My 1976 340 Cyclone

[DougD]

Welcome everyone to my $150 Kijiji special



I'm really pleased with the overall condition of the sled - its been garaged for the last two years so everything is dry and relatively rust free.



The seat, rear light and flap are all long gone so I will be on the lookout for them...especially the seat!



A little bonus - the previous owners installed the motor from a 440 ... Unfortunately it isnt running. Everything turns smoothly but there is no spark (and no battery just now) so that's first on the to-do list before the winter. I did also get a few spare parts - including a dirty windshield, what looks like the electric starter kit and the old 340 motor.

Hopefully this winter actually delivers some of the white stuff up here. ....

[S_Kyle]

Looks like a very solid machine. A few things to mention tho, the clutch on it now is not really idea for it. It is a Comet duster used on the spitfires and not really rated for the Hp of the twins, it shouldn't be very hard to get a 102c that was used on them. Also the CDI boxes are notorious for going bad on them, so that is most likely the cause of the no spark.

You are lucky the hood looks to be in excellent condition as most of them broke at the hinge when the wind catches them. I just finished fixing one and it is a big pain to fix them after that happens.

[WinnipegStPaul9]

You have a very straight Cyclone there!! Should be easy to restore. Clutch needs to go and be replaced with a 102. Rear bumper is incorrect (correct one is easily found) but the seat, tailight, and flap are easily found. Actually, I think the taillight assembly is still available from a John Deere dealer. Do NOT ask for a taillight for a snowmobile. Someone here will be along soon with the latest part number. It used to be AM52305 but I'm certain it's changed. A flap can be found (as well as other parts) at www.newbreedparts.com. As to the seat, if you can't find a good seat ( and I'll bet you can't) just find a good foam and have it recovered. While I'm guessing there's a snowmobile seat specialist in the Toronto area, if not use John's Upholstery. His ad is on the board here.

You'll get great advice here, don't hesitate asking and welcome aboard.

DA

[Matt]

AM52305 is still the current JD number for the tail light.

[cledussnow77]

Looks like a good one, don't forget to post pictures during the restoration, we like pictures here.

[smitfire]

I do have a clutch for you, and a clutch guard if that's missing?

[DougD]

I will do my best with pics - it all depends on how quickly things move. I'm getting married in a little under a year so a full rebuild and restore isnt likely in the near future. For now the first thing is getting the motor going - once I know it works it will be looking for the bits to make it rideable. Then once I've had it out and had a bit of fun thoughts of a full restore can come in! I am a complete newbie when it comes to getting my hands dirty so it will be a learning experience!

How important is the clutch change? I was looking around a bit online and one place said the Duster clutch would be fine for the 340 or 440 motor? And how much are we talking about used?

First things first though - get a battery! I noticed you can still get the JD ones, but would a regular snowmobile battery do the trick?

Thanks guys - many more questions will come im sure!

[Jimmy]

If it doesn't look like it has a box on it for the battery, so if it didn't come with electric start on it, a battery is not needed, it is only used for the starter. Unhook the wires from the key and the wires from the kill switch, then pull it over to see if you have spark. Take the plugs out so it will turn over easy. Good luck.

[ccgaser]

where can i get the paint code for john deere mean green the link dose not go any where

[Matt]

http://www.jdsleds.com/community/viewforum.php?f=7

[DougD]

After finally finding some time to sit down with the sled I have started the task of checking all the wiring. It was a bit of a mess from when the 340 (with electronic ignition) was replaced by the 440 (without the electronic ignition). But with the help of the wiring diagram I will get there eventually.

I also noticed that the 340 motor that is currently gathering dust on my workbench still has the 102c clutch still attached to it, so hopefully it will slide straight over to the 440.

Other than that I am still on the hunt for the missing parts. I doubt I will have it running this winter somehow, but I still harbour hopes for next winter!

[JDT]

The engine in the sled as show in the photo has CDI.

Isn't that the 440?

[lwb140]

new breed also has the rear handles for your sled they are inexpensive and add a look of completion to your sled they bolt on into the 3 bolt holes on the rear sides below where the rear bumper is bolted to now wade

[DougD]

The engine in the sled as show in the photo has CDI.

Isn't that the 440?

Yeah thats right - the 440 is already installed, I was given the old 340 motor as well which is gathering dust on my workbench just now.

lwb140 - thanks for the note, I will have to have a look for them.

[DougD]

Its alive!



After sitting in my garage for about 18 months a buddy of mine took it down to his workshop last weekend and last night it finally roared back into life. As was suggested the CDI box was the main problem, luckily the spare I inherited on the old 340 was working well enough to get it going.

So now I'm on the hunt for a seat so it can be ridden...this winter looks like delivering on the snow front so there should be opportunities to get some km's on it.

So maybe 2014 will be the year the restoration starts for real!