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A couple of Thiokol pics

pixie

pixie

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
Hi everyone :D New member here. I live in northern NH and have some land that I am trying to manage by thinning saplings and pulling out blow downs that are big enough to saw with my portable bandsaw.

Here are some pictures of my 74 Thiokol Imp moving a boat project out of the garage.And a pic of my Honda quad with tracks.
 

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Pixie ,

Nice pictures .

Are those Mattracks on the ATV ??? How do you like them ? I hear you lose about 20% power when changing to the tracks . Did you notice a power loss ?
Al
 
Al, they are Boivin tracks. There is no ratio change and I run it as a half-track in the summer. They have lasted very well.

All tracks have more friction than wheels and I overcame that by getting a bigger quad :D
 
Pixie, can you help me out a bit on the size of your IMP? My Snow Trac is 6'2" wide and 12' long, so roughly the size of a small car. The wider Snow Master's use the same basic body as a Snow Trac but have longer and wider tracks making them roughly 8' wide x 13' long. BigAl's Kristi KT-7 is roughly 13' long, but about 8' wide.

Your Imp looks to be a compact, closer the size of the Snow Trac. How big is it? What type of engine is in it? How large are the trees you pull out of your woods? And when you have time, can we get some photos of the inside of your cab and the hitch assembly you have on the rear to pull the logs?
 
The Imp is about 5 X 10 feet. The front blade is wider... about 6 feet.

I'll dig out some pictures tomorrow ;)
 
I was mistaken. The cab is 5 feet wide, the tracks are 6 feet and the overall length is 12.

A few more pics :D
 

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The engine is a Ford industrial V4. 104 cu.in. , I think. 48 hp?

It has a ton of hydraulic circuts, 8 of them. I added a hydraulic winch and the rear hitch and trailer reciever. I haven't used it in the summer cause the land is rough and rocky and I'm nervous about the tires and tracks :confused:

So far , in this pathetic excuse for a winter, the biggest logs I've hauled was a live balsam tree that fell over and was about 16 " at the butt.
 
pixie said:
The engine is a Ford industrial V4. 104 cu.in. , I think. 48 hp?
Click to expand...

PIXIE!!!!PIXIE,PIXIE!!!

Please tell me "You" know where to get rebuild parts for your Ford !!! My Kristi KT7 also has a 104 Ford V4 . Now the good news . I believe you have 80 horsepower ,not 48 ! My KT7 does . That motor is rare.
I want to rebuild my Motor before I reinstall it . Do you know who might carry a Master rebuild kit???

I have a Ford service book for this motor . You can have a copy if you need one .
Big Al
 
Hey, Al.

The guy I bought it from said 84 horse but that seemed like alot for the cu.in. ??? and other places said 40 so I've been confused.

I have the manual, thanks. These engines were installed in various farm implements. I can get all tune up parts at NAPA.

I'll collect some of the links I have and post them. It runs well, now ...it had plugs that were 1/2 inch too long :pat: when I got it . There has been no snow this year and I haven't used it much so I haven't had to tinker with it and I've forgotten alot of the details.

Just a dumb blonde :D :17875:
 
pixie said:
Hey, Al.

The guy I bought it from said 84 horse but that seemed like alot for the cu.in. ??? and other places said 40 so I've been confused.

I have the manual, thanks. These engines were installed in various farm implements. I can get all tune up parts at NAPA.

I'll collect some of the links I have and post them. It runs well, now ...
Click to expand...


Thanks ,
Are you still running the orginal heads that were set up for leaded fuel ?? I am a little nervous about that and I do not really know if it is that big of a deal or not . I guess I could add a lead additive to unleaded to keep from burning a valve . I just thought I should have hardened seats installed in the heads ,so it could run on unleaded without doing any damage .
Al
 
Ignorance is bliss :D
I have no idea if they are the original heads and hadn't thought of the lead/nolead in relation to the snowcat but worry about it with other vehicles :Unsure: Something new to worry about :1062:

I believe Bombis had this engine also and there are quite a few of them around.
 
Your Ford industrial V4's may be the same engine that was used in Saabs in the late '60s. Here are the specs for that engine:

This data is for the standard engine in UK Specification.

Cylinders 4, in Vee 60 degrees
Bore 90 mm Stroke 58.86 mm
Cubic Capacity 1498 cc
Compression ratio 9.0 : 1
Max Output, net (DIN) 65 bhp at 4700 rpm
Max torque, net (DIN) 85 lb ft at 2500 rpm
Main Bearings 3
Valves overhead

If so, here is a link to a page of links regarding parts for the Saab version of this engine, some of them high performance, and some of which might fit your engines.

The '67 through '70 Saabs with this engine ran in ice races in New England with souped up engines. They were reported to make as much as 150 HP, and ran over 100 mph on the ice. A friend of mine had a rally version of the '67 Saab with a Weber carb, headers and dual exhausts and a hot cam, and made something in the neighborhood of 120 HP.

The Saab version was originally used in the German Taunus car, as well as industrial applications. Here's a link to a Wikipedia page about the engine. Notice that the mounts and bellhousing are the same as the V6 used in the German Capri. If you have room, it should be possible to mount a V6 in place of the V4.
 
The 1974 Thiokol Imp V4 Ford that I rebuilt had a Solex Carb that was heated by engine coolant. The carb kit was one of the hardest repair parts kits to find. I did find a NAPA kit for part of the carb overhaul. Had to fabricate other parts like an accelerator pump, and some gaskets as I recall. The carb overhaul, new fuel lines, filters, along with a new fuel pump really brought that engine to life.:whistle: Seems these older carbs and fuel sytems gum up and the engine will lose a lot of HP and will not function properly with old gas left in the system over the years. Northern Engine in MN has some of the Industrial V4 Ford parts that I needed.:thumb: Parts are a bit pricey, but that is the penalty we pay to play.

I had many of the NAPA part numbers listed in the Thiokol manuel that I gave to the new owner when I sold the unit last spring. If necessary I can probably contact the new owner and get many of the NAPA numbers for repair parts that I entered in the manuel. Let me know if you have a parts problem and I will see what I can do. From what I could find out the Saab basic engine was the same, but the electrical and fuel components never seemed to match up on the Imp engine configuration. Overhaul gasket set came from NAPA and I believe it was listed under agriculture equipment possibly New Holland.

As to the lead issue, I agree with Pixie. Ignorance is bliss. Never seemed to be a major issue.:confused:
 
mtntopper said:
The 1974 Thiokol Imp V4 Ford that I rebuilt had a Solex Carb that was heated by engine coolant. The carb kit was one of the hardest repair parts kits to find. I did find a NAPA kit for part of the carb overhaul. Had to fabricate other parts like an accelerator pump, and some gaskets as I recall. The carb overhaul, new fuel lines, filters, along with a new fuel pump really brought that engine to life.:whistle: Seems these older carbs and fuel sytems gum up and the engine will lose a lot of HP and will not function properly with old gas left in the system over the years. Northern Engine in MN has some of the Industrial V4 Ford parts that I needed.:thumb: Parts are a bit pricey, but that is the penalty we pay to play.

I had many of the NAPA part numbers listed in the Thiokol manuel that I gave to the new owner when I sold the unit last spring. If necessary I can probably contact the new owner and get many of the NAPA numbers for repair parts that I entered in the manuel. Let me know if you have a parts problem and I will see what I can do. From what I could find out the Saab basic engine was the same, but the electrical and fuel components never seemed to match up on the Imp engine configuration. Overhaul gasket set came from NAPA and I believe it was listed under agriculture equipment possibly New Holland.

As to the lead issue, I agree with Pixie. Ignorance is bliss. Never seemed to be a major issue.:confused:
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Is there any reason why a electric fuel pump cannot be used in place of the mechanical one on the motor ? I noticed that my motor had both and kinda wondered if maybe the mechanical pump had failed and the previous owner just added onto the fuel system .I am planning on using a electric fuel pump and making a "block off" to eliminate the old mechanical pump .
 
Al, mine has exactly that arrangement for the fuel pump.

I also found the carb rebuild kit at NAPA but had to fabricate some choke parts to make it run right.
 
An electrical fuel pump will be much easier to locate and probably about half the cost of the original mechanical. I did locate the original Industrial Ford pump for my Imp for about $90.00 with freight to my location. You can get a mechanical type pump from NAPA but you will have to add bushings to the mounting bolts as the flange bolt holes on the pump are larger diameter than the V4 Ford bolts. Just as well off to go electric and save the hassle of fabricating bushings for the bolts or just find the OEM type pump. Fabricating just seems like it ends up costing more in time and money than it should.:(
 
OK.... For anyone who was wondering, here is a picture of me with the Imp


>>>>where'd it go ???
I'll try again
 
Snowcat Operations said:
Damn, a chick gear head! COOL!
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Oh Crap !!! She's a girl !!! Oh Man ,I am in big trouble . I promised the wife, I would not talk to women on the internet no more .

Ok Ok ! We can still save this . Don't Panick !!! We will just tell everyone( the wife) that the girl came as a option with the Snow Cat .

Oh man I am in big trouble............
 
Snowcat Operations said:
BigAl you must be really embaressed! I mean here she is driving a real Mans snowcat and you have a girly snowcat!
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Gee Mike ,
I guess I missed the photo of you standing next to your "He Man Imp" . Can you post it again ???
Yea ... Thats what I thought . Got your mouth going before putting your brain in gear .:moon:

Here Mike , sit down here by me on the "girlie man bench" , there is lots of room .

:coolshade
 
:moon: Well I do believe My Snow MASTER is such a "He Man" Snowcat. At least compared to a Kristi. But If you need to see my newest edition just wait my friend!:moon: :D
 
I almost bought a Kristi and I think Snow Tracs/Masters look really cool but they are pretty much passanger cars.I wanted a truck :D

Here is a close up of the skidplate that I designed and welded... my first welding project.

Been a gear head all my life. I've had a long string of used trucks and cars and do alot of my own repairs.Made a living driving snowcats to groom alpine ski areas for a few winters and enjoyed a winter of plowing snow for a small town.
 

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Really nice looking snow cat with a girl. Or did I mean nice looking girl with a snow cat. Oh well just glad to have another Made In the USA Thiokol/LMC owner onboard so I won't be quite so out numbered on this forum.
 
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pixie said:
Ignorance is bliss :D
I have no idea if they are the original heads and hadn't thought of the lead/nolead in relation to the snowcat but worry about it with other vehicles :Unsure: Something new to worry about :1062:

I believe Bombis had this engine also and there are quite a few of them around.
Click to expand...



What spark plugs are you running the the V4 ford 104 CID industrial motor. I bought Big Als KT7 and I think he had the wrong spark plugs. Before I start the KT7 up with the new plugs I bought I wanted to check with someone who might know what plug to use.:whistling:
 
Kristi KT7 said:
What spark plugs are you running the the V4 ford 104 CID industrial motor. I bought Big Als KT7 and I think he had the wrong spark plugs. Before I start the KT7 up with the new plugs I bought I wanted to check with someone who might know what plug to use.:whistling:
Click to expand...

When I had my IMP.. I had good luck online at Rock Auto. Lots of Saab Sonnet stuff.

JP
 
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