1980 Spitfire (Pics Added)

[scorp11]

Hello all,

I just purchased a 1980 Spitfire from the original owner. He said it has been sitting since 1995. I will post some pics after this weekend, but figured I better start some information gathering.

It is not in perfect shape, but overall not too bad. Some belly pan and bumper straightening to do. Track and drivers look ok, some of the outside "lugs" have cuts on them, but it looks like it should run for a while. The drivers look great. What tends to fail on these tracks ?

Suspension moves, but seems a bit soft. Needs a recoil handle, the gas tank cleaned out, a new gas gauge, and new fuel lines. Could use a windshield, but the one that is on it has been "patched" together and should hold up for this year.

I don't know a lot about these other than tracks are hard to come by. What else do I need to do before it gets ridden by the nieces and nephews this winter ? What parts should I be specifically worried about and what is hard to find ?

Note, I have also posted these questions over at the Vintage Sleds site, but since this is "THE" John Deere site I decided to post here as well. Especially now that I am a new John Deere owner . . .

One last thing, the seat on this is not ripped at all. It is the original seat. If this were one of my 79 stings and the seat was this good, no way I would leave it on for a rider. Are these seats in good original condition valueable enough I should find something else for a rider ?

I am sure I will have a host of other questions, but we will start there.

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

[ICCSF 108]

Kevin, First off I would recommend purchasing a JD Service Manual or Technical Manual ( whichever is available ) for your model year Spitfire, they are on Ebay from time to time OR you still might be able to order one direct from Deere.. It will help you a lot during repairs of any kind to it.
What I know about on the Spits is as you say the tracks are non-existent, BUT with that being said there have been some used trailfire tracks showing up on ebay from time to time & the 79 Traifire uses the same AM54331 track as the Spitfires, I'm not sure how New of Trailfires you can go to use the same track??
The thing I do know about the Spits is they are hard on front drive bearings & shafts, It would be a very good Idea to pull the front shaft & install NEW bearings & ck the OD of the front shaft where the bearing rides to make sure it's not wore.. The good news is that Bob @ Image has replacement shafts.. FYI: there are 2 different drive sprockets available for the Spits a 7 tooth & a optional 8 tooth, they seem to have plenty of power so most owners have added the optional 8 tooth sprockets for more speed.
I would also disassemble the suspension to make sure you don't have any stuck shafts as this seems to be a big problem with all used sleds. & this could possibly be you suspension problem you mentioned. or it might be that the rear springs are in the soft position. also the front of the suspension should have a limiter strap on it & a lot of times this strap is missing, Bob @ Image might have also made replacements of these Also??
Being it has been sitting since "95" it might also be a good idea to go through the carb & give it a good cleaning, Hopefully the crank seals aren't bad so you don't have to mess with that??? You can purchase the recoil handles aftermarket.
The Spitfire is a blast to drive especially in deep snow as you can manhandle it around to do what you want while riding..
Good luck & welcome aboard jdsleds.com

Kenny

[JoeRainville]

Hi Kevin, and welcome to jdsleds!

I second most everything Kenny posted. But, I suggest doing the crank seals even if they seem good today. I just don't trust 30 year old seals at all. They are kind of pain on a Kawi, you need to split the case to do it correctly as the seal has a raised retainer lip that makes them hard to dig out.

Changing the drive axle bearing and going through the suspension is also a very good idea. Parts for them aren't too hard to come by, as Deere built a lot of Spits. The tracks are the hardest to find, but the 79-80 Trailfire and 80 Sportfire tracks fit. The 82 Sport and 82-84 Trailfire track do not cross over, as they are 1/2" wider and rub the tunnel.

Please feel free to use our classified section if you need any parts. For example, I have those front limiter straps Kenny talked about.

Good luck with your sled,
-Joe Rainville

[78440liquid]

I need to replace the limiter strap on my Spit but it's too much fun pulling the skis. If I had any bush riding to do I would replace it but all I have around me is wide open fields.

[scorp11]

Thanks all,

Sounds like I will need to do a bit of disassembly. Once I actually get the sled home, I will post some pics of what I have and if anyone sees anything else of note, I appreciate any and all help.

once we get it, I will likely drop the suspension out and go through it as well as pull the motor. I might as well put seals (maybe even gaskets) in it. Is any brand of seals / gaskets any better than the others for these ? Winderosa seems to make a set for it, if they work decent. What case sealer is best used on these motors ?

I want to go through this thing before winter as it is going to be a rider for my niece who is just going to be getting her snowmobile permit. Don't want any issues during the year on it.

Is the seat something I should take off and replace, so as not to tear it ? It is the original seat and is in very good condition. Not ripped or torn at all. I see covers for sale on Ebay, are they worth it ? I would need to find a seat that needed a cover to take that route.

Thanks again,
Kevin

[scorp11]

One other thing, I understand this is a Mikuni butterfly carb. Does anyone know what carb kit I need for it ?

[400brian]

The deal with the seat is pretty much up to you. The Spitfire was built in the largest numbers of any of the Deere sleds, and they were the cheapest model.
The only ones I have noted bringing big money are the really low mileage examples. Will your sled be worth more down the road with an original seat?...perhaps. Will it make it worth a lot more?...probably not.

My guess is that all the carb needs is cleaning. Carefully disassemble it, keep the gaskets intact, or make new ones. Clean out the tank, check the fuel pickup inside the tank, new fuel lines, and rebuild pump. Replace seals on ends of crank for peace of mind, same with drive line bearings.

Have fun!

[scorp11]

ok, got the sled home and took a few pictures. overall it is in pretty good shape. A few things to fix up, but it definitely hasn't been ridden hard. Just some normal bumps and bruises to fix up. The previous owner was a farmer, in case the homemade ski wideners didn't give that away.

Took the carb apart and cleaned it up. Kind of a weird little carb, but then again, I am used to the VM Mikuni's. Lots of little ports, orifices and small places to clean out on this. And it was dirty. Once I got that all cleaned out, I ran some fuel directly to the carb and voila, it started up and seems to run good. Has a ton of compression for such a little motor.

I will be pulling the motor to put seals in the bottom end. Looking at the engine diagrams in the service manual, it looks like I can pull just the case half and put the seals in and reseal the case. Am I correct on that ?

Next I have to get the seat off so I can get the tank off and clean the old gas out of that. Of course, both bolts that hold the seat on spun in the seat from being rusted. I also plan to pull the skid, lube everything and put new bearings on the drivers.

Finally, the track looked ok, but on closer inspection, it has done something I haven't seen a track do before. I am not sure why it did it, but I suspect it has to do with what they guy who owned it did. The way he mounted the ski wideners, lifted the front of the track off the ground some. Then, he made matters worse by moving the rear mount of the skid down, but not the front. The front of the skid sits like 2 inches off the ground.

Anyway, you Deere experts. . can you tell me how long this track might last like this ? I was really close to not buying it when I saw that, but I figured with just kids ridding it, the thing might last a few years. Like I said, I have never seen a track do that. Every other set of drive lugs did it. The ones that did it are the ones with no lug behind them. They are also the ones right in front of the cleats. The drivers look really good.

Also, I think every cleat is broke in the center, but from what others have said, that is what they should do ??

Thanks again for all the help,
Kevin

Here are the pics.

[JoeRainville]

Hi Kevin,

Other than those super custom spreaders, she doesn't look too bad. All the cleats in that track came with a factor relief to crack in the center, so that is normal. The belts cracking around the drive lugs is also typical of a high milage track of that type. It may last a few years if ridden gently.

-Rainville

[scorp11]

Yeah, those wideners will be coming off and the suspension will be going back to where it belongs as well. The sled is actually in pretty good shape. Not beat up at all. Just one spot in the front bumper to straighten and a few dents in the bottom of the belly pan to push back out.

I saw some posts from a few years back where your were looking into some different drivers to retrofit a 3.29 pitch track into these things. Have you done any more with that ? That would be a good way to be able to get tracks as not only did the later John Deeres have a track that would work, The Scorpion Stings should work as well. The Liquifire and one other Deere sled have tracks that are supposed to fit the scorpions, so the reverse should be true.

Thanks,
Kevin

[JDT]

Kevin, Deere used a rather unique sliderail spacing on the tracks that does not interchange with anyone else. If you wanted to go with a Sting track you would need to refab the entire rail system to widen it out. A major project.

Best bet is to keep your eye out for another track from a Spit. There is a very good write-up in the FAQ section about this.

[scorp11]

JDT

Yep, the FAQ is where I got the info from. In one of Joe's posts on this, he talked about getting drivers made so the later John Deere tracks. Link I got it from is located here for those who are curious http://www.jdsleds.com/community/viewto ... hange#p432

What Joe had posted was as follows

The only other alternative I explored a few years back was to make a new drive sprocket with a 3.29" drive lug pitch so the rubber 80-84 Liquifire and 82-84 Sportfire track could fit, as all other measurements were about the same. However, there was no demand at the time to cover the cost of a new hex drive axle and 3 custom sprockets.

Those are the sleds that I believe interchange with the 79 - 81 Scorpion Sting sleds. They had a "Poly" track from the factory that is 15 inches wide. I don't think Kimpex ever made a track for these, but the did for the later Liquifire and and Sportfire tracks. I "think" the number was 04-545. I have a rubber kimpex track off a sting at home and I was assuming that is what it was off. Maybe I am mistaken. I had been told that the 80-84 Liquifire and 82-84 Sportfire tracks fit the stings by some of the Scorpion guys.

Does someone know the slide rail spacing on the 80-84 Liquifire and 82-84 Sportfire tracks ? I can easily measure one of my Stings with the Paraslide II and III rear skids and then we would know for sure. The Scorpions used a 3.29 drive pitch as well, so that is a non-issue.

Thanks much for any and all help,
Kevin

[JDT]

I was incorrect. The later Stings did use a 12" spacing as did the L-fires.