73 650 Thunder Jet found

[liquidatorkid]

I recently found a 73 650 thunderjet that was drug outta the head drow, i couldn't believe it when i first seen it in person, a thunderjet with in a 50 miles of my home in the southerntier, from what i was told it was raced on loon lake and honeye lake back in the day, and i am sure that it was prolly grass dragged as well @ one time or another in its life, @ one point the 650 and pipes where pulled outta the t jet and put into a 245RV chassis run on a lake a couple times, then put back into the t jet then it was parked in the ding weeds. seems all to often that's where many end up unfortunately


long story short i found out about the sleds a couple weeks ago and contacted the owner and he said he would put me down on the list of people that contaced him about the sled, a couple days went by and i touched bases with him and asked him if he didn't mind if i could atleast come take a look at it and find out some more details about it. i was really interested in buying it just didn't have the $ at the time, a couple weeks went by and i figured that it prolly had been sold, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if he still had it by any chance and surprisingly he did, i was able to gather the $ around and headed up with the truck and trailer to get it.

i guess it goes to prove they are still out there waiting to be found. My father recently retired after 35 years, and we have been talking about wanting to do a father son project for the last couple years, just couldn't decided what we wanted to restore we had talked about re doing an old truck or old sled. i am looking forward to the restoration as we get spare time on weekends and evenings after work.




it is missing the seat, gas tank, and the master cylinder but everything else seems to be there and correct as far as i know besides the gpx track, and the rear suspension has been widened to accommodate the gpx track

here are some more detailed photo's




















here are a couple neat photo's of when it was pulled outta the ding weeds




so far in the restoration i have disassembled the skis and spent a couple hrs yesterday and today cleaning up and polishing the skis, my plans are to glass bead the leaf springs, saddles, and spindles this week and paint them, ill keep an update on the progress of it every couple of days or try to update the post weekly

[friendlyfarmeria]

That is a sharp looking 8n Ford.

Enjoy the story, and pics !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[S_Kyle]

Some people should not be allowed to have power tools. I guess the holes drop weight but that is a little excessive. Nice find.

[jd_decalguy]

if my memory serves me right I believe that all those holes were Stock Thunder Chicken Factory holes!! Nice find

Grumpy on Chris's computer

[JDT]

I concur with the Old Man.

The chassis came riddled with holes.

[S_Kyle]

even the skies. I haven't got the chance to do much with the thunder jets, I assumed that some of them had to have been added later. Well at least I learnt something today.

[liquidatorkid]

I've looked at quite a few other 73 photo's and from what i have found the only holes that came factory on the chassis where the 9 holes approx 1" in dia. on the front of the front crossmember. whoever drilled the holes in the chassis also decided they wanted to lighten up the the skid, and engine plate. I'm not sure how much of a noticeable difference there was after drilling all of the whole in the chassis and parts but it seems like it wouldn't be anything that would save a huge ammount of weigh, and being that the chassis was already light. i am plannin on n leaning all of the holes in the chassis and parts because i think with all of the holes it gives it some history behind the sled, being that it was was done back in the day and seems to be a common thing back then was to drill holes. picked up a 73 t jet gas tank and a re pop chain case cover @ boonville yesterday the pipes had melted a hole in the original chain case.

Here is a great site that has alot of action photo's of the t jets
http://www.snojet.com/pictures.html

[liquidatorkid]

still have a little bit more polishing on the skis i wanna do, i ended up picking up a tank at boonville that needs a little work but at least its something to work with, as well as i found a chain case cover so i can mark a couple parts off from the list, i have located a KH master cylinder, it may need to be rebuilt the guy said, are there rebuild kits available for the kh master cylinders? and i spent the day cleaning the chassis up and started wet sanding the tunnel with 320 grit, i am planning on using a self etching primer and taking the chassis up to the local auto paint supply and have them zap it and see what they can come up for a color, I'm leaning more towards the single stage acrylic enamel side oppose to base coat clear coat. so hopefully this coming week ill get the springs and spindles disassembled blasted and painted then re assembled

[liquidatorkid]

i talked with the gentleman that i bought the thunderjet off from and learned a little bit of history behind the sled and some details about it, from what i was told the sled originally came from a distributorship in Malone NY, i believe they dealt in moto ski, sno jet and ski doo. a fello by the name of Tim layhee (feel free to correct me if my spelling is off) i be live he was the owner of of a sno jet dealership in Malone? from what i gathered on the phone, Tim had a son that raced a 292 t jet that was in the showroom of the dealership, then the sled was sold to another fellow named Danny Hurley, at some one point between the 2 owners the thunderjet was flipped over backwards, smashing the handle bars, hood, not sure if it was durring a race or not. then it was parked for a little while, in Danny's garage. bill is the guys name that i got the thunderjet from after talking on the phone for a little while he told me when he was younger that he use to go to some races up to boonville with his uncle that raced the 650 thunderjet. some other places that it was raced where Holcomb NY, Honeoye lake and farmington and farmington NY.

i did find out something interesting at one point or another the hood and belly pan where painted a gold metal flake by a fellow that painted cars, not sure if it may have been Tim layhee or Danny Hurley, but in the last couple decades the thunderjet had been trail rode and raced around on the lake near Canandaigua NY, until the crank got bent then it was parked

taking the anodize off the chassis seems never ending, but a couple hrs and the top will be done as well as i wanted to try out the Brillo pad in an electric drill to see how well it worked, and it works pretty good

[liquidatorkid]

been working away on the chassis and other parts, i picked up the paint and supplies Friday, and finished glass beading the spots i couldn't reach with the dremel tool, i got it primmed and painted today, for the first chassis I've ever sprayed I'm happy with the way that it came out, its tricky spraying a metallic thats for sure, i am looking forward to start putting it together in the next couple of weeks.

[JDT]

WOW!! That looks fantastic?

Excellent work!!

[liquidatorkid]

thanks, it is coming along little bit at a time, i am going to shoot for mounting the belly pan this weekend and getting some more of the suspension pieces painted

[The S Man]

I love those things!!!!!! One of my all time favorites! It looks great so far, take your time it is a legend!

[Viktory2k1]

any new updates?

[liquidatorkid]

i actually painted quite a few of the rear suspension parts, as well as the leaf springs, saddles, spindles etc... with single stage gloss black, they came out good, i will prolly assemble the skis this weekend, and start putting the steering assembly together as well as the rear suspension.