My 1984 Wheel Horse C-165

[Iceman10 4]

I purchased this mower 2 years ago off Ebay with the intent of it being an upgrade from my existing C-105 (42"). The mower was located just north of Atlanta, GA. It is a 1984 C-165 with a 48" mower deck. After getting the mower home an evaluating its condition, I decided to do a complete restoration. I have just finished the mower and have decided to post some pictures along showing and describing the process I went through in resurrecting this classic black hood Wheel Horse.

Original Pictures as shown on Ebay.

Will post some more pictures tomorrow showing the tear down in process.

[C-Series14 15]

That ain't no little mower, that is a big garden tractor! :thumbs2:

[Irv 115]

Does'nt look too bad to start with. Nice tractor! :thumbs2:

[can whlvr 991]

lookin forward to more pics :thumbs2:

[Iceman10 4]

When I got the tractor home, I got it started and quickly figured out that the engine needed some major help. The previous owner ran the engine without an air filter for a period of time. As you can imagine, that Georgia red dirt is hard on a set of rings. Once I realized that the engine needed to be rebuilt and that the mower deck was in too bad a shape to fix, I decided that I might as well do it right and do a complete restoration. With an initial investment of $200.00, I still felt like I had a lot to work with. Below are a few pics as i started disassembling the tractor.

More Pics tomorrow showing the engine teardown and what I found.

[COMMANDO6 20]

Great! It looks like you're getting right to it. I'm waiting for the engine pics :thumbs2:

[312Hydro 473]

That tractor looked good when you got it. Must look absolutely great now! That deck looked good from the pics. Was it rusted or bad spindles? Can't wait for the finished pics! :thumbs2:

[Iceman10 4]

Mower deck looked good at a distance but had alot of rot. Spindles, pulley covers, and associated hardware was good. Stripped it down and threw away the shell. Have purchased a nice 48" deck which came off of a newer model 520H. I paid as much for the good deck as I did the tractor. I have included pictures of the new mower deck.

Very solid mower deck with only light surface rust on the underside. I like the later model decks. Much sturdier with the added spindle reinforcement plate on the top and the reinforment rod around the lower edge of the deck. Had to use my pulley covers off of the original deck. Will post the engine teardown tomorrow.

[Iceman10 4]

Below is a few pictures of the engine teardown. The engine was bored .010 over and the crank was turned down .010. A complete overhaul kit was purchased including rings, piston, rod, and gaskets. The balancing gears were a little loose so new bearings, shims, and snap rings were installed. New valves and guides were also installed.

My wife's cousin has a machine shop and did all of the machine work. I got a little lax with my picture taking during this time and didn't take pictures during the reassembly process. The worst part was getting my balancing gears timed just right. The Kohler K series manual has very good directions, but on one of the gears the timing dimple was a little off and I wasn't sure if I was one tooth off or not. Found a measured diagram on the internet of the balancing gear installation tool and I made one out of heavy cardboard and used it to figure out the correct alignment.

Pictures on striping and painting the frame tomorrow.

[Iceman10 4]

Frame restoration pictures:

[C-Series14 15]

Now THAT is how you restore a tractor! Down to the frame!!! It is the best way to do them in my opinion. Did you check the tranny plate for cracks?

Nice job!

[massey 111]

Great start, that frame sure turned out clean. :thumbs2:

[spark949 24]

What did you use to get that frame in that condition? A buffer? Best job I've seen. I need to to help me on mine.

[Iceman10 4]

Growing up I use to help my dad with restoring his antique cars. He tought me that the prep work makes the finished product. Every piece was taken down to the bare metal, primed, and then painted. There was no cracks in the transmission plate and the rear end was tight and in very good condition. I flushed it out with kerosine and installed all new seals.

[Raider12 13]

Very nice looking job! What method of striping the old finish did you use? Sand blasting or just sanding?

[Iceman10 4]

Heavy duty stationary wire brush on a stand and sanding on the smaller parts. The frame was scaped with a paint scrapper and putty knife and then sanded. Sand plasting was only used for areas that were hard to reach. Mainly just a whole heck of alot of elbow grease. Did I mention I started this project 2 years ago ?

[Iceman10 4]

Pictures of the work done on the front and back rims. Stripped them down to the bare metal, primed, and painted them with Sherwin Williams Linen enamel. Replaced the bearing in the front rims and had all new rubber mounted on the rims. Went back with the original size and type of tires (Carsile TurfSaver).

[COMMANDO6 20]

Nice work on the restore. I love your creative tables! And the color on that Chevy.

[C-Series14 15]

You are doing it the right way for sure!

[wheelhorse656 20]

Looking good!! i cant wait to see the finished product!!! :thumbs2:

[Iceman10 4]

Below are a few pictures as I started the reassembly process.

[Coadster32 793]

Looking good!! :thumbs2:

[earlleecliffton 37]

Nice work there :thumbs2:

[Iceman10 4]

Below are come pics showing the restoration of the center console. The console was a bear to get stripped down and remove all the rust.

Had to weld the left rear attachment portion of the console where the fender support attaches. This seems to be a weak area in these tractors. My 312 had the same exact break.

[WH Raider10 17]

Beautifull work!!! I'm jealous :banghead: