Fuel Tank Followup

The aftermarket tank that wouldn't fit... Well, I got it in there!

I assume it was the right tank, just an aftermarket "pretty close" replica. I say it was the tank that was off, not having an original to compare it to I really can't say.

I ended up grinding about 1/4" off the top of the front mount pads, using 1/16" rubber washers instead of 1/4", bending the cross braces under the hood up, (this has the hinged insert in the hood) to get the front of the tank low enough to clear the hood. Then shimmed the rear up an additional 1/4" to clear the throttle linkage and to get the front lower. Made a new radiator top support rod, 1/4" longer to clear the upper hose in front of the tank, put an offset in the rod to clear the tank...

Even with all this, it is still a very close fit! Going to have to check it after running it to be sure nothing is rubbing.

I went through the carb while I was there, got it running better than it has in years... The idle would not adjust, really rich, blubbering, stinking... Found the throttle shaft was worn. The minor vacuum leak must have been messing with the mixture adjustment or the atomazation of the idle fuel. Replaced the shaft, put in the rest of the kit, didn't really find anything else wrong, but it runs good now!

But... was finishing everything up, looked down, oil dripping out of the air filter bowl, rusted pin hole. So got that on order, another week delay...

Still waiting on spindle bushings, they should be here first of the week.

Got the front tires foam filled. That stuff is heavy! The wheels must weigh 75 - 100 lbs each! But no mo flats!

Almost there! Thanks everyone!

Steve, I picked up two items in your post that interest me:
1. The carb shaft wear may well be my problem with getting a good idle. I suspect it also explains why I sometimes have to use starter fluid (just a little) when starting cold.
2. The foam tire fill may be the fix for my finish mower tires. I've had to fix three flats caused by the tube wrinkling up and abrading. Who sells and/or installs that material?

I'll also be replacing a radiator soon so I may need to refer to your fitting methods.

Don

Don,

Carb: When I went through the carb, I ordered the "comprehensive" kit. It contains everything for doing a
more thorough rebuild. There is also a rubber seal on the throttle shaft, so sealing that area must be
important. I thoroughly cleaned the carb while it was apart, soaked it in full strength Purple Power
degreaser, poked and prodded every passage to be sure nothing was restricted. I never had a starting
problem, in fact it was so rich, little or no choke was needed, even cold. BTW, if yours has the Marvel
Scheiber carb, the idle mixture adjustment works backward. Turning the screw in richens the mix. The screw
adjusts the air bleed, not the fuel flow.
The hard starting could be caused by several factors. Be sure the choke is operating properly. Other causes
can be weak spark, worn plugs, dragging starter, weak battery, poor connections, or low compression.

Tires: I had the tires filled at a local industrial tire shop. Just search for a shop in your area that
provides the service. It's a specialty service, may have to go to a larger town to find it. Cost $180 for 2
tires, 6.00x16.

Radiator: That was a whole 'nother nightmare! Bought an aftermarket radiator on Ebay. Another case of a
"fitall" that turned out to be a "fit none"! Should have sent it back, just kept finding problems with the
fit, but was determined to make it work. So far it has held water, but I've heard stories of them being
short lived. If I had to do it over (and some day probably will), I would have had the original recored.

Hope this helps, have fun!

Thanks Steve. I got nine years out of a "fitall" from Turkey but it is now starting to unzip so I'm debating having the original (yeah, I save everything) rebuilt. I replaced it originally because the cast iron outlet pipe broke and it had some seam weeps. If I can braze the outlet I'll take it to a shop to have it put back together or recored - whichever works.

The carburetor shaft leak is an issue I had with a truck carb with an electric choke. Too much air slipped by the shaft when starting that I would have to crank way too long. I "fixed" it temporarily by adjusting the acceleration pump to give a bigger first squirt. When I had time to rebuild the carb I could see light around the shaft. I will open my Ferguson carb with a plan for shaft replacement or sealing.

Thanks for the response.

Don