that there are both direct electrochemical [reduction of rust from Fe203, but not all the way to Iron metal] and physical [from Oxygen gas generation on the workpiece/cathode surface] processes in play here. The gas bubbles will physically loosen the rust from the surface.

This gas generation occurs over the entire surface of the workpiece, but not uniformly - the closest bits to the anode will have the highest rate.

G'day all
Many thanks to GM Gadge for investigating electrolysis on engine cylinders.
I know many restorers use bead blasting for this. I guess I asked a serious
question - about electrolysis and its effect on machined surfaces without rust.

The main issue with the Villiers 4G (with suction feed) appears to be the
desire of a sound engine to make the carburettion work.

Having said that, Carinabob has produces another great photo, this time
a sort of before-after-shot of the flywheel.

It may be 'over-restoration' but, as CB says, the finish will dull off.
It looks good to me!

Just imagine that beautiful light green - that accentuates the detail of
this complex machine - being reflected in this beautiful flywheel finish!

This is a great story and many thanks to all participants.

-----------------------
Jack

G'day folks,
CarinaBob, there are clear spray coatings made, for use on polished alloy motorcycle engine parts, around that would work well on that flywheel.

Soda blasting sees a lot of use on alloy parts these days, as it's not as harsh as beads, and doesn't leave beads lodged in blind holes and crannies.
The piston aero engine rebuild industry still uses bead blasting, but there's a lot of meticulous after-blast handwork involved in ensuring that absolutely no beads remain in the components.

Thanks all for the replays re the electrolysis. I checked the cylinder today and there doesn't appear to be any damage. My bath runs off a 12v battery that is charged by a couple of solar panels on my shed. I don't have a multimeter so I can't tell what the current draw is but judging by the small amount of bubbling in the bath I would say it's fairly low. There was much more activity when I had the reel in the bath.
Thanks also for the tip on coating the flywheel. I'll see how it goes and if it just needs a quick polish every now and then I'll go with that.

Starting to look like a mower again. Lots of paint touchup to do but almost there I think. Later next week I'll connect up the throttle cable and fuel line, throw some fuel in the tank and see what happens. I fitted new rings so the compression is good now.

Hi Bob,

Looks great, how did you get on with the rollers?

I haven't adjusted the rollers. When I looked at them again I decided to run them at 66mm diameter as I thought the stance of the machine looked OK. It's unlikely but if I want to mow grass with the machine I may need to re-think. Did you still want rollers turned? If you want some, send me the exact measurements you want and I'll see what I can do.

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the offer of turning the rollers, I will measure the length of mine tomorrow. Do you have a healthy spark from your magneto?

Yes I have good hot spark. Didn't do a thing to it except replace the plug lead. I'm surprised the coil is still good after so long. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Hi Bob,

I didn't get to the shed today due to the heat, I will get there tomorrow.

Hi Bob,
If you can make me a set the same length as your ones but at 60mm diameter that would be great. Thanks very much, did you find some grips?

Haven't found any grips yet. As a temporary thing I bought a length of that foam insulation for copper pipes from Bunnings. Some short lengths of that will get me out of trouble for a while. I'm not working Thursday so I was thinking I might try to run up the engine then. I'll let you know how I go with the rollers. They will have a 12mm hole for the axle and I'll leave them bare timber so you can finish them however you like.

Hi CB and Paul

This is such a great topic posting!
The light green really shows the detail.

The original hand grips probably were these.
I guess you're after a simple design?



--------------------
Jack

That's the one Jack. I have some of those but in very poor condition.
I'll keep my eyes peeled and hopefully some will turn up.

Started her up today and she ran like a top - well like an oily top! After spending quite a long time cleaning up the mess I remembered why this will be a static display mower!
Anyhow it's been a lot of fun and thanks to all who have helped along the way and to those who have followed the restoration. The old girl is not perfect by any means and the restoration is not in the same league as some I've seen on this site but hopefully a little bit of history has been brought back to life.

Well done Bob! She looks a beauty.

Hi CB

This is a real credit to your work and I am sure it will help current or
future members. This one is, by far, the best full restoration I have
seen of a P1 on these forums.

Congratulations.
--------------------------
Jack

Went and paid CarinaBob a visit this afternoon to pick up a very nice set of rollers that he turned up for my P1. While I was there he started up his mower and I took a short video using my phone



It looks and runs like a new one!

I had meant to post this earlier, but it slipped my mind...

A very good tubular material for making grips is available, if they don't need to be all that thick. It's called Hypalon tubing, and it's marketed for fishing rod grips, in a variety of colours and ID sizes.

Available from suppliers of fishing rod building supplies - a Google using 'Hypalon grips site:au' will find local suppliers. Then of course, there are FleaBay sellers too.

I had planned to display the mower at an engine show in July but unfortunately I didn't get there due to illness at the time. I'm thinking of moving the mower and a spare machine on for around $250. Please message me if interested before I try them on eBay. Thanks.

Hi Bob
I'm sorry to hear about your health.

This has been such a great thread about the Qualcast Side-wheels.
I would think very helpful to other members.

All the best for the future.
----------------------------------------
Jack

If only you were in Melbourne! I would buy this in a heartbeat.

Hi All.

Just to add a note about the rear rollers:

The rollers on my "P2" Qualcast (gravity-fed carby) consist of three rollers, as in the above pictures, but the outer two are tapered.
The inner central roller is a true cylinder being 45mm in diameter.
The outer pair are 45 mm at their inner end and are 36 mm at the outer ends.

Not sure if this is a feature of the P2, but I can be reasonably sure the rollers haven't "worn" that way. The measurements are too consistent.
And the rest of the mower is in very good, unworn condition. I have had it for more than 50 years. Not sure of its history before that.

Jeff

i have a couple of these and some clear pics of the handle bar grips, tyre tread and original grass catcher
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/waxvfa9rfl0wmyl/AAA6kvh2CIpWsYKClv4pCC7na?dl=0

link as i no longer can figure out how to add pics, feel free to fix this jack

Hi Bob, I am currently restoring a P1 I picked up off gumtree and unfortunately have several missing/ broken parts. Would you be at all willing to part out your second P1 at all?

Specifically I'm looking for one wheel spigot and a roller carrier at the moment.

Kind regards,

Doug

Hi all,

I'm having some trouble reassembling the P1, specifically with regard to the spacing bushes (part 31 on the exploded view in the manual) and the front and rear stretcher. The unit I disassembled has six such spacers, which seems like the correct number as per the manual, however it seems as though four are required for the front stretcher and I assume four for the rear one too. The manual doesn't show where the spacers are used on the rear. Does anyone have any photos or knowledge of how the spacers are placed on the rear stretcher?

Thanks very much! I also have some spare parts of anyone was in need of anything for these old qualcasts.

Hi Dougie995,

I think the spacers are to accommodate the overhead fuel tank on the non suction model. Maybe offer up the tank to check their positions.

Paul

Hello Dougie995 and Paul
I thinks I see the issue.

I wonder if the diagram is misleading.
Note there are 6 bolts and nuts (39) and two bolts (40).
Maybe the 39 bolts have the spacers ...?

Maybe the six spacers belong to the four engine mounts
and the two on the PTO side clutch bracket of the engine.

At the very least, two rear spacers must go to the rear engine mounts.
It may be that the tank bolts require no spacers because they do
not travel through the two cross bars. That is mere speculation.

I'm hoping someone can help in solving this.

Hope this helps
---------------------------
Jack

G'day Doug ,Paul and Jack

I think It looks straight forward to me , although the last time I dismantled a P1 was 1984 and the motor was used in a bike.

The spacers that I see look like they are sandwiched between the 2 frame rails and the motor base plate ,
that should be 8 spacers if you include the 2 used for holding the fuel tank and 4 for the engine bolts and 2
for the clutch .

If a couple are missing use washers unless there are a couple lugs welded to the brackets somewhere ,you will
soon see when trying to bolt the plate down if it's sitting level.

Cheers
Max.

Thanks all for the help.

Paul and Jack, the fuel tank mounts will have a space between the motor base plate and the two rails(which they go through), so if I use the six for the others these two appear wrong.


All I can work out is as Max has suggested that there are in fact eight.

If I don't place eight and go with six I will be tightening bolts and bending the base plate at two locations. Luckily I have spares from a parts setup, so I am covered however I am still a little confused by the imagery.

Thanks for the assistance!
I'll get some photos sorted.

So I was wrong. The diagram was right(sort of). There is a spacer as per the attached photo which is different in shape to the part partially shown in the diagram. This difference was what got me scratching my head. Six round spacers is indeed the correct number.

I've attached a photo (I hope it works) of my second parts unit which shows the condition my main unit was in, plus a photo showing some of where I've come to. Great having my little daughter to help! I know the colour is wrong and though I do semi regret it it would have cost an extra $100 to get the right colour in rattle cans, so I can live with it as is.

I'm chasing one of the hub caps for this model, the orange part in the photo. Does anyone have one spare?

I'm also having great difficulty with the carby.
Cleaned it all out with the ultrasonic cleaner and got the fuel primed etc, however it won't fire. I have spark and compression. It did blow smoke a few times but I've had zero luck for some time now. I've reset the Jets as per instructions but not getting anywhere.
Very frustrating.

G'day Doug

I would gravity feed the carby fuel from an old mower tank ,you could put the tank on the bench or on anything
that's higher than the carby .

That way you will at least know it's not a fuel supply problem then once the motor runs switch back
to the original tank .

I am thinking the points gap and timimg are correct and condenser works.
Cheers
Max.

Thanks Max,

I ended up getting it running by just turning it over with the drill and adjusting the carbs at the same time and it started firing and ran for a solid 15 minutes or so.
I'm now having trouble adjusting the carbs properly. If I adjust as per the instructions it doesn't seem to run, yet I am struggling to get it to idle nicely and then pickup with throttle. I can get it to idle quite well, but nothing else. I'll get there....

Hello Bob.
I am a bit late in joining in but did you manage to sell the mowers?

Hi, I also have recently purchased a Villiers G5 engine off a Qualcast power mower.
Can anyone tell me the shade of green paint I need for the fuel tank and mounting brackets.
The green colour on the previous images looks good.
Thanks John