One step forward, two steps back

Got some spare time yesterday to start welding the old '70 Ski-Doo back together. This is the first work I've done on this sled since 2008 and its sorely needed.

First I pulled the old seat tabs off. The old tabs were held on with screws which of course means each leaves behind two holes in the tunnel so step one was to weld the holes back up. This is kind of a fiddly job involving a small rosette weld. With that done I welded on the two front tabs:

Today I went out to test fit the seat and ensure the spacing was correct, I'd only tack welded the tabs in case my spacing was off. I rapidly discovered that although my spacing seems good the board I used for the seat base is too thick and the tabs won't fit it. I used 1/2" plywood which I thought was the same as what was there, apparently it was originally 1/4" ply.

If you look carefully at the picture you can see that the top of the tab just barely pokes through the ply. Part of the problem is that the wood is thick, the other part is that there are stiffening ribs that run perpendicular to the tunnel which raises the wood a little. This raising is actually a good thing because it means that the bottom of the wood has a chance to dry and not rot out as quickly. To help that I've polyurethaned the wood within an inch of its life and just before I install the seat I'll wax the wood which should help it shed water even better.

With the seat not fitting I didn't know what the problem was and still didn't know if my spacing was any good so I removed the million staples that hold the seat base to the seat so I could look. In reality I shouldn't have attached the base to the foam before making sure the tabs fit right...

So my options are to bend the tabs until the seat base fits right, go with a thinner seat base, or put the tabs on spacers. I measured and played and found some 1/8" strap steel in my garage that will make the perfect spacer. So I'll weld the tabs to a scrap of the 1/8" steel and weld that to the tunnel. Further investigation reveals I had the tabs 1/4" too far forward anyway so its a good thing I didn't finish weld the tabs in.

Before anybody says anything, yes the paint I put on the tabs is a terrible match, I had some Cub Cadet yellow that is a much better match but I can't find the stuff so thats just Rustoleum to keep rust at bay. You'll also notice the tunnel is very rusty. I'm thinking this summer to strip the whole chassis down to nothing and have it sandblasted and repainted. That might require the tunnel top be replaced but we'll see...

Ski-Doo repair!

Heres a post I bet you thought you'd never see. Today after I got my Pantera started I also started my 1964 Cub Cadet garden tractor and pulled my 1970 Ski-Doo Olympique 12/3 out from where it has sat for nearly 5 years. One thing I was reminded of immediately is how light this machine is, the rated dry weight is something like 295 pounds. Because of that weight I probably didn't even need the Cub Cadet, I could have hauled this by myself. We went all the way around the yard because its hard to turn a sled strapped behind the tractor, and into the garage. The last few feet I put the sled on a furniture dolly so it was very easy to position. Now in my garage I could more easily access what I'm up against. The last time I ran this sled the seat broke loose from its moorings and when I ran it low on gas it sucked crap into the carb. Fortunately I'd fogged the engine good so it's still free. The last I checked the engine was low on compression, around 80# which could be carboned up rings from running too rich a mix and from not getting run hard enough. My plan is to get it running again and take it on the trails in our local state park. I'm told that somebody running something like that early in the season won't be hassled. So I need to place an order with Spaulding Vintage. I need seat clips which I will weld onto the seat frame, and a rubber for the windshield. This sled has a cut down windshield that I really like so I'll keep that. Once I get those installed I'll clean the carb and probably set myself up with a small gas can for testing, then I'll look at the main tank and see what needs doing. If I can run it on that this year I will and next summer look into cleaning and resealing again.