Barn Find Rally Lawn Mower - Will It Run

I certainly didn’t expect the inside of that tank to be in such spotless condition. I was certainly surprised.

You just can't beat a good old Briggs flathead, very nice work reviving this vintage mower James!

Lololo I feel 16 again working at western auto repair 😅 I thank my Father for teaching me to be a mechanic 😊and able to still do it I Thank God❤

Same engine as was on my grandfathers lawn mower❤️ Me running at the age of 9 in 1980🥰 I remember the gas was light Brown then! With like a blue shine… Man that was sweet days! And the gas smelled wonderful !!

One of my favorite engines thanks! Turn the air filter assembly around 180 degrees. It will fit like a puzzle piece and look so nice and give more room for fueling.

We used the Kmart mowers for years. Change the oil and spark plug on a yearly maintenance schedule. Change the blade and plastic wheels when they are bad. Clean the underside of grass clippings then spray some silicone lube on the deck. We got a rider and I don't know what happened to push mower. We still have the roto tiller. It's green also. This just brings back memories,thanks.

Those 3.5 hp classic engines are probably the most reliable small engine that has ever been made.

This was the $39.99 K-mart special back in 1990. People used and abused these until they could afford a better mower

I have the MTD-branded version of this same mower. Got it used from a friend many years ago, and found that it didn't have enough power to keep up with an overgrown property I used it on. Ended up removing some material from the head with a belt sander to increase the compression and also increased the speed a little. It actually improved the mowing performance quite a bit. Regarding the carb diaphragm, I believe that the note card the new diaphragm was attached to provided the installation procedure to ensure that the choke opens faster/better. Going off of memory, I think it states that the mounting screws are to be left loose, then put something in the top of carb to hold the choke open fully as you then tighten the mounting screws. Thanks for consistently providing new content every Thursday. I really look forward to watching each week.

Thanks 🙏 for creating such great content and for your encouragement and support of my efforts to restore old and abandoned mowers.

Briggs L head. One of the most reliable engines ever made. Good Job keeping it out of the land fill!

My favorite mechanic does it again. Glad it didn’t turn out to be a clunker. My son will get a real kick out of watching this later today. Good job, my friend.

That mower is a "blast from the past" for me. I bought one at Caldor back in the early 90's for $99. I needed the engine for a nicer mower deck that I was given. Those engines were made forever and will run forever if you change the oil. It is as basic as a mower can be and I am glad someone is getting some use out of it.

I'll bet that mower was 'parked' when they were unable to find a replacement blade. It's always nice to come across something old that needs little beyond some routine maintenance and a bit of 'buff and shine'!

Those old flatheads will run forever

The date code you found didn't surprise me at all. I bought a Rally mower with the 3.5 HP Briggs engine in the early 90's (I think it was around 1994) virtually identical to that one except it was red instead of green. Other than the color, mine was absolutely identical. It worked great the entire time I had it, probably 7-8 years. Loved those old B&S flat heads. I only replaced it because I wanted a self propelled mower with electric start and a bag. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊

That mower will probably outlast the new ones. Thanks Jim!

Just two little things here James: the airfilter goes on the other way around, an extremely common mistake. Also that intake tube should not have any play in it, if it does, it´s sucking air which makes a stable rpm and good carb adjustment difficult. As the mixture varies with the height of the fuel in the tank, Briggs&Stratton recommends to adjust the carb when the tank is filled two thirds.

air filter cover needs turned 180 degrees , before tightening the carb to the tank you need to hook-up the choke to the diaphragm then close the choke all the way and tighten the carb screws 😁

Another great project. Thanks James. One point regarding o-rings. I spent 40 years designing products that used o-rings. Lubrication is imperative. Just a light coating of lube allows the o-ring to slide into place without rolling or pinching. And, more lube does not mean it seals better. Just enough for installation.