"Mow Me Over" Project Update - Pics DUW

[Breadfan]

Well, with the cold weather finally hitting, I took some time to mess around with another odd project I have.

I've brought it up here a few times, in these threads. They're good sources to catch up on the roots of this project:

More Reasons to Think Breadfan is Insane (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=29962)

Update on two other projects (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30462)

Anyway...here's the story in two phases...

The Beast Roars To Life - ...Again...

Contrary to popular belief, this has nothing to do with chili…

On Sunday though, the beast did roar to life. By beast I mean I had this thing running on all 1 cylinders!

Yep, I got the hot-rod mower running…again!

The problem ended up being a little deeper than I thought, and I hope this isn’t an indication of things to come. But I guess you can expect things like this from a near-20 year old Monkey Ward’s mower that had sat in the elements that past number of years.

The first problem started when I noticed a no-crank condition. I figured, ok, gotta be a malfunctioning safety-switch. While troubleshooting that, the starter froze up. (This was a good month or so ago, by the way.)

So, off comes the starter. Sure enough, it was stuck solid. Not sure what was wrong with it, so I decided to disassemble it. I ended up cleaning it up, checking the brushes, and reassembling it. I think rust between the output shaft and housing had caused it to glue itself together. It was working again.

Unfrotunately in the disassembly process, I very slightly cracked the plastic bendix gear that the tooth gear rides on. So, two start attempts later, that part grenaded. So again I was starter-less.

I spent the next week browsing online, and found an online catalog that I was able to find the correct model # of the engine. I found schematics with part numbers, and found the right part # for what I needed on the starter. I placed an order, and for $10 I was going to get the entire top assembly for the starter motor. To my surprise, their catalog and inventory system WAS correct and a few days later I had the parts!

So the other day I installed them on the starter. Also, I had previously gotten under the mower and “removed” the clutch safety switch from the safety switch circuit. So I was ready. Turned the key and the engine spun, it started, ran great – for 1.23 seconds.

I kept messing with it, and found it would only run if I put fuel directly in the carb. Wasn’t getting gas. Odd…I had just rebuilt the carburetor in September, and ran it a few times since then with no issues...gas was fresh too.

Well, finally I gave in and removed the carburetor. Took the float bowl off and found a huge mass of JELLO-like material inside the float bowl! I don’t know what that was all about, didn’t even smell like bad gas, something maybe bacteria related had grown in the float bowl.

So did another carb cleaning/rebuild and put it back on.

Cranked one more time, started right up and ran. Adjusted the carb and got it running good.

See next post...

[Breadfan]

So for the paint I still need to outline the flames in black pintstripe, and then clear the paintjob to get some extra gloss. Maybe the clear will also seal it a bit and be a bit harder than the basecoat…I had some issues with the canned duplicolor paint being too soft - doubtful but one can hope. I guess I coulda used real paint and my spraygun but that get's pricey quick.

There are some new mod’s that were added though! Here's a quick list:

- CB Radio and antenna – ‘cause you never know when you’ll have to let your good buddies know your 20.

- Sunpro mechanical water-temp gauge – Was used in my Mustang to verify the coolant temps when my gauge on the dash wasn’t working, used it for an hour when I first bought the car been on the shelf since.

- Skull shift knob- permanently attached on speed selector

- Fuzzy dice – yeah!

- Nitrous – OK, maybe not real nitrous, but I did mount an empty can of “NOS” energy drink on the back with a silver-painted conduit tubing running out of it into the bellows of the beast.

Some of the older mods that were done and already were in place:

- Exhaust
- Steering Wheel
- New seat
- Rear tail lamps
- deactivtated clutch safety switch (hell yeah)

And finally some future mods that are yet to be installed:

- Custom painted and refurbished mower deck
- Flame outlined in pinstripe (black) and paint clear coated
- New headlights
- “Driving” lamps (from a Harbor freight sale!)
- Underbody neons (for night mowing of course)
- Various accent lighting
- New battery
- Push button starter with “nitrous-arm”-style ignition on/off switch
- Painted or otherwise finished rims

So it runs nice, but I did notice a few things. 1., on the starter/ignition switch, I was driving it in the dark and noticed small sparks and what looked like an electrical short. Not big, but there. I wonder if they always do that or if the switch is on it’s way out? I will replace that assembly with the high-amp push button assembly soon anyway.

2.) It will backfire every now and then when you hit a big bump, might be from the straight through exhaust, sometimes when it does it’ll shoot blue and yellow flame about 6 inches out the exhaust tip. That rules and looks cool at night!

So anyway, here’s some new pics:

Out of the Woods and Humble Beginnings (and an ancient "flame job") This was after washing it, and installing a straight through exhaust. More info on where I got it was in the first thread.
http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/100_0512004.jpg


Latest Pics
http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/100_0747002.jpg

http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/100_0748003.jpg

http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/100_0753008.jpg

http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/100_0750005.jpg

I put the rest of the pics from my camera here: http://www.neuralimpulse.com/hotrodmower/mower.html

[ckadiddle]

BF is the MAN! I have been waiting for these pics. Excellent paint choices. Pics look dark though...how bout some full sun photos?

[Mike]

Nice job, but where are the beer holders??

[Breadfan]

BF is the MAN! I have been waiting for these pics. Excellent paint choices. Pics look dark though...how bout some full sun photos?

Yeah I know, it was dusk when I snapped those pics, looking forward to some sunny-day pics once I get back to the garage. :)


Nice job, but where are the beer holders??

On it's way! I'll be adding a cupholder, part of me wants to add a small cooler in back too :D

[Mike Poore]

BF is the MAN! I have been waiting for these pics. Excellent paint choices. Pics look dark though...how bout some full sun photos?

It'll never see the light of day! Once Mark gets wind that the beast still lives, he's gonna want it back! :eek:

Neat job, Mike, I should turn a couple of my old Gravelys over to you. The first one was procured with it's 7.6 motor in a 5gal Drydene oil pail. I still have the Commercial 12 after 39 years, along with the 1955 snow blower attachment, I got from uncle Preston.

[MarauderMark]

I have never seen anything like this before but this is absolutely kewl , wtg Mike.:up: