OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Other Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Southern Cross KXA Two Stroke Restoration

Hi Max
Many thanks for the excellent explanatory photos. Brilliant!

Great images from Paul too.
Many folk are following this one.

Cheers.
-----------------
Jack

Hi All,
I notice on Max's engine that it has screw on port covers, mine has a simple welsh plug to seal up the transfer ports. I wonder how long the Torquemajor Deluxe was made for?

Parts must be "fun" to obtain for these less common mowers.

Hi Mowerfreak,
Parts for the frame are non existent but you can usually get engine parts such as rings, bearings, gaskets and seals. I have most Villiers engine spares such as piston and barrels etc but sometimes you just have to wait until something obscure turns up on EBay or a swap meet.

G'day folks,
Just so that there's no confusion created, that bakelite CDI unit houses the step-up transformer, the capacitor and the rectifier diode components of the Magister ignition.

I have done a brief summary of how it actually works in that main Magister reference thread; https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u..._Magister_Condenser_Disch.html#Post59840

The main Magister patent doesn't really show the use of this 'module' approach clearly.

Some more progress today fitting up the axles, height adjuster and handlebars

Had a trial fit of the engine as well

Tomorrows job will be turning up some new axles.

This one will look brand new when you are finished Paul. Well done! It already has little resemblance to the rusty pile of nuts and bolts that once sat on my trolley. I'm glad the engine looks like it's a goer too.

I am interested to see the Wico ignition plate. The little H. G. Palmer that I am currently restoring has a similar ignition system and is also Wico branded. Made in the good ol' US of A.

The same H. G. Palmer also has a Zenith carby, being AH914 (Mark B), fitted in parallel with the manifold and air filter.

I don't think I can help with your ignition system, as I only have a few Bosch ignition parts here for the Southern Cross KXD-2.

Coming along well and so fast! Where do you get aluminium paint? Or is that just what they call the silver paint?

Hi vint_mow and Mowerfreak,
I have sorted the electrics and now have spark, the Amal carb is soaking in cleaner at the moment but is looking good.

I buy the aluminium paint from Supercheap, it is just a cheap spray tin but the brand has served me well over the years. Export brand.

Today's project is to turn up some new stub axles to replace the rusted up ones

The first one is done but now I am set up to do the others, will post some pics later :-)

I have made three as the axle on the height adjuster arm was in very good condition.

Made up a groove cutting tool for the circlip retaining groove

I have the axle protruding a bit to make the welding a little easier, I could have threaded the back side and used a nylock nut but I figured these axles will last a very long time so that was just not warranted. Welding was how they were fixed originally, I also made them an interference fit so they won't be going anywhere as well as there being a shoulder on the axle where it goes through the bracket.

Hi Paul
Brilliant photos and update.
It's odd that the Height adjuster quadrant axle was in good nick ...

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

How do you fix the new axle on and how do you remove the old one? Wish I had a lathe.
Maybe I should work on getting one.

Hi Mowerfreak,
This was done by grinding the weld down that secured the axle to the bracket and then applying heat to the bracket and hammering the axle through the bracket. I made up a jig to hold the bracket secure while belting it with my heavy copper hammer, a press would be nice when I have room,

The new axle has a shoulder on it, meaning the the hole is a smaller size than the axle so I turned down the rod until I have a fraction bigger than the hole. Then I heat up the bracket and hammer in the new axle. The bracket expands slightly and the axle is hammered in, when the bracket cools it will grip the axle very tightly.

Finally a new weld is made securing the axle to the bracket.

Good progress today, axles and wheels fitted

Scrubbed up the old wheels and fitted new bushes and circlips

Jack you might find this interesting, I now know that I have the correct engine. The fins on the underside of the head are chamfered off

The reason for chamfering off the cooling fins is so the cylinder clears the deck

I found some Victa wheel caps that fit, these will do until I find better no brand ones

And finally fitted up the engine and tried the catcher out for fit, muffler cleaned up nicely as well

Hi Paul
I feel you are assisting everyone in the KX-A. This is new territory.
Clearly, the guiding factor with engines is the crankshaft length.
Some makers offered no options; others offered a couple or a bit more.
The limiting factor in this was skirt height of the base. As you said,
it was designed for a 4-stroke.

I guess Paul's great observation somewhat explains the cast and extra-
high adapter plate ... and the 'shaved' cylinder head.

I wonder if that was an SC or Villier's modification.
And that catcher decal hasn't been recorded here before.

The more I learn of the KX-A, the more impressed I become.
This has been a pretty much forgotten lawnmower.

Many thanks, Paul.
--------------------------
Jack

Hi Jack,

I feel the shaved fins was a Villiers factory modification as the fins are very clean with no burring at all. I feel they may have been cast like this, my other two Torquemajors have full fins.

Excellent work Paul! I had to laugh at myself when you said you made a groove cutting tool for the circlip. My "groove cutting tool" was me holding a hacksaw, cutting carefully as possible around the edge. I think I went through a few band-aids in the process! :-)

a sample of the decal,regards,john

Hi John, thanks for the sample of the decal. I had a few problems today, old tank was rusted out so I had another one that I cleaned up and under coated

Fitted up the matching metal bracket which entailed swapping over the the top engine case, the replacement tank is a 4 stud retaking unit. The old tank was 3 stud and a top alloy case.

Went to fit the coil plate and yes it does for but the timing is 180 degrees out, on the alloy case the coil faces the front. On the metal plate the coil faces the rear

They are not interchangeable, the key way in the crankshaft is in a different spot. So now I am looking for another tank with the 3 stud pattern :-(

Looking back over this thread I didn�t realise that I hadn�t finished it off, I will post the conclusion shortly :-)

A bit of an update, finally found the correct wheels for this model plus a new set of wheel caps. I was fortunate to have found a new old stock fuel tank and starter which look great, I only need to fit the Torquemajor fuel tank decal and it will be finished.

Fantastic! Metallic blue and solid orange look better than green and orange IMHO. Are Torquemajor decals generally available? I'd like one for the front of my Supaswift Galaxy.

Hi suebutcher,

Thanks for your comments, I think green was on the tin base mowers. The catchers only came in the one colour and that was green. The metallic blue is correct for this model, decals are available from John at Rustic Spares.

Maybe they were green, not sure now

http://www.rusticspares.com.au/

:-)

G'day Paul and suebutcher
Many thanks for the update, Paul.

You have kept alive the memory of this once-great
Queensland company, known for its iconic products.

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