A 10-year-old schoolboy has been inducted in to the ranks of Honda Power Products Master Technicians after restoring a Honda lawnmower to factory fresh condition over the summer holidays.

Leon Poots from Essex completed the comprehensive nut and bolt restoration of a 2004 Honda Izy Lawnmower as a summer project in lieu of typical school holiday activities.

With a whole summer ahead of him, Leon said he “wanted to do something different and as my dad repairs all types of lawnmowers, I wanted to know about how an engine works and the various components that make it up. My dad, Richard, said that if I was really interested, he would bring one home that had been scrapped.”

Shortly after, Richard, who works out of the Ernest Doe dealership in Sudbury, presented his son with a 16-year-old Honda HRG 465 C2 PDE, otherwise known as the Izy.

Before the restoration work started, Richard outlined all-important safety measures to follow throughout the project. As a result, Leon exercised due care. Continuing to channel this professional approach, Leon addressed his first issue – working from home – by constructing a makeshift bench out of two chairs and a pallet to create a safe workspace.

Despite being destined for scrap, the Izy lawnmower’s engine showed clear signs of life according to Leon: “Surprisingly it started but it was cutting out on low idle.” Now with an understanding of the job facing him and not shy of getting his hands dirty, Leon set about disassembling the mower down to its constituent parts.

Starting with the steel deck, Richard welded up some holes, leaving Leon to then prime and prepare the area before applying fresh coats of blue paint. Leon then turned to the engine. A complete strip-down saw internals - such as the flywheel, crankshaft and sump - removed and cleaned along with the carburettor and fuel tank. Taking stock, Leon ordered Honda genuine parts to replace those that could not be restored before reassembling the mower.

Speaking on completion of his work Leon said: “This was a fantastic summer project and I learned a lot about the workings of an engine and the process of dismantling and re-construction of a lawnmower, it was really enjoyable.”

To congratulate Leon on his impressive nut and bolt restoration, at such a young age, he was inducted and certified into the Honda Power Products, Master Technician ranks. This was enclosed in a letter of that Leon received along with a Honda-branded gift bundle that included a backpack, wireless headphones and a beanie hat.

Honda UK’s head of Power Products, Steve Morris, said, “It is a great project and example of a challenging spirit in strange times. Better yet, thanks to Leon’s natural mechanical talents, another Honda Lawnmower lives on. I’m in no doubt that Leon has a bright future ahead of him, hopefully one that involves Honda.”