Vintage craftsman rider id and info?

Hey guys, I'm a completely new member to this forum but I'm calling on the expertise of the pros here. I recently acquired an old craftsman riding mower which I was originally going to use to make a racer out of but the more I looked at it the more I fell in love with it in its original form. I got it home, cleaned it, swapped the carb, changed oil and it fired up on the first pull. I plan on keeping it as is now and possibly even restoring it but I am having aheck of I time finding any information on it. I know it has a 7hp tecumseh engine, 3 speed transmission and a model number 131.96417. I have tried searching the internet for any info but I keep striking out. Anything y'all can tell me about this thing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Wow, nice condition on that old war horse. You might try the Garden Tractor section of this site and join some of the others that are out there on the 'net. There might even be one for Craftsman riders. Good luck and let us know what you find out about it.
 
Had one real similar to that when I was a kid. Would have been a '67-'68 model. It was a tough machine, mowed many a yard around the 'hood! Do you have the mower deck?
 

No mower deck :cry: I would love to find one for it but I think that might be a little difficult. I am definitely going to stay on the lookout though. From what I can tell all of the deck controls are intact...just missing the most important part
 
Try the Sears website. They have parts and manuals somewhere. I've found quite a few using the model number.
 
I have an Ariens Fairway rider bought new by my Father in 1974 with a similar, perhaps identical, 7 HP Tecumseh engine with electric start.

I put a new short block in the engine about 25 years ago and it was used very little since. About 20 years ago, I prepared it for storage and it has not been run since.

Don't know if you could use it or not or where you are located, but you or anyone else can have it if you can use it.

Dean
 
there is a lawn mower shop in moody missouri, they have a huge amount of old riding mowers for parts. prolly have the parts you need. i dont recall the name, maybe someone here knows.
 
Patrick, that thing looks to be in great shape for it's age. Looks like a fiberglass hood which generally didn't last as long as the rest of the mower. I believe you will do well to keep it "as is" and find another clunker to make a racer. Check around on Google, there are a number of clubs whose members collect and restore riding mowers, someone may have the information you need.
 
(quoted from post at 22:32:58 07/29/15) Patrick, that thing looks to be in great shape for it's age. Looks like a fiberglass hood which generally didn't last as long as the rest of the mower. I believe you will do well to keep it "as is" and find another clunker to make a racer. Check around on Google, there are a number of clubs whose members collect and restore riding mowers, someone may have the information you need.

Well I wish I could say the hood was pristine but it's cracked at the bottom. This actually leads me to my next question....I have some fiberglass experience, should I repair and restore or leave completely as is. I know it's not worth a lot but would restoring destroy any collector value?
 
Good question. Honestly, I am not that familiar with the guidelines on mower restoration. Personally, if I were going to drive it around much, I would repair it, because vibration doesn't help the damage at all. As I mentioned previously, if you could contact someone who belongs to a collectors club, they might enlighten you.
 

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