[greener14519]

Thank you Mr. Sam. I really appreciate the feedback. You make a very good point about the restoration. I may be using the wrong word when I say "restore". As you can see from the last picture, the machine wasn't in bad shape. It just suffered from a bit of surface rust. I stripped it down, sandblasted it and painted it.
As for the engine, it runs like a top. I have rebuilt dozens, if not hundreds of engines, but never touched this one other than to degrease it and paint it. I don't know how many hours are on this machine but based on the minimal wear, I suspect not many. If the engine burns any oil, it's not enough to measure between oil changes. It fires and runs with lots of torque and no troubles whatsoever. I've seen several posts from folks who mentioned that after a rebuild, their Kohler engine developed a knock. There's no way I would open this engine up until it demonstrated a problem. If it leaks oil, it's only enough to moisten the the oil pan lip.
I got this machine for little more than a song. The club that owned it was pouring hydraulic fluid in it as fast as it would pour out. I discovered that the rag joint had come apart and had ripped open a small slice in the hydro filter. A new rag joint, a filter and some Cub oil and this thing rips! So that's why I decided to "restore" it. At that time, I also had a new RZT 50 for mowing so this was just for fun. It turned out to be so much fun that I started mowing with the 147 instead of the RZT. And it came in extra handy when the newer Cub blew a hydro unit.
As for the hubcaps, I'm pretty certain they came on this machine from new. But they are fairly pitted up and would require a new layer of chrome to be perfect. They can clean up enough to look great at 20 feet.
I really appreciate the price suggestions. That's really what I'm looking for. I've kept my eyes on the local craigslist ads. There are very few of these older Cubs here in Houston. I found a couple at lawnmower shops along the highways and they typically want an absolute fortune for units that are nowhere near this condition. I'm talking $1500 and up.
Thanks again for your feedback. If anyone has suggestions on how to attain the highest selling price for this machine I would appreciate them. Otherwise I will take Sam's advice and keep it in storage. It's not costing me a thing to hold onto it.