Slowly getting the 129 back into shape. Its taken a real beating this summer with all the rain, plus my hydro lift upgrade.
The engine is running well again, after pulling it apart and finding that the critical parts were more or less sound. The exhaust valve got a bit hot, so I lapped the valves and lightly honed the bore before putting it all back together again.
The results of my experiment going tubeless with the front tires indicated that a tube was indeed necessary, and it is holding air now. So much for cheaping out there!
The piano hinge at the front of the hood was quickly falling apart, so I ordered another one from McMaster-Carr. Their warehouse is in NJ, and I often get orders overnight here in MD even when I ship ground.
The hood itself also took a bit of a beating acting as a workbench during the lift conversion, and I will eventually end up repainting it again, along with the lift lever, which I had to remove from the 1650 with liberal doses of hammering, combined with alternating doses of WD-40 and heat from my MAPP torch.
One thing I did notice about the lift. Although it seems to be working properly, the range of the lift seems limited, I typically adjust the mower deck so the gauge wheels are just off the garage floor. The lift range is about the same as with the manual lift, but it would be nice to lift the mower a bit higher sometimes. I also notice that the springs on the control valves are pretty stiff as well.
At least I have a proper adjusting knob and cam now, I was tired of adjusting it with a hammer and vise grips.