Pair of 79 Spitfires... what to do with them?

[Dieselfume1]

Hi all,

Let me start out by saying I'm a new member, and it looks like a great forum!

Secondly, I have been fairly agressively looking for a yamaha Phazer/Phazer2 to buy for a little while this fall. I hear they were the best/reliable sleds ever produced. I live on a ranch, and would be looking at a sled for as much a work/emergency use as for play.

After missing out on a sweet buy this morning, my attention turned to the old 79 spitfires my dad bought new long long ago. I got one of them running about 12 years ago for a little while, it had a bog when you gunned the throttle, but would get up to speed eventually. Also didn't start well. Granted all I did was flush the fuel tank, clean the carb quick and throw new plugs in it and got it going. It's a wonder it started at all after sitting for near 30 years.

I have not messed with it since then, it's been sitting outside which stinks, and the other one is still in the shed where it's been forever. The one in the shed my dad had taken the carburetor off of for some reason long ago, and it's also missing a ski. so I have not messed with it at all. One of them is missing the recoil starter.

One of the main reasons I have not looked into fixing them is because JD no longer made parts. After a quick parts search online today, I see that there are many parts out there for them!

I knew they were never speed beasts, but my dad had always bragged on how quick they were, and how they seldom got stuck because of how light the sleds were.

The one part I see being a problem to obtain is a track. Not that either of these tracks are broken, but I'd hate to put money into one or both of these sleds just to have the tracks bust out of the gate.

So I guess my question is, Are these sleds worth trying to get running again? What were the perks of them? Were they reliable? I don't think either of them would have more than a couple thousand miles on them, but it's impossible to know without a speedo.

Would appreciate any insight on what I should do with them!

[snowkat79]

The Spitfire 340 was my first snowmobile. Its what made me love snowmobiling. I say fix them. I just traded two project sleds for 2 project Spitfires. Turns out out both engines are low compression. My buddy who bought my sled off of another buddy I had sold the sled to when it shucked the track.....kept my very first sleds engine. He gave it back to me this summer. I checked compression, and it still carries 125psi in both cylinders! This engine will be going in the better of my two Spitfire projects.

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[Dieselfume1]

What I'm leaning toward at this point is maybe getting one of them running and using the other one for parts.... especially for a second track.

Would be cool to see one running again!

[snowkat79]

What I'm leaning toward at this point is maybe getting one of them running and using the other one for parts.... especially for a second track.

Would be cool to see one running again!

I think that may be what I do with my 2 '80 Spitfires. One for fun, and one for parts.

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