The last update

[Cabindweller]

Looking Good!

[400brian]

Been a while.

Clutch has new spring, and new cam arms. a Comet secondary has been purchased, cleaned up, and a new spring installed.

With the correct length clutch bolt, and a new belt, I have essentially re-created the '73 Comet update kit.

I had found an NOS one, but at $600...well, it wasn't worth that to me. The 100C is in my opinion is at best a 1500 mi clutch, so the newer open 102C clutch is a better choice for a rider. Ironically, shortly after I got the clutch rebuilt, an NOS clutch kit showed up on evilbay! First one I had ever seen. I let Rainville bid on that, and I think he got that for around $200.

[400brian]

Some of you may recall this showing up on e-bay briefly last fall. I hit the buy it now like a fat kid hitting a Twinky!

This is the '73 muffler update kit. I wasn't aware there was a problem with the muffler used on the '73 X8, but here it is. This is the same exhaust system used on the '74 X8, and NOS '74 X8 mufflers are VERY hard to find.

So, it looks like the wife's X8 will be getting an exhaust system update as well.

[JDT]

Brian what changes were made with this mod kit??

[400brian]

You get the extended motor mount plate that the muffler bracket bolts to. That is the big difference, the original '73 exhaust clamped to the chassis I believe. The '74 muffler is a different design than the '73 as well.

[400brian]

Can't let Rainville have all the fun!

15 bogies just waiting to be bashed! Bought these off DK years ago, with the idea of using them on the '73 X8.
I feel these are superior to the original steel wheels, but they have the wrong look. I'm planning on giving them a shot of blitz black to give a more model correct appearance. They have been trapped in those plastic bags for 40 years! The Bogies must be set free!

[400brian]

So over the weekend I had gotten a text from Kevin Campbell, wondering if I was going to be around on Monday, as he would be passing through. Sounded great to me!

Kevin was delivering a tractor/trailer from Eaton in Kalamazoo, MI, to La Crosse, WI, and would stop on his way back east. So Kevin arrived at the house around 3:45 Monday afternoon. We sat around the kitchen table and visited a bit, and at one point Kevin asked what I was up to? I replied that I had been waiting for him to show up and help me wrench on a sled! He indicated that he was up for that, so we headed over to the shed to see what kind of damage we could do.

The '73 X8 has had the engine removed, but is otherwise intact. We drug it out into the open, and proceeded to dive in. The hood, and gas tank were quickly removed. The seat was popped off the tunnel with a screwdriver, and the sprockets, tensioners, and chain were removed from the chaincase. This was done without personal injury, or excessive whining and moaning like JDJR.

We flipped the sled over and had it on its back on the horses in no time flat! FYI- even with everything mentioned removed, the thing still weighs a TON!

[400brian]

This was the first time I had ever seen the underside of the sled, and I was pleasantly surprised! The pan is reasonably straight, at first glance the skis look usable, and the Gates track is decent looking as well.

We removed the rear idler from the tunnel, and the clamps that hold the bogie shafts to the boards. It was going really well until Kevin made the observation that everything was coming apart really good...yeah, he jinxed it, the very next bolt turned in the hole. OK, the angle grinder took care of that! The drive shaft bearings were unbolted, and Kevin slid it out.

The track was pulled out, and there you go; we had accomplished what I had said I was hoping to do, with about an hours work!

This was absolutely awesome! I rarely get to wrench with a buddy, and this saved me a lot of time. And, I got the sled on the horses with out straining my milk!

[kwc]

The last time I stopped by to see Brian was back in 2012 and I was driving my Pontiac Fiero, on this trip I did have something with a little more leg room. I had a great time working with Brian on the old X8, can't wait to see it on the snow!

[400brian]

Some progress is being made. The plastic engine shroud has been painted, The bogie shafts/tubes have been disassembled and checked for straightness, and the rear idler and swing arms are apart. The idler wheels look serviceable, so new bearings will be pressed on the axle, and it should be good to go. The bearing cups and swing arms are freshly painted silver, and the suspension springs are freshly black.

The drive axle looked good as it it was pulled from the machine. Closer inspection showed that there seems to be no twisted off speedo drive key stuck in the drive bushing, so that is good. This sled is above the serial number break for the updated axle, and indeed it does have the 1 1/8th inch shaft. The shaft seems straight, and as usual, the white drive sprockets looked super...until you hold them up to the light!

I've said this before, I'll say it again; if you are running a bogie sled that still has the white drivers on the drive shaft, you are on borrowed time! One sprocket was cracked all the way across, the other almost. The first one took one whack with a chisel to split it in half and have it on the floor, the other one took half a dozen whacks, but the result was the same. I put a groove in the aluminum inserts with the same chisel, which expanded it enough to slide them off the shaft. Shaft is now ready for some black sprockets.

Here is a pic of one of the bogie tubes with the aluminum bogies painted black installed.

[JoeRainville]

Lindork make a valid point about white Gates drive sprockets, don't waist your time with them. I am switching my JDX-8 over the 1 1/8" round shaft with black PPD track drive sprockets, as mine has the earlier 1" round drive shaft with white Gates sprockets.

Brian, the painted aluminum bogies look pretty good on freshly painted cross tubes. Nice work.

-Joe

[jep_800]

JDJR, Brian,

What is the part number for the black drive sprockets that will fit? I have the white gates on mine. Replaced one that was missing, and the other looked OK, but understand that it isn't what you want in the long run. You can see the drive shaft against the wall under the tunnel when I was going through the re-assembly.

jep_800

[400brian]

What is the part number for the black drive sprockets that will fit?

The only real choice you have are the black drive sprockets that were used on the slide rail suspension sleds. '74 JDXs, Cyclones and first series Liquifires. PN: AM52913

Pictured below is an example of the white drivers that you want to replace. Whether they are used or NOS, they all seem to be cracked. Doesn't matter which sled they came on, it seems the material has shrunk over the years and set up stresses that tear them apart. If you choose to ride on these, you are riding on a grenade with the pin pulled.

[400brian]

Rear axle refurbished a bit. New bearings mounted in NOS rubber, NOS swing arms, very quick clean up and a bit of paint. This is a rider not a restoration, so I chose to save my last NOS idlers and axle. These idler wheels are a little beat up, but in my opinion it is just cosmetic, so I did not risk pressing them off the shaft. I smoothed the rash a bit with a file and pronounced them good.

[sledhead16]

It's looking wonderful Brian