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We regularly ask you to write us about your project sleds, old or new. Some we run in Mail Bonding, our letters section, and some are, well, just pretty darned special. So here's Joe Kutcher's report from Fergus, Ontario, on his '65 Hus-Ski. Read on!
- The editorsIn August 2005, while sitting outside the cottage, having a cold one on the deck, I got to thinking about restoring a rare old sled.
We hopped in the truck and headed to Bobby's place. I knew he'd have some old sleds around that he'd part with. I was right.
At the back of his property was an old 1965 Hus-Ski 444. It was in pretty rough shape, but the gears in my head were spinning. Bob said "take it away if you want it,'' so we loaded it up and Bob actually handed me the original owner's parts manual. Talk about icing on the cake! When I got home, my neighbors wondered just what was this strange looking beast.
"You're not serious about bringing this thing back to life are you?"
"Oh yea, I can see it now, this nice shiny yellow paint job with new decals, looking like it just came from the factory," I said. They wished me luck as I put it into the garage before saying a few prayers.
Then the fun began. I started first with the trailer. I bought two pieces of ash and cut them into 1½-inch strips before running them through a planer. Then I soaked the first 18 inches in a bucket of water for 3 weeks. I welded a special jig for bending the tips. After sitting in the jig for another week I removed them and used biscuits and a lot of glue and put 3 strips together with a lot of C-clamps. I removed the ant filled seat and cut a new piece of wood for the bottom. I got the rest of the trailer sand blasted before cutting the skis.
I then had the seat reupholstered, including the original yellow piping. I also was lucky enough to find the original paint code for this model and began finishing the trailer including installing a new taillight, new wiring and making new carbides for the skis.
Next was the main part, the machine itself.
I had this sandblasted as well to see what was savable and found that the deck was too far gone. So I bought a 14-gauge piece of sheet metal and welded it in. Then I took it back again for more sandblasting, which really helps the paint adhere to the metal.
Next were the tracks. The original cleats were pretty well worn, so I got some maple 2x4s and cut them into strips with a total of 27 per side and gave them a coat of stain. I also got some stainless steel strips 1x12 inches long to use on the face of each cleat, and then put 4 stainless bolts with locknuts on each cleat. I installed them onto the belt and then added all new bearings in the drive clogs. Next, I made new sliders from ash for the tracks to slide on, since this machine didn't have boogie wheels.
Then I had to put everything together before the paint went on, just to make sure everything fit properly (something I learned on a previous restoration).
Rehabbing the 247cc single cylinder JLO motor, with its Tilitson HL carb, started with me spraying it with engine degreaser, letting it sit, and washing it down the next day. I took the carb apart and cleaned it before reinstalling it with a new spark plug. The motor was missing the exhaust pipe that went to the muffler too, so I used a ¼-inch piece of steel and made a flange and took the motor and the muffler to a place in town where they made me a custom pipe and welded everything together.
Making your own parts for these old sleds is pretty common because parts are so rare. I clamped the motor to the workbench, and with a little shot of gas down the carb, she fired up with one pull.
Next, I sandblasted the entire gas tank and installed a new shutoff valve before moving on to the machine's hood. I had to cut a new screen for the front grill, cut a ring for the headlight, weld everything together and then pound out some of the hood's dents.
Laying out all the pieces and getting them primed and painted prepared me for the big day.
The next day I assembled the machine before getting new decals made by a person here in Fergus. Next I installed a new gas line and filter, put a new choke cable in and installed a throttle cable.
The neighbors couldn't believe their eyes when I opened that garage door. Just to see the look on their faces was worth all the work.
Total cost was just less than $700 - without the labor. I got the machine ready just in time to take it to the 7th annual vintage snowmobile rally in Bellwood, Ont., near Fergus, and it was a real crowd pleaser.
I am looking forward to redoing another old sled. So come spring, I'm going to have to pay Bob a visit again. He sure has a lot of cool looking sleds ready for restoring.
Thanks also to my neighbors, Keith for the stainless steel, Wayne for the biscuit maker and Scott for help with the fine-tuning.
I also want to thank my wife Laurie for the assembly of the tracks and for her patience, my wonderful niece Sabrina, who could never stop smiling while running the compound miter and staining all the wooden pieces.
If anyone has any questions about the restoration feel free to email me at pianoman9@sympatico.ca.
Whad'ya have?Do you have a special project sled? If you've created the Ultimate Sledding Machine, or restored a cool vintage sled, or simply have an interesting tale to tell about improvements you've made to your snowmobile, drop us a line or an email. And remember we love your pictures (although we're picky enough to want them in 300 dpi)!
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