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ATCO 'Power Propelled Rotary' 70's renovation project. Can anyone help?

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Hi all, I am brand new to The Old Lawnmower Club so please excuse any faux pas'.
 
I have a new project but am finding it quite difficult to identify the actual machine.
It is a self-drive, 18" rotary mower with a rear roller. I think it may be 1970's or 80's. It is labelled ATCO on the bodywork, but doesn't seem to be in any ATCO colour (white and red) I've ever seen or can find online. I am wondering if it is a Mountfield body and it has what I think is a Tacumseh carburettor (LAV-35) this made me think it may be an Aspera engine as the mages I found wre similar, but it has unusual curved fins on the head.
 
I am quite confused and I would be very grateful for any help anyone could offer so I can get it up and running.
 
After a a brief update to my IT skills (thank you 'Help' section) I have attached some images below. If anyone would like to see any other aspects, please ask and I'll post them.
 
Ps. I hope I've posted in the correct forum. Feel free to correct me :)
 
Many thanks in anticipation
Andy McHugh 
 

 

Forums

hortimech Thu, 02/06/2016

No, it is an Atco rotary, they weren't as popular as the push Atco rotary mower, but not a bad mower on the whole.

You will find it uses two drive belts, one underneath driving a worm box that in turn drives a belt on the side to the rear roller (this belt is the same as one on a Super Colt/Punch)

The colour scheme is correct, white body, black engine, red cover, chrome plated upper handles.

I think you may have a bit of a rarity there, I haven't seen one for a very long time.

 

Droo33 Thu, 02/06/2016

Thanks Hortimech, that's great to know as I'm an Atco fan anyway (another one to add to my two 1960 20" cylinders :)

I don't suppose you know anything more about it, eg. the model type, engine, part sources, or how I might find out more do you? I'd love to get it running and into regular use.

It all seems to be moving freely, despite sitting in a damp shed with a couple of Suffolk Punches and a Mayfield garden tractor, for 20-30 years. As far as I can see, it is only missing an air cleaner, but don't yet have a spark (yet to try a new plug) and need to sort the recoil on the pull start.

Many thanks for your reply, it has made my day as I have only just joined up and was worried no one would notice my 'modern' rotary :)

Andy

wristpin Thu, 02/06/2016

That tag on the engine tells you that its an Aspera / Tecnamotor LAV35 which has Tecumseh origins. so it should be reasonably easy to pick up the missing air cleaner body which slots into the oblong hole in the top cowl to draw clean(er) air via the rotating screen on top of the engine.

Hortimech mentions the right angle drive worm box. Before you run the machine, whip the top off and make sure that there's some suitable worm lubricant in there. They tended to leak and if it's run dry it will suffer and certainly wont be easy to replace or find parts for as it was only ever supplied as a unit.

Think that I have a parts list for the mower and definitely have one for the engine so I will dig them out and post them later.

Later!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/one1gt25s9m1o0y/Atco%20Power%20Propelled%20Ro…

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o7or3dgauhztn54/Atco%20Power%20Propelled%20Ro…

hortimech Thu, 02/06/2016

What do want to know ??

The engine is an Aspera lav35 made under licence from Tecumseh, it has a tapered pto, which means you need an anvil (or similar) and a lump hammer if you want to remove the blade boss ( you support the engine with the boss lying sideways on the anvil, then hit the boss with the hammer, watching out for the pulley on the boss, repeat until the boss comes off, note: hit it hard), do not try to pull it off with a two or three legged puller.

If you do not have a spark, you will probably have to clean and reset the points, to do this, you will need to remove the flywheel

BIG WARNING: DO NOT USE A PULLER TO REMOVE THE FLYWHEEL -- YOU WILL BREAK IT!

The standard flywheel tool was basically a big domed nut, you should be able to make one of these yourself, You will need a a piece of round bar, approx 1.25 inch diameter, 2.5 inch long. put it in a lathe, drill a hole the tapping size for 7/16 UNF (check your nut to confirm this), do not drill the hole all way through, about 1 inch deep should be enough, tap the hole with the required thread.

Once you have the tool, this is how you use it, remove the flywheel nut and screen, screw the tool onto the crankshaft until it stops, turn it back about 3/4 turn, grasp the flywheel taking the weight of the engine, now hit the tool squarely, this should shock the flywheel off the taper.

Once you have the flywheel off, you can easily remove and clean the points, you should set them to 0.020 thou.

The sparkplug is a Champion J8c or equivalent 

Once you get the engine running (it takes 1 pint SAE30 engine oil, do not use 10w30), check the wormbox for oil, they had a tendancy to leak, just remove the top and refill with SAE140.

Atco where still producing this machine when I started work in the early 70s and I think production stopped before the end of the 70s, not sure when production started, late 60s ???

Any other questions, just ask

 

 

Droo33 Thu, 02/06/2016

Wow, that's fantastic Hortimech! Thanks so much. I think I may be busy for a while :D

Droo33 Thu, 02/06/2016

Thanks so much Wristpin, really helpful. I'll take a good look at your links and see what I can deduce:)

 

thanks again

Droo33 Thu, 02/06/2016

Just had a look at your links Wristpin. They are great, thanks very much, I'm sure they are going to be of great use. Also made me think of the missing grassbox. I bet that won't be easy to find :/

Droo33 Sat, 04/06/2016

Just whipped the lid off the worm box and its immaculate, looks barely used and lube is a pale grey colour and clean. Hopefully a good sign. 

Droo33 Sat, 04/06/2016

Hahaha! Yes Wristpin, unfortunately it's not all a bed of roses :(

Having checked the lubrication, I continued on Hortimech's advice ans took off the flywheel (easy with his tip) to check the points and had to evict a family of spiders.

Having cleaned and set them (0.020 thou I believe?) I checked all contacts were ok etc. I now have a spark.

Still won't start!

So I clean carb and realize there's no fuel coming from the tank.

Off with tank, remove and declog the tap, but now I cant get the tap to seal back with the tank body (I'm thinking taking the tap off wasn't such a great idea) but we do have fuel to the carb now.

Still won't start! I'm not sure fuel is getting to the chamber as the plug is dry as is a cotton bud dabbed through the plug hole.

It doesn't even try to fire.

I'm puzzled, any idea what to try next? And any tips on sealing the tap back in?

Thanks

Andy

wristpin Sun, 05/06/2016

Time to check the carburettor. If the state of the magneto is anything to go by a thorough strip and clean of the carb will probably be needed.  The carb bowl / float chamber possibly has a spring loaded drain valve . Try pushing it up and see whether any fuel comes out or drop the bowl and see how much  muck and corruption there is within.

A word of warning - the carb will be made of an aluminium or zink alloy housing various brass and steel components ; a fertile environment for electrolytic corrosion binding everything together, so proceed with caution. The main area for self inflicted grief is the main jet or emulsion tube that screws in up the centre of the carb body - above the bowl nut.  Chew up the slot on the jet and you are in trouble. At the least you need a really good fitting screw driver but if it resists, and the general state of the rest of the machine is anything to go by I would suggest trying to increase your chances of a non destructive  removal  before damage is done.  Remove the float, needle valve and bowl gasket and the put the carb in a bowl of water and bring to the boil  and let it cool before trying again. Hopefully this will have caused some differential expansion and contraction between the alloy of the carb body and the brass jet and freed it off. A decent hot air gun can also be used but beware of using a blow torch - the alloys collapse without much warning!

Main jet / emulsion tube with a correctly fitting screwdriver

Going back to your question re a manual I misunderstood you to be asking for an Atco manual. As Hortimech quite rightly says there was an Aspera workshop manual and I have one and can scan and post any bits of particular interest.

A final thought, have you had the head off to check for a stuck valve and  or the condition of the seats etc?

 

This may help with the carb but note that it shows an adjustable main jet whereas yours probably has a fixed jet and a plain bowl nut.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ck6iy4dpfztzo65/Aspera%20carbs%20%2C4-stroke0…

Droo33 Sun, 05/06/2016

I've had the carb off and blown brake cleaner through all the apertures successfully, including the jet. The tickler/drain works now there is fuel coming from the tank. Despite the outer appearance it's not been too bad inside, the mag was only a few spider webs and a little surface corrosion,the points may have been corroded as I got a spark after cleaning. I suspect the float may be a little leaky, but wouldn't that cause flooding rather than starvation?

The manuals were great, anything relevant is always a help.

I can't see any adjusters on the carb

I haven't had the head off yet, was hoping not to, but it's looking that way. Not sure I have a lot of compression, but also unsure how much I should 'feel' when I turn it over.

wristpin Sun, 05/06/2016

Taking the last question first, the engine will have some form of automatic compression release to aid starting. On an engine of your's age this is probably achieved by the cam profile rather than a mechanism to hold a valve open. Those engines were sensitive to good valve sealing and adjustment. If you do have to reface and reseat the valves followed by adjusting the clearances make sure that you measure and set the gaps with the piston about 1/4" down the bore past Top Dead Centre on the power stroke. Setting the gaps at TDC may result in no compression release and wrist jarring kickback.

Yes, a leaky float is most likely to cause flooding. If you suspect that its leaking, pop it into a mug of hot water and watch for bubbles as the air inside it expands.  

Quite surprised that your carb has not got an idle stop screw and a slow running mixture screw. May be the idle stop is incorporated in the throttle / governor plate above the carb together with a screw to control the maximum rpm., but machines of its age usually still had an adjustable idle mixture jet.

 

 

Droo33 Tue, 07/06/2016

That's helpful, thanks. I'll have to look up the valve setting stuff ( not done anything like that since CSE vehicle engineering 35 years ago :D

If the float is leaky, would some lead solder possibly do the job or will I need a new one?

Yes, I was surprised when I looked that the carb seemed so basic, I may need to dismantle and go over it again. Would the jet be adjustable with a screwdriver from the underside?

Thanks again, I'll keep you updated 

Andy

wristpin Wed, 08/06/2016

 

No hidden adjustment to your carb from underneath.Over the years carburettors have become less adjustable as a result of the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. I would have expected your machine to predate these regulations and to have an adjustable  a slow running / idle mixture jet  - but apparently not.

It's quite possible to repair a leaky metal float with a small amount of solder  - having made sure that the float is empty first.

Valve adjustment on this type of small engine is a lot cruder that you possibly encountered on your automotive service course. If the gaps have closed up they are restored by carefully grinding the requisite amount from the end of the valve stems - no going back.

hortimech Sun, 12/06/2016

Your carb is what was described as a 'metering device' on an Aspera service course I went on, it doesn't have any slow run components, i.e. it will not tickover, it is supposed to run at full speed all the time. It is a first generation attempt at emission control. It is actually a Tecumseh carb, rather than the Dellorto ones that Aspera usually used.

wristpin Sun, 12/06/2016

Wow, a metering device. I must have been asleep!

As though the EPA regs have not caused enough trouble I was recently reading an article by one of the development engineers for a well known Japanese manufacturer of  two-stroke engines in which he predicted that to combat the corrosive effects of the ever increasing proportion of  ethanol in fuels , ,carburettors  will  have to be made of "plastic" with any metal component chrome plated. Presumably, fuel system components in existing machines will only survive by the use of more potent ( and expensive?)  after-market additives. 

 

hillsider Sun, 12/06/2016

Does that make Briggs and Stratton ahead of the game with plastic carb on their small engines?

wristpin Sun, 12/06/2016

Quite probably , as a result, I believe, of some states in the US having the highest percentage of ethanol adulterated fuel of any of their markets other than Brazil. About four years ago I believe that Briggs, together with other US small engine manufacturers, were on record as saying that they had neither the materials nor the technology to cope with the addition of  more than 15 %  ethanol; perhaps the all plastic carburettor is their answer. 

Could this also account for why so many carburettors made of " traditional materials" fail to respond to even prolonged ultrasonic cleaning?

Droo33 Sun, 26/06/2016

That's interesting, I never knew why they had the metering diaphragms on the more modern machines.

I'm still battling with this Aspera, no sign of it even trying to fire. Still no fuel to cylinder, carb seems fine and is filling up, to the point when I've turned it over a few times you can see it splashing out of the air cleaner side (no cleaner body on). It passes air out of the exhaust when I turned over and I have a reasonable blue/white spark.

I have now taken the head off and the valves seem to cycle properly. As for the seats, as far as I can tell they look fine, but I'm not really sure what to look for. They look smooth with no pits or burning to the metal, I don't think, photos attached.

 

Could it be purely down to air seals on the inlet side, how critical are the gaskets? I've tried to clean and flat the surfaces on the thick one between the manifold and inlet port and cleaned the thin one between the carb and manifold. Should I replace them (where would I get them from and how do I identify the model of carb). Would blue gasket sealer help? 

Also now having taken the head off, can I reuse the metal head gasket? Looks ok to my untrained eye. If so does it need sealer? As for tightening the bolts, how critical is the tension on the bolts, as I don't have a torque wrench?

Also still need to acquire an air cleaner body, I'm pretty certain it's the long flat rectangular one that draws air from under the cowling. Any idea where to get one from?

This is the one that looks like it will fit with my cowling.

But on a more positive note, I have found the grass box !  

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for all your help.

wristpin Sun, 26/06/2016

Looks like the head gasket may have been blowing , which was not uncommon back in the day and was often associated with a warped cylinder head so check the head on a surface plate or bit of thick plate glass. If it's warped you will need to lap it on a sheet of abrasive laid on the surface plate - use plenty of paraffin or similar as a lubricant. To avoid warping it's good practice to us a torque wrench - 16 ft lbs.

Those engines were also prone to inlet manifold gasket failure and manifold flanges warping. The weight of the carb on that long manifold put a lot of strain on the manifold to block fixing screws and the thick, insulating washer led to over tightening. Check and if necessary lap the flange ant reassemble with a new gasket.

You say that the valves look ok but without removing them it's difficult to be sure of either the valve face or seat condition and you don't mention checking the valve gaps - remember to have the piston a quarter of an inch down the bore past TDC when checking or setting the gaps. 

Those engines were not as tolerant to poor maintenance or minor out of adjustments as some I could name and forty plus years down the line haven't changed that  - every thing needs to be just so, and attempting to get it to run without the air cleaner will affect the induction side of things, so getting that sorted should be a priority.

So, head, manifold, valves and air cleaner all need to be addressed.

Droo33 Mon, 27/06/2016

Thanks wristpin, How could you tell its been blowing? Is it the black carbon deposit around the  exhaust valve? I read somewhere that I should use gasket sealer with a steel gasket. Is that good practice and would blue hylomar type be the correct type if so?

Re the air cleaner, I have been scouring the web for one but have had no luck (no idea of part number either), any good tips?

is it critical what gasket set I get, as I don't know the exact carb model either, or would a general Lav 35 set be ok?

Many thanks again

Andy

wristpin Mon, 27/06/2016

Head gasket. On one of your images showing the head gasket the area around the exhaust valve is brown which suggests that it has been blowing.

Generally not considered good practice not to use to use sealant with new gaskets unless specifically specified by the manufacturer.  

Air filter assembly. Aspera/Tecnamotor pt no. 1340-0001 white. 1340-0003 black

                               Tecumseh pt no. 134000003

Possible suppliers. Hailsham Mower Centre

                                Peter Elliott , Meadowbrook Enterprises, Little Kimble, Bucks.      

  http://stores.ebay.co.uk/meadowbrook-enterprises

otherwise, look for a scrapper on auction sites and Gumtree.

Droo33 Mon, 27/06/2016

Fantastic! Thanks.

So I should get a new metal head gasket then?

wristpin Mon, 27/06/2016

The first step is to check the "truth" of the head. If it's warped a new gasket wont last. Some of the original "metal" gaskets were a steel/asbestos sandwich and are probably no longer available on H & S grounds so any available replacement may be of the "composition" type.

Droo33 Tue, 28/06/2016

You were bang on Angus

Looking better now

 

 

 

wristpin Tue, 28/06/2016

That's better. Now while you're in there why not have the valves out or at least check the gaps ( clearances) . Inlet 8 thou, exhaust 12 thou . I would settle for 10 on the exhaust as if you overdo it the decompressor won't work and it may snatch back and hurt.

Sorry about the rubbish image above , it's a photo taken on the Ipad and looks fine when viewed on that but on the PC not at all good . this should be better

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hidf30js7k6vukm/Aspera%20cylinder%20heads0001…

 

Droo33 Tue, 28/06/2016

Thats helpful, thanks. I was going to tighten opposites gradually, but it's great to have the official sequence.

Yes I will do the valves, just a bit confused about the adjustment, can only remember doing pushrod type tappes before and I'm not sure about the top dead centre thing, as it has compression release. I take it I measure between vavle tip and low profile of cam? correct me if I'm wrong. But what position does the piston need to be in and does it matter which cycle? Sorry, feeling quite dim now, but can't get my head around it .

Andy

wristpin Tue, 28/06/2016

Top dead centre on the compression stroke - that is piston at the top of its stroke with both valves shut . Then turn the crank until the piston drops a quarter of an inch on the power stroke . Strokes - suck, squeeze, power, exhaust.

As its a side valve (L head in American speak) there are no push rods as such, The long valve stems protrude down into the valve chest which houses the valve springs and the stems are lifted by the cam followers which run out of sight on the camshaft in the crank case.

Its the gap or clearance between the valve stem and the top of the follower that you are checking. If the gaps are too small they may close up altogether when the engine heats up. If the gaps are too big the valves will open late and not enough and in the case of your engine with a decompressor on the exhaust lobe of the camshaft to give easy starting, fail to decompress enough and result in the engine kicking back.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/84uzdwsja3ya7o1/Aspera%20valves0001.pdf?dl=0

I notice that there is some contradiction between the valve clearances that I gave you in an earlier post which came from the Specification Table in the back of the book and those given in the text posted above . Let's see what you have and then worry about that information later.

Droo33 Tue, 28/06/2016

Brilliant. Actually I was reading this very manual today, but your explanation fills the gaps in my understanding perfectly, thanks.

I was wondering if the difference in the quoted gap measurements could be explained by the text in your last post instructing to measure 'at' TDC rather than 1/4' down the power stroke in the former specs? Or did I read it wrong?

wristpin Tue, 28/06/2016

The quarter inch down is what I would term the "safe" place as it ensures that the decompressor is not interfering with the measurement . Taking it at TDC is fine just so long as it is actually exactly TDC or fractionally past it and not fractionally before it. The spec for checking the clearance on all Briggs and Stratton L head engines, and as far as I know their OHV engines as well, is a 1/4" down the bore on the power stroke

Back in the day it was not unusual to be presented with a machine where the measurement had been made incorrectly and the valve stem shortened when it should not have been - result a wrist jarring snatch back. The only way back from that was a new valve  - or a mega bodge with the arc welder: and I've seen that attempted!

Droo33 Tue, 28/06/2016

Ah I see.

Well I'll see how I get on removing these valves and let you know what measurements I have.

Speak soon

Andy

 

Droo33 Wed, 29/06/2016

Hi Angus, look what I found amongst my Dad's collection of parts!

No idea what condition it is in or what precise model, but wondered if the air cleaner might do til I can find a matching one :)

 

 

 

wristpin Thu, 30/06/2016

Gives the impression that it's a bigger engine, V50, 5hp may be? Possible that you can squeeze the pipe to fit in the slot in yours or make an adaptor.

Droo33 Thu, 30/06/2016

Yes it already has a piece of rubber tube as an adaptor. Would obviously like to find a correct one if I can though.

Where should I look for model numbers?

wristpin Thu, 30/06/2016

Think that the larger Tecumsehs had the model numbers stamped into the blower housing rather than on a tag as your Atco one had, somewhere above the spark plug possibly.

Droo33 Thu, 30/06/2016

Great, I'll have a look.

Thanks so much for the package :) I'll get them to work as soon as I get these vales sorted!

However, I'm confused again. When I opened the breather cover I was expecting to find the valve ends, but they seem to continue deeper into the block. So I'm not sure where I measure the gaps, I was expecting to find the cam followers. Do I need to go deeper into the block?

Oh and is the green plastic mesh stuff in pic 2 original/satisfactory? I assume its just a debris filter.

Sorry for the second 2 wonky pics.

I found this number on as well (on the Atco), don't know if its any help generally.

Andy

wristpin Fri, 01/07/2016

You're in the right place. The green mesh is standard and is , as you surmise, a dust filter and also helps to trap any oil mist expelled from the crankcase . Also in the cover is a one way valve which allows the air displaced by the downward stroke of the piston to exit the crankcase but shuts on the upward stroke to maintain a small degree of negative pressure within the crankcase to assist in keeping it oil tight.

The valve stems are there with the springs wrapped around them and the tops of the cam followers come up through the base of the valve chest to meet them. At that point is where you check the gaps - you CAN see the join!

Droo33 Fri, 01/07/2016

Ah! I think I see, is it where there looks like a groove in the shaft near the spring retainer?

wristpin Sat, 02/07/2016

Yes, your groove is actually the meeting point between the valve stem and the cam follower. Try poking a 3 thou feeler gauge in there and it that's ok work up to the specified gauge for each valve. Even if you have the specified clearance it doesn't necessarily follow that the valves are sealing. 

If you are able to manoeuvre the machine so that the inlet and exhaust ports are upwards you can try checking the sealing by filling the ports with fuel or paraffin (usual precautions) .  I have to say that I've seldom seen a Tecumseh of that type and age that didn't benefit from a valve job. If you have access to a valve re-facer a very light skim will often reveal that a valve that looks ok is actually a bit out of round and will benefit from truing up. Equally a very light skim with a seat cutter may pay dividends. Otherwise you will need to just try lapping the valves with carbourundum paste. Remember that for lapping to work you do need some valve clearance as the lapping will be ineffective if the valve is sitting on the follower and is effectively held off its seat by even a fraction. Equally, when you've done your refacing  or lapping the pre-existing clearances will have closed up slightly and may need to be re adjusted.

Valve grinding paste often comes in a double ended tin - fine and coarse. Try a light lap with fine paste and see what sort of a track you get one the valve face. If it looks as though it will be ok continue with fine paste but if that wont produce a continuous mat grey track don't use the coarse stuff but seek help from someone with a re-facer. The valve and seat faces should be flat with just a mat track running evenly around them. Heavy handed lapping with coarse paste or lapping using a power tool will result in an indented track on the valve and rounded faces to the seat.

I know that there is rather a lot to take in here but good valves are fundamental to the health of an engine and no amount of fiddling with ignition and carburattion will make up for poorly seating and sealing valves. One of the best books on small engine servicing and trouble shooting  - Small Engine Secrets and Solutions - unfortunately now out of print, contains the following.

"  Technicians who are valve critical will always have a better record of repair success than those who take a near enough approach"

Very tue!

 

 

Droo33 Sat, 02/07/2016

Hi Angus, I have some valve clearance measurements; Inlet 0.013", exhaust 0.012".

Do you have any tips for compressing the valves? The only compressor I have close to the size is a little too wide to get in the breather box well enough, I could grind it down a bit I suppose, but wondered if you had an easy way. I see in the manual it shows a fork like device but then how to hold the valve head in?

Also the valve stems appear to be different, the inlet having a pin to hold the spring retainer and the exhaust having a narrowing in the stem (and possibly a keyhole retainer plate) 

wristpin Sat, 02/07/2016

The forked device is a no longer available Tecumseh / Aspera tool which works quite well .  The valves tend to stay in place while you are lifting the retainer enough to remove the pin or keyhole retainer. A G clamp style compressor has the advantage of locking off to leave both hands free to fiddle the pin or keyhole retainer out.as does the Briggs and Stratton valve tool. This one is from a US supplier but they are available in the UK as either a Briggs part or from independent vendors.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/321918753525?lpid=122&chn=ps&googleloc=9…

As you have plenty of clearance in hand you can afford to spend some time getting the valve sealing "just so" without having to worry about grinding metal off the stems to regain clearances.

A pair of locking tweezers can be useful. I think that the medical fraternity call them haemostats but angling shops sell them for removing fish hooks !

The usual reason that the valve retainers are different is that the engine application calls for positive (mechanical) valve rotation for the exhaust valve instead of just relying on cyclic vibration but I cant see any sign of that feature in any of the images that you have posted. I'm not aware of the different retainers being an original feature on that engine so perhaps a valve has been replaced at some time .

Edit

Knew that I had it somewhere - a collection of valve service tools accumulated over the years.

 

Droo33 Sun, 03/07/2016

Great idea, I even have a couple of surgeons haematostats, although I had no idea what it was called, but had a feeling they would come in useful one day :D

 

I think I'll try grinding down the smaller G clamp style one, as it would leave easier access (I hope).

Here are a few of the smaller compressors I inherited along with my Dad's mowers and other tools, no.1, to grind, no.2 would work in a reverse scissor action between the retainer and the side of the breather box. Maybe worth a try. 

wristpin Sun, 03/07/2016

Looks like your Dad was a tool collector of the "sure to come in useful at some point" school - a kindred spirit. I particularly like the look of the rather complicated looking one in image three - looks very well made, any sign of a manufacturer's name?. Time spent poking around at boot fairs and auto jumbles is seldom wasted!

 

Droo33 Sun, 03/07/2016

Hahaha, sounds like you knew him! His 'collecting' was a little disproportionate at times, but he certainly had some interesting things.

I cant find a maker's name or mark anywhere on it I'm afraid. I particularly like the way the 'jaws' are adjustable for width. I'm not sure though if the catch spring is assembled correctly, I can't work out whether the catch should spring to the 'lock' position or to 'open' (it springs to open currently), which do you think would be most useful in use? It looks like the original fastening for the spring may have been replaced with a split pin, possibly with the spring upside down.

in the open position;

in open position

with the spring in tension;

spring now under tension, closing the catch

If the spring worked in reverse the catch would stay engaged and hold its position

hortimech Sun, 03/07/2016

You don't actually need any special tools to remove the valves, I bought the Aspera tool but never really used it. I found it was just as easy to use two screwdrivers as levers and a pair of longnose pliers to remove the pins (if fitted) or just use the screwdrivers to lever the lower collet sideways if it is the slotted type. As always, it is easier to show someone how to do this rather than tell, just try it and I am sure you will get the idea.

Droo33 Sun, 03/07/2016

Thanks Hortimech, you sound very dexterous :D

Fortunately, I have both heamostats and valve compressors :D In fact, the very tool that Angus spotted turned out to be totally perfect for the job once I realized I could engage it one loop down the spring and get better access to the pin (i was being a bit dim before), so I now have a new favourite tool.

Droo33 Sun, 03/07/2016

Is this good enough? or do I need to do further work? Having trouble getting the sucker to stay on the valve.

some tiny, shallow pits

how they came out

wristpin Sun, 03/07/2016

They look as good as you will get without re-facing and re-cutting. What's it done for the clearances?

Giving the top of the valve head a good scrub on a sheet of emery cloth will sometimes improve the grip of the sucker - always assuming that the valve heads  don't have a raised EXH and IN  on them!

Briggs market a useful valve sucker that has a press button plunger that generates more suction than the  plain old sucker on a stick.