That is a good machine for rehab, and is the same as the Toro 522.

1. Paint: yes on powder coat, at least for the bucket. Especially if you can media blast it.

2. Augers: I don't think changing to the drum style is worth it. Focus on good prep and paint, and change out the bushings.

3. Tires: most seem to like the X-Trac tires.

4. Engine: absolutely on the Predator 212. I have done 2 of those, and they are smoother, quiter, cleaner and more powerful. There are many threads here on re-powering, and some good videos on YouTube.

5. Components inside the main frame: If you are completely disassembling the drive mechanisms, then, yes you can repaint. But really the lubrication that is on the gears and such should be enough
to keep everything working well.

Note: I would definitely replace the impeller bushing, the auger bushings, and the wheel bushings. And probably the friction disc since the machine will be apart.


Good luck on the resto !!

 

Question on bushing replacement: If there seems to be minimal play in these components I would think that the current bushings are probably okay for now? I haven't ran the machine to see how it currently functions yet, but by doing some pushing and pulling on some of the different components I haven't found anything with a lot of play. The friction disc appears to have some wear but I'm not convinced this machine has had a ton of use in its life, though the rust would say differently.
Do you think powder would be the best for the augers and impeller as well? Or would implement or some sort of enamel paint be strong enough with the occasional touch up.

Thanks for your help.

 

Welcome to the forum.

I'm sure you are aware that the blower is made by Toro, who owns Lawn Boy, so any parts required should be cheaper and more readily available from Toro or the used market for a similar Toro snow blower.

Great advice from @paulm12 .

Powder coating is more expensive than painting it yourself but is more durable. With powder coating or painting, surface prep is most important for a good result.
X Trac tires will provide better traction than the Snow Hog tires currently on the machine, but they should offer decent traction for the machine.
It appears one of the auger rakes is slightly bent, you should be able to straighten it fairly easy with a couple adjustable wrenches. Not worth the trouble to switch to the drum style auger IMHO.

There are many threads on the forum detailing restorations, just use the search feature.
Here is a great example of very detailed restoration of an Ariens 10000 series machine:

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/threads/my-1973-10-000-series-project.157490/#replies

I can vouch for Dupli color Grabber green to be pretty much an exact match for Lawn Boy lawn mowers and probably snow blowers as I restored an old Lawn Boy mower a couple years ago. Thread below in case you are interested.

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/threads/curb-find-lawn-boy-mower-winter-project.159441/#post-1804588

Most of us really enjoy restoration threads with lots of pics.
When you start your restoration this summer start a thread on the restoration, if you have questions or run into issues there are many knowledgeable and helpful folks here to offer assistance.

 

Thank you for your reply!
I am aware about this machine being pretty much a green painted toro 522. Which is one of the reasons I'm comfortable throwing some money into it as toro parts seem easy to find. Guessing straightening a bent auger shouldn't be too difficult but I'm wondering if I should attempt that with the auger still installed...
I tried some of that grabber green on my other uncomplete project a few years back but I should've had the deck media blasted before. I agree it is pretty similar but I'm wondering if I can find a closer match in powder.

 

ALOHA!!!!!

 

Yeah, I wish I kept the little guy 522 I restored back to life ......

 

Your restoration gave me some hope when I was thinking about just flipping this machine and sending it on its way. Curious if you have any experience with the poly roller skids in addition to the standard poly skids I see you put on that machine.

 

You should be able to get the bent auger straightened while still installed.
Remove the belly pan and give it a thorough cleaning. Take it to your powder coater and see if they can colour match it to the top side of the pan as it will have no fading at all.
Not sure if powder coat can be matched like paint can by scanning a paint sample.

 

I have roller skids on many of my fleet, but due to rising costs on them, I have no issue with the regular poly skids, but you do have to pay attention to any wear issues and adjustment to the scrapper bar a bit more often.

 

Nice machine, I am partial to LawnBoys.

I would note from my experience powder coating is great but prep work is more important than it is with paint. It has an outright disdain for sharp edges; if not smoothed out before coating it will peel and crack from those points, much faster than paint.