A sled to go with the engine

[jeffreyrempel]

That is cool. starter kit.WOW. Looking so nice. I am going to be the first to say it Brian; that will be the best restored 72 400.

[HoosierDeereMan]

Brian,

This sled is looking pretty sweet! Very nice job! They take a lot time and even more money as you are finding out. It's worth it in the end especially if they have sentimental ties like yours.

Keep up the great work. Can't wait to se it in person in St. Germain.

Troy

[400brian]

I think I am finally ready to assemble the chain case.

Had a set back; on pulling out my NOS secondary shaft, I discovered that it was an inch or so shorter than the original. Had the correct PN on the bag, but it had been opened. Anybody need a short shaft? I've got a joke for Rainville here, but I digress...

Cleaned up the secondary sheaves, the fixed side is NOS. If it'll slide onto the shaft, I should be good to go.

[HoosierDeereMan]

Are you really gonna let the wife ride this on the women's ride in St. Germain?

Troy

[400brian]

Are you really gonna let the wife ride this on the women's ride in St. Germain?

Troy

Well...that has been the plan.

Installing the secondary into the chaincase was more of an adventure than I had anticipated.
First, despite my best efforts, I installed the brake band in backwards. Once the shaft was in, I couldn't turn it. While removing the band, I realized the lining was coming off the steel band anyway. This was one of three NOS bands bought some years ago. I grabbed another out of the bin, installed it correctly, and all was well.

I then decided to install the chain and sprockets. The lower sprocket was already in. I worked the chain around it, but try as I might, I could not get the upper onto the shaft. I then removed the lower, put the upper on the shaft, and tried to install the lower, no go! Frustrated, i pulled everything out, and compared these NOS parts to the ones I had removed. Everything was an exact match...I didn't understand, I've done this several times before, never with any problems that I can remember. It was late...so I had to quit for the night.

The next afternoon, I tried again, and on the first try it all went together, but it was snug! That evening I finished it up, put oil in the case, popped the covers on.

Before we went up to the HOF the first year, I had gotten the X8 running for the first time. I cleaned a couple of gas tanks before I got one I could live with, and I did the 400 tank at the same time. After I got the sludge out, I ran acid through it to clean the rust up. When I was satisfied, I dumped some oil in the tank and put it on the shelf. I figured it was good to go...wrong, it was rusted up good. After a couple of acid soaks, I realized there were pinholes in the fuel gauge neck. So now I'm working on the tank that originally came out of the X8.

[400brian]

Test fit of the gas tank. Looks like I better install the steering components before I bolt the tank in.
Time to install the wiring as well. The clutches are aligned and the engine is bolted down. Exhaust is in with NOS band holding it onto the bracket. NOS dash is slightly different...note the tab on the right hand side, never noticed that before.

I figure the sled is about 90% done, only 50% to go!

[JDT]

Brian as you know I have never worked on a 72 before but I have two observations.

Is the routing of the choke cable under the engine correct for a 72?

I though the dash on a 72 was different that 73 and up.

Actually three observations.....

This thing is drop dead gorgeious!

[400brian]

The correct choke cable was a bare steel, and judging by the worn spot on the engine mounting plate, it had always been under there. I thought I had an NOS cable, but I guess not. The one shown is an NOS, covered cable that would be correct for 73 up I believe. This would be a functional upgrade, as I remember the original uncovered cable freezing up once in a while.

It is starting to look like a sled...I installed the wiring harness tonight, bolted the center tie rod ends on ( waiting on NOS rods ), and bolted the tank in. I found my NOS kill switch and installed it, and installed my NOS speedo and tach.

I sent the WI registration in last night, so I guess I intend to fire it.

[400brian]

Here's a couple more pics. The carb pictured in the banner at the top of the page is back on a sled!

I've tried to keep the sled as OEM as I can make it. The covered choke cable is a functional upgrade, and I am planning to route the fuel lines differently as well. The original route is straight back from the tank outlet to a clamp on the top of a bracket right behind the tank, then on down the power module rail, with two clamps on top of the battery box. This puts the lines very close to the exhaust. In the photo you can see I have a line ran around outside the battery box, this keeps everything far away from the heat of the exhaust pipe. It's a bit busy there at the rear of the box, with all the wires and cables and such, but I think it will be OK. Without the battery box, the lines could have been routed farther away from the heat, and still been close to the original set up.

[JD600]

Absolutely beautiful Brain.

DE

[400brian]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. I'm a little too close to the project to be objective. When I look at it, I tend to see the things that didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped. I don't think I'll have to be ashamed of it by any means, but there are always things.

Has anyone on this list ever done a serious restoration of a 72 400 ? Jeff's sled is absolutely gorgeous, and I don't mean to take anything away from his efforts, but he did take a bit more of a custom approach, rather than strictly original. I'm trying for the way it was in Dec of '71.

I'd love to be able to replicate the new sled smell, the new plastic, the hot engine, the paint cooking on the new exhaust, and the 2 stroke oil... I can't really describe it, I can't 100% remember it, but I bet I'd recognize it in an instant if I caught a whiff of it.

[WinnipegStPaul9]

Brian, you've done a terrific job!! Can't wait to see it in person.

DA

[mike817o]

WOW JUST WOW are you doing a great job.

[400brian]

All of the plastic has been freshened up with a coat of Krylon Fusion.

The NOS hood is getting there. This was a later hood, so it had the egg crate foam inside. Of coarse the foam was mostly dust in the bottom of the box, but some remnants and most of the adhesive was still stuck inside the hood.
Like the adhesive that holds the foot treads, this stuff is tenacious! The only thing I found that would take off the foot tread goo was the paint stripper, and it was slow going. On the hood the paint stripper wasn't an option, so it was WD-40, a scraper, a scrubber, and too much time. I think it is about ready to go.

The summer after our first trip to the HOF, I had bought a JDX hood from DK. I had contracted Rainville to pick it up and deliver it, and I had instructed him to pick up a green hood and Gates Poly track if they still had any. When he arrived ( after taking a tour of Columbia County ) he had all those things, but only the JDX hood had come from DK. When I asked him where he had gotten those two items, he replied: " don't ask me no questions, and I won't tell you no lies!"

On the engine cover; note the holes drilled in the decal. I drilled these better than 35 years ago, in an attempt to get more air to the carb, and thus more SPEED. Didn't noticeably improve anything, but it was a thought. I had another cover, but it turned out to be cracked. This one had always been inside, so it wasn't all that bad of condition. A replacement decal came with the set from AFE Graphics, but it is correct for 74-75, not '72.

[400brian]

I think the hood is finally ready. The goo is gone inside and out, the headlight is installed, the grill is installed, and the decals are on. Nothing seems to come easy, the grill hinges were hanging up on the edge of the opening. I had to file a couple of notches into the top of the opening to make everything clear. There is a bit of play to be had in the hinge attachment, but not enough to make this work.

The decals went on easy enough. When measuring up the original hood for decal placement, I found that the original decals were not located extremely precisely. The stripe on the NOS hood was not applied all that perfectly either.

The paint is far from perfect, but after clean up, and a little wax, I think it looks pretty good.