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davpal

Posted 3/9/2019 14:54 (#7369631)
Subject: Snowmobiling 1973 Style...

Mid Michigan

Today has been kind of fun. Like a flashback in time. Dad and myself have a few old snowmobiles that have been in the barns for years and I eventually want to get them all out and running again just to bomb around the farm a few times a year if I can. This 1973 Raider was purchased for my mother 45 years ago to try to "entice" her into riding snowmobiles by dad. It didn't really work but I adopted it for myself for many years of fun. The thing got put on the back burner forever so I hauled it out and cleaned it up and pulled the engine to go through it. It's a 400 CCW twin about 32 hp. We had twin carbs on it so I pulled them off and went with a single carb just to get it around the farm for fun. Got it all together and wouldn't run right. Got another 440 CCW on Ebay and put it in. Wouldn't idle right either. Turned out to be a bad carb. Changed the carb and rode it and the 46 year old plastic drive sprockets on the track stripped out. After a lot of R&R and trials was finally able to drive it with the 36 hp 440 in there and it's working really well. I don't want to take this on any 100 mile trips up north that's for sure. Rides like a buckboard and has a 4 or 5 gallon gas tank. The fun factor of driving this thing around is unreal. You laugh and smile the entire time. It's a riot. Only problem is I hardly fit in the cockpit anymore. I've probably doubled in size since I used to ride it in 1975. Kind of tight fit for a fat old 54 year old guy!