Polaris Mutt Mod

[skiroule]

My grandpa had a saying “he who cuts his own wood is twice warmed “

A wise man, your grandpa. I grew up with wood heat and my brother and I were given the wood splitting chores as soon as we could swing a double bit axe. I still think wood heat is hard to beat when you need to warm up. On many winter nights when I call it quits in the shop, I grab a chair and a cold one and just sit in front of the stove soaking up the warmth.

thats a great wood pile , i'm just getting back into my wood cuting , i was forced into 4 months with out cutting

That’s not like you. Injury? Surgery? Hopefully you’re OK now. Don’t think I would recognize you without a chainsaw in your hand.

Who says I’m obsessed with this project? Just because I’m using my fish cleaning station as a project workbench doesn’t mean a thing.
Started rough cutting new pieces for the doghouse at the back of the seat. Lots of belt sanding left to do before assembly and no doubt quite a bit of cheater filler after assembly. “House of Cards” is an old expression and that might be what I’m making here.

 

[mezz]

My grandpa had a saying “he who cuts his own wood is twice warmed “

I can assure you that he who cuts his own wood is more than twice warmed. At times, there is more heat in making wood than the actual heat from burning it. BTW Kelly, your neatness is all around you. I appreciate that there is a place for everything & everything is in its place philosophy & if there is a job worth doing, it's worth doing well. My wife says people like this have a type "A" personality. I say cool, at least I'm in first. LOL!

 

[skiroule]

I guess when it comes to the house and yard, I’ve always been kind of a neat freak. Shop/garage organization is a different matter. It took me a long time to realize that taking time to put tools away and clean up at the end of the day actually saves time in the long run.

These projects have also forced a whole new level of organization. As is obvious from the various build threads, these take me a long time to finish. It might be a year and a half between removing a part and re-installing it.

Also, since this project is using parts from different model years, I’ve had to pull out left-over parts from previous projects. It’s nice to just be able to go to a labeled bin and pull the part out, versus digging through a mountain of disorganized parts.

 

[garageguy]

You still filling da freezer with fish or what??

 

[skiroule]

You still filling da freezer with fish or what??

Your timing is uncanny. I was planning on adding an update tonight (honest). Fair warning though, I have a friend coming up next week to fish for a week. There’ll be a lot more reeling than wrenching.

Being the dog days of summer, it seemed like a good time for a little Mutt activity. Probably the first notable change is that I got the sled moved from the table to the sled lift, which will be better for the work that remains.

Finished up a few details on the motor – Replaced the crank seal on the PTO side, replaced the carb boots, installed the Y-pipe, and mounted the clutch I got from kirk600 (for free!). Next thing was to set the motor back in the chassis. Now I need to spend some time getting the clutches aligned and the spacing correct before the mounting bolts get snugged up.

Those of you with a good memory and a sharp eye for detail will notice that I went back to the fabricated motor plate. I was all excited to find a stock plate but it turns out that the stock plate moved the motor about an inch further forward and that caused clearance issues with the exhaust on this motor. So I’m going to run the fabricated plate and a 75 Colt belt to deal with the closer clutch spacing.

You may also notice that I trimmed the cylinder fins to eliminate the interference between the fins and the belt. Hopefully I've trimmed them enough.



Assembled the seat dog house and mounted it on the seat base. Using wood isn’t something I came up with. This is how it was done before the plastic storage compartment came along. I did modify it slightly by making It just a bit taller so I can use thicker foam for the seat and I eliminated the storage compartment, as was done on the racing sleds. Between eliminating the compartment door and using an LED tail light, the seat should have a much cleaner look. Still haven’t finalized the seat foam design but guess I’ll figure it out eventually.

 

[mezz]

Can you use an LED tail light without having all your lights being LED? I don't know diddly about the electrical system, but, when I converted all my exterior lighting on my old Camaro it involved all of them due to voltage issues. Just curious.... Looking real good though.

 

[pclark]

Your timing is uncanny. I was planning on adding an update tonight (honest). Fair warning though, I have a friend coming up next week to fish for a week. There’ll be a lot more reeling than wrenching.

Being the dog days of summer, it seemed like a good time for a little Mutt activity. Probably the first notable change is that I got the sled moved from the table to the sled lift, which will be better for the work that remains.

Finished up a few details on the motor – Replaced the crank seal on the PTO side, replaced the carb boots, installed the Y-pipe, and mounted the clutch I got from kirk600 (for free!). Next thing was to set the motor back in the chassis. Now I need to spend some time getting the clutches aligned and the spacing correct before the mounting bolts get snugged up.

Those of you with a good memory and a sharp eye for detail will notice that I went back to the fabricated motor plate. I was all excited to find a stock plate but it turns out that the stock plate moved the motor about an inch further forward and that caused clearance issues with the exhaust on this motor. So I’m going to run the fabricated plate and a 75 Colt belt to deal with the closer clutch spacing.

You may also notice that I trimmed the cylinder fins to eliminate the interference between the fins and the belt. Hopefully I've trimmed them enough.

View attachment 68869

Assembled the seat dog house and mounted it on the seat base. Using wood isn’t something I came up with. This is how it was done before the plastic storage compartment came along. I did modify it slightly by making It just a bit taller so I can use thicker foam for the seat and I eliminated the storage compartment, as was done on the racing sleds. Between eliminating the compartment door and using an LED tail light, the seat should have a much cleaner look. Still haven’t finalized the seat foam design but guess I’ll figure it out eventually.

View attachment 68870

You do fine work Skiroule! Enjoy your fishing next week.

 

[garageguy]

Hmmm. No room for trail beer

 

[skiroule]

Can you use an LED tail light without having all your lights being LED? I don't know diddly about the electrical system, but, when I converted all my exterior lighting on my old Camaro it involved all of them due to voltage issues. Just curious.... Looking real good though.

The only experience I’ve had was converting my Summit tail light a few years ago and that was pretty straightforward. I’m planning on just using a standard 12V DC LED light, which is basically a slimline trailer tail light. If it doesn’t work out, I’m sure I can always go back to some type of non-LED light.

The headlight halo kits seem to need some kind of controller but that’s a whole different ball game.

You do fine work Skiroule! Enjoy your fishing next week.

Thanks Mr. Clark. 9 times out of 10 my friend will out-fish me but then, he just has an amazing knack for catching Walleyes. Regardless of how it happens, it’s fun to see fish coming in the boat.

Hmmm. No room for trail beer

True, but think how much faster it will be without the weight of a 12-pack jammed in there.

 

[skiroule]

Just throwing out a quick update here, as I’m starting a big project at the cabin in about a week and I think it will take most, if not all of my free time in September. I hate having to put off sled work but the lake level is low enough to do some things on the foundation that I can't do if the level is higher.

The engine is now bolted down. I aligned the clutches as best I could with my homemade clutch alignment tool. I stuck an old belt on and it seems like it fits like it should. Guess the proof will be when I wind it up a little. I have a new belt on order that should arrive in a couple of weeks.

I also installed the pipe and it fits the motor and chassis surprisingly well. Even my low-tech muffler clamp works as planned. I do need to pick up another spring because one of the two sizes I ordered is too short.

Once the wiring connections are done, I can check spark and if it has some in both cylinders, it will be just a matter of getting the carbs jetted and installed before trying a test fire.

 

[garageguy]

What make of pipe is that??

 

[skiroule]

What make of pipe is that??

It’s actually a stock Polaris pipe for a 74 440 TX. They’re a little hard to find because it was a one-year deal and only on the 440’s. In 75 Polaris used a similar pipe design on the 440’s but went to twin pipes, which was also a one-year deal.

The inlet flange is the same size as the 340 Y-pipe but I had to modify the Y-pipe to create a sharper downward angle to clear the hood and match up with the 74 pipe. Once I cut the Y-pipe and made a wedge section from a piece of automotive pipe to get the angle right, I had the local body shop guy weld it up for me. He did a really nice job.

I’m told that the 78/79 motor is probably capable of revving past the power peak of the pipe but since it won’t be raced, that’s not really a concern for me. As long as it runs good for normal riding conditions, I'll be happy.

 

[garageguy]

Looks awesome

 

[skiroule]

Yeah, I think it looks a lot better than the kinda wimpy stock 73 exhaust and really didn't require any more modifications to the engine exhaust than the stock pipe. I spotted the pipe when I was buying some other parts from a guy in Duluth. He didn't really want to sell it and shot me a price he didn't think I'd meet. When I did, he was stuck, he had to let me have it.

 

[euphoric1]

Unbelievable!! I've said it before, but you are truly a master at your craft and how fun it must be, and im sure its not always easy peasy but your finished products must make it well worth the effort! and I do have to agree, when I looked at latest pic it certainly does look like a performance pipe lol. Looking REALLY GOOD!!! BTW the lunar/solar tables for fishing....must be like the almanac... entertainment purposes only LOL. Wife and I went back out on lake we killed the gills on 2 weeks ago and..... was slower than molasses on a 20 below day, even during "peak fishing time' when was supposed to be 'exceptionally active fishing' but im sure the strong cold front that whipped through friday night and the moon that looked like a 400 watt bulb in the sky didnt help either. But.... we had the canoe again this time and was a nice quiet morning on the water, was still worth it!

 

[pclark]

Unbelievable!! I've said it before, but you are truly a master at your craft and how fun it must be, and im sure its not always easy peasy but your finished products must make it well worth the effort! and I do have to agree, when I looked at latest pic it certainly does look like a performance pipe lol. Looking REALLY GOOD!!! BTW the lunar/solar tables for fishing....must be like the almanac... entertainment purposes only LOL. Wife and I went back out on lake we killed the gills on 2 weeks ago and..... was slower than molasses on a 20 below day, even during "peak fishing time' when was supposed to be 'exceptionally active fishing' but im sure the strong cold front that whipped through friday night and the moon that looked like a 400 watt bulb in the sky didnt help either. But.... we had the canoe again this time and was a nice quiet morning on the water, was still worth it!

After the front comes through we usually get a East/NE wind which results in no fish or very little action.

 

[skiroule]

Unbelievable!! I've said it before, but you are truly a master at your craft and how fun it must be, and im sure its not always easy peasy but your finished products must make it well worth the effort! and I do have to agree, when I looked at latest pic it certainly does look like a performance pipe lol. Looking REALLY GOOD!!! BTW the lunar/solar tables for fishing....must be like the almanac... entertainment purposes only LOL. Wife and I went back out on lake we killed the gills on 2 weeks ago and..... was slower than molasses on a 20 below day, even during "peak fishing time' when was supposed to be 'exceptionally active fishing' but im sure the strong cold front that whipped through friday night and the moon that looked like a 400 watt bulb in the sky didnt help either. But.... we had the canoe again this time and was a nice quiet morning on the water, was still worth it!

Thanks Mr. E! Had to laugh at your new take on the lunar/solar tables. Have a friend up fishing now and the first afternoon was pretty good but I have to admit, for the most part, yesterday was tough. Made a lot of stops and burned a lot of gas but just a fish here and there. Then on the last stop I picked up a 22, 24, and 26 within about 20 min. Beautiful fish, all were released to produce more little Walleyes. Fish or no fish, it was a great day to be on the water. We'll hit it hard again today and tomorrow.

 

[mspease]

Man, I love the look of those engines. My favorite by far. Had a 1976 TX 250 and it was a blast!!

 

[skiroule]

Man, I love the look of those engines. My favorite by far. Had a 1976 TX 250 and it was a blast!!

Those 250’s are a sweet machine and in high demand in the vintage world. A few years back I was lucky enough to run across a pretty nice 79 at a very reasonable price ($600). It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had it out but I need to go through the carbs and get it back on the snow this winter.

In some years (at least 76 through 79), the 250’s had a completely different exhaust system than the 340’s and 440’s. They ran a tuned pipe with a separate muffler, which gave them a unique sound. This is what it looks like on my 79. Think this became the basic Polaris -pipe design when the Indys came along.

 

[skiroule]

Hooked up some of the electrical connections tonight.

There is still some work to do on the lighting circuits and I need to clean up this rat’s nest with some zip ties and wire tubing but the important thing is that I’m now getting bright, blue spark on both cylinders. With carbs and fuel, she will fire.