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Snow Master Restoration ~ by Snowcat Operations
- Thread starter Snowcat Operations
- Start date
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: How to remove windshield wiper arms.
LOL
Junkman said:Use a screwdriver with a handle, it will work better...
LOL
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: How to remove windshield wiper arms.
Yes they are aluminum. Great idea! Ok so I need to lube it down with Panther Piss. Pry on it with a screw driver that has a handle, after I torch it up. Thanks. Now where do I get this Panther Piss?
DaveNay said:
Yes they are aluminum. Great idea! Ok so I need to lube it down with Panther Piss. Pry on it with a screw driver that has a handle, after I torch it up. Thanks. Now where do I get this Panther Piss?
LPS and others make good panther piss for dissolving rust as WD40 in my opinion is not that great for rust busting.
Junkman
Extra Super Moderator
Re: How to remove windshield wiper arms.
Skip the torch idea....... no self respecting mechanic would ever resort to using a torch on a windshield wiper arm. Give it a gentle rap with a dead blow hammer or a piece of wood. Besides, I doubt that it is made of aluminum, but rather a form of chromium steel or stainless steel. Aluminum isn't strong enough for a wiper arm. Just rap the sides and top a few times and it should come off. It is a windshield wiper arm, not some 5 ton press fit item. Where did you get your mechanical skills anyway??????? 
Skip the torch idea....... no self respecting mechanic would ever resort to using a torch on a windshield wiper arm. Give it a gentle rap with a dead blow hammer or a piece of wood. Besides, I doubt that it is made of aluminum, but rather a form of chromium steel or stainless steel. Aluminum isn't strong enough for a wiper arm. Just rap the sides and top a few times and it should come off. It is a windshield wiper arm, not some 5 ton press fit item. Where did you get your mechanical skills anyway???????
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: How to remove windshield wiper arms.
Nope its alluminum. I have rapped it with a ball peed hammer gently. Tried prying it but that was a bit nerve racking since I could see all the internal stuff flex. The Panther piss is a good idea that I should have done first. My problem is that they feel like there is a ball socket connection inside and not just straight splines and such. Time will tell.
Nope its alluminum. I have rapped it with a ball peed hammer gently. Tried prying it but that was a bit nerve racking since I could see all the internal stuff flex. The Panther piss is a good idea that I should have done first. My problem is that they feel like there is a ball socket connection inside and not just straight splines and such. Time will tell.
mtntopper
Back On Track
Re: How to remove windshield wiper arms.
Another idea is to pry up with two prys evenly underneath and at the same time use the HAMMER gently on the top. Might take three hands but may work to free it up on the spline shaft. If this fails it may be time for the big pry bars and an "oh chit look what I just broke," oh well I won!!!!!
Another idea is to pry up with two prys evenly underneath and at the same time use the HAMMER gently on the top. Might take three hands but may work to free it up on the spline shaft. If this fails it may be time for the big pry bars and an "oh chit look what I just broke," oh well I won!!!!!
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Snow Trac/Master engine conversion.
Well some of you know I have been searching for a suitable Porsche engine for my Snow Master. I have even driven to Colorado 8 hrs one way to inspect a so called NICE Porsche 356 Super 90 engine to only find the guy who rebuilt it was a Meth head. Needless to say him and his friend were not to happy to learn I was carrying a gun and had no intention on buying it! Anyway I have looked and searched and I have come ta realize a Porshce engine just isnt in the cards. So I have gone back to VW engines and although very nice and effeciant They still are pretty old design and to have one built to my specs would be $5,000 when all is said and done. So I have started to rethink my engine choice once again. I have come across a few engines that would work but have now decided on one set of engines. The Subaru 1.8 2.2 and the 2.5.
1.8 Has 110 HP and 110 FT LBS.
2.2 Has 135 HP and 140 FT LBS.
2.5 Has 165 HP and 162 FT LBS.
The 2.5 is relativley easy to find. Hell My plan is to buy a Subaru Legacy and use that for my engine swap. Now with the fuel injection the swap becomes more difficult since you need the wire harness, Computer. But still more reliable than the standard VW engine. The weight is real close to the same as our the dimensions. The advantages are alot more power, Water cooled (great heater) and still very easy to work on. No need to worry about altitude since the fuel injection will compensate. A quick search on Ebay shows several high mileage Subarus for under $1500. That and a Japaneese swaped engine (30K miles) for $1200 and you have everything you need plus a spare engine. I can use the original donner engine and then swap out the new engine down the road.
The 1.8 engine is the simplest conversion since it has regular carbs and no computer. This is my first choice if I can find the correct donar car. Hell at 110 hp thats more than double the HP and Torque! Either way I believe I have found my new engine.
Well some of you know I have been searching for a suitable Porsche engine for my Snow Master. I have even driven to Colorado 8 hrs one way to inspect a so called NICE Porsche 356 Super 90 engine to only find the guy who rebuilt it was a Meth head. Needless to say him and his friend were not to happy to learn I was carrying a gun and had no intention on buying it!
Anyway I have looked and searched and I have come ta realize a Porshce engine just isnt in the cards. So I have gone back to VW engines and although very nice and effeciant They still are pretty old design and to have one built to my specs would be $5,000 when all is said and done. So I have started to rethink my engine choice once again. I have come across a few engines that would work but have now decided on one set of engines. The Subaru 1.8 2.2 and the 2.5.1.8 Has 110 HP and 110 FT LBS.
2.2 Has 135 HP and 140 FT LBS.
2.5 Has 165 HP and 162 FT LBS.
The 2.5 is relativley easy to find. Hell My plan is to buy a Subaru Legacy and use that for my engine swap. Now with the fuel injection the swap becomes more difficult since you need the wire harness, Computer. But still more reliable than the standard VW engine. The weight is real close to the same as our the dimensions. The advantages are alot more power, Water cooled (great heater) and still very easy to work on. No need to worry about altitude since the fuel injection will compensate. A quick search on Ebay shows several high mileage Subarus for under $1500. That and a Japaneese swaped engine (30K miles) for $1200 and you have everything you need plus a spare engine. I can use the original donner engine and then swap out the new engine down the road.
The 1.8 engine is the simplest conversion since it has regular carbs and no computer. This is my first choice if I can find the correct donar car. Hell at 110 hp thats more than double the HP and Torque! Either way I believe I have found my new engine.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Trac/Master engine conversion.
I also talked to Mr. Kennedy at Kennedy Engineering today. His company makes the conversion kits to bolt many types of engines to the VW transaxle. Also with the conversion kit comes instructions (Subaru 2.2 and 2.5) on how to remove everything you need for the conversion.
http://www.kennedyeng.com/
If anyone can think of a better engine please feel free to speak up. I have thick skin.
I also talked to Mr. Kennedy at Kennedy Engineering today. His company makes the conversion kits to bolt many types of engines to the VW transaxle. Also with the conversion kit comes instructions (Subaru 2.2 and 2.5) on how to remove everything you need for the conversion.
http://www.kennedyeng.com/
If anyone can think of a better engine please feel free to speak up. I have thick skin.
Re: Snow Trac/Master engine conversion.
The Subaru 1.8 is a good engine. I'm not an expert on the VW 4 speed transaxle, but I bet that anything more than 110 horses or so would seriously challenge it. My experience with German engineering is that it's outstanding in performing the job it was designed for. But...there's a certain practicality (frugality) to their engineering so components are not over-built for the job. When do you figure you'll perform the conversion?
The Subaru 1.8 is a good engine. I'm not an expert on the VW 4 speed transaxle, but I bet that anything more than 110 horses or so would seriously challenge it. My experience with German engineering is that it's outstanding in performing the job it was designed for. But...there's a certain practicality (frugality) to their engineering so components are not over-built for the job. When do you figure you'll perform the conversion?
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Trac/Master engine conversion.
I am not sure. I am trying to locate a suitable donor car. The transaxle can handle 100 hp no problem. Above that you can start to break stuff if you doing stuff like droping the clutch ect. I can have a beefed up transaxle made no problem to handle 200 hp easily. For now I will stay with the stock unit and just run her normally. I like the idea of fuel injection the most. I should also see alot better fuel economy using the Subaru. Thats always a plus.
I am not sure. I am trying to locate a suitable donor car. The transaxle can handle 100 hp no problem. Above that you can start to break stuff if you doing stuff like droping the clutch ect. I can have a beefed up transaxle made no problem to handle 200 hp easily. For now I will stay with the stock unit and just run her normally. I like the idea of fuel injection the most. I should also see alot better fuel economy using the Subaru. Thats always a plus.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Trac/Master engine conversion.
Yes its a great engine no doubt. I just want something a bit diffrent. I believe the Subaru is the best choice. Of course I could be wrong.
Yes its a great engine no doubt. I just want something a bit diffrent. I believe the Subaru is the best choice. Of course I could be wrong.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Snow Master restoration.
Hello everyone. I am continuing my Snow Master restoration. I will be asking B. Skurka to drop all the other articles I have started into this one (Is that ok Bob?) My original intent was to have it divided up into small individual sections. That way people would be able to go to just that section and see how I did a certain thing. BUT I have learned that the forum has grone so much that these individual articles get lost in the mass. So Like BigAl (but probably not as good) I decided to place everything her or at least from here on. So here it goes.
Hello everyone. I am continuing my Snow Master restoration. I will be asking B. Skurka to drop all the other articles I have started into this one (Is that ok Bob?) My original intent was to have it divided up into small individual sections. That way people would be able to go to just that section and see how I did a certain thing. BUT I have learned that the forum has grone so much that these individual articles get lost in the mass. So Like BigAl (but probably not as good) I decided to place everything her or at least from here on. So here it goes.
Edit by Bob: Mike, it is easier to ask me to merge all your theads together than for me to do it. I can do it, if I can find all the threads, but it will take some time. I ask all of you to be patient during the process because some things may appear out of sequence.
ALSO, all the other threads will appear at the BEGINNING of this one, since the posts will appear in the same time sequence as when they were originally posted. That means that if you had 2 different threads running at the same time, the posts will be intermixed and may be confusing.
ALSO, all the other threads will appear at the BEGINNING of this one, since the posts will appear in the same time sequence as when they were originally posted. That means that if you had 2 different threads running at the same time, the posts will be intermixed and may be confusing.
Last edited:
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master restoration.
WIRE HARNESS REMOVAL
Today I decided to take on the old wire harness my goal was to completely remove it and all my gauges. Here are the pictures.
1. I KINDA CHEATED HERE I HAD ALREADY REMOVED THE DASH BUT PUT IT BACK ON LESS A COUPLE A GAUGES TO GET THE PICTURE. I USED KROIL PENETRATING OIL TO GET THE SCREWS LOOSE. (HELPFUL HINT #1 USE KROIL)
2. WHAT A RATS NEST! THIS THING HAD MORE SPLICES THAN I COULD COUNT!
3. PRETTY SMALL FUSE BLOCK. THE NEW ONE WILL HAVE AT LEAST 25 FUSES.
4. SMALL FUSE BLOCK.
WIRE HARNESS REMOVAL
Today I decided to take on the old wire harness my goal was to completely remove it and all my gauges. Here are the pictures.
1. I KINDA CHEATED HERE I HAD ALREADY REMOVED THE DASH BUT PUT IT BACK ON LESS A COUPLE A GAUGES TO GET THE PICTURE. I USED KROIL PENETRATING OIL TO GET THE SCREWS LOOSE. (HELPFUL HINT #1 USE KROIL)
2. WHAT A RATS NEST! THIS THING HAD MORE SPLICES THAN I COULD COUNT!
3. PRETTY SMALL FUSE BLOCK. THE NEW ONE WILL HAVE AT LEAST 25 FUSES.
4. SMALL FUSE BLOCK.
Attachments
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master restoration.
Hello everyone. I am continuing my Snow Master restoration. I will be asking B. Skurka to drop all the other articles I have started into this one (Is that ok Bob?) My original intent was to have it divided up into small individual sections. That way people would be able to go to just that section and see how I did a certain thing. BUT I have learned that the forum has grown so much that these individual articles get lost in the mass. So Like BigAl (but probably not as good) I decided to place everything here or at least from here on. So here it goes.
Lyndons article is in this thread. http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=4040&highlight=wire+harness
Another excellent article on wiring and dual batteries. http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=4060&highlight=nickle+plated
Hello everyone. I am continuing my Snow Master restoration. I will be asking B. Skurka to drop all the other articles I have started into this one (Is that ok Bob?) My original intent was to have it divided up into small individual sections. That way people would be able to go to just that section and see how I did a certain thing. BUT I have learned that the forum has grown so much that these individual articles get lost in the mass. So Like BigAl (but probably not as good) I decided to place everything here or at least from here on. So here it goes.
Lyndons article is in this thread. http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=4040&highlight=wire+harness
Another excellent article on wiring and dual batteries. http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=4060&highlight=nickle+plated
Last edited:
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master Restoration (several threads merged together)
Today I went out and pulled off the pas. side front sprocket and brake assembly. Will bag everything up Thursday and set them in a box. All of these bearings are sealed and look pretty much brand new. They dont need to be replaced but I will anyway. These I will keep as spares. I will pull the drivers side off in the morning. I am in no hurry presently as you can tell to get this all apart. I have 2 to 3 months of cold weather and wont paint till its about 70 degrees average. I am also waiting for some parts to come in. I am waiting for one supplier who is pretty swamped with his real work. So there is no hurry to get it done. I have been busy with general layout of my new wiring system. Lights have pretty much been figured out. The engine thing is really bugging me since I cant seem to find a suitable donar car for the Subaru engine swap. I may just put a Very Nice VW engine in this one and worry about the Subaru on my Snow Trac project. I will post some pictures in the morning.
Mike
Today I went out and pulled off the pas. side front sprocket and brake assembly. Will bag everything up Thursday and set them in a box. All of these bearings are sealed and look pretty much brand new. They dont need to be replaced but I will anyway. These I will keep as spares. I will pull the drivers side off in the morning. I am in no hurry presently as you can tell to get this all apart. I have 2 to 3 months of cold weather and wont paint till its about 70 degrees average. I am also waiting for some parts to come in. I am waiting for one supplier who is pretty swamped with his real work. So there is no hurry to get it done. I have been busy with general layout of my new wiring system. Lights have pretty much been figured out. The engine thing is really bugging me since I cant seem to find a suitable donar car for the Subaru engine swap. I may just put a Very Nice VW engine in this one and worry about the Subaru on my Snow Trac project. I will post some pictures in the morning.
Mike
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master Restoration (several threads merged together)
DUAL ALTERNATOR SETUP
Ok. I am very bored and drinking alot of coffee. I have been re-reading some old threads I started and thought they would go great in here. This first one is on a Dual Alternator setup.
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=3231&highlight=dual+alternators
The power requirements on my Snow Master will be quite high at times. I will be running anywhere from 2 to 10 lights, winch, GPS, radio, Auxilary power supply for the Sat phone, coil, fuel pump, tail lights, ignition ect ect ect ect. Anyway this thread will show you what the Military did on there Snow Tracs. I plan on something very simular.
DUAL ALTERNATOR SETUP
Ok. I am very bored and drinking alot of coffee. I have been re-reading some old threads I started and thought they would go great in here. This first one is on a Dual Alternator setup.
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=3231&highlight=dual+alternators
The power requirements on my Snow Master will be quite high at times. I will be running anywhere from 2 to 10 lights, winch, GPS, radio, Auxilary power supply for the Sat phone, coil, fuel pump, tail lights, ignition ect ect ect ect. Anyway this thread will show you what the Military did on there Snow Tracs. I plan on something very simular.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master Restoration (several threads merged together)
Winch on a Snowcat
Winch discusion. I have had a need for a winch on my Snowcat in the past. I had about 1500 lbs of gear, grub, gog, guys and girls in my Snow Master. I just couldnt quite make it up the last 40 yards to the top of the mountain. So we unloaded everything and they sleded it in the rest of the way. (My light switch fried and I was running out of day light and had over an hour trip back through the mountain). So I didnt have time to unload drive up and over then repack everything. If I would have had a winch there were tons of trees I could have winched from. Anyway here is an another thread on winches. When I install mine I will have tons of photos and detailed how to (at least on my vehicle).
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=2397&highlight=dual+alternators
Winch on a Snowcat
Winch discusion. I have had a need for a winch on my Snowcat in the past. I had about 1500 lbs of gear, grub, gog, guys and girls in my Snow Master. I just couldnt quite make it up the last 40 yards to the top of the mountain. So we unloaded everything and they sleded it in the rest of the way. (My light switch fried and I was running out of day light and had over an hour trip back through the mountain). So I didnt have time to unload drive up and over then repack everything. If I would have had a winch there were tons of trees I could have winched from. Anyway here is an another thread on winches. When I install mine I will have tons of photos and detailed how to (at least on my vehicle).
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=2397&highlight=dual+alternators
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master Restoration (several threads merged together)
Here are some pictures of the large front drive sprocket. There must have been 5 lbs. of grease behind the sprocket inside the engine compartment. I started to wipe off all the grease and decided I should just scrape it off. Scraped off then cleaned up with WD-40 (finally a good use for it). I then scraped off the sprocket and cleaned it with WD-40 as well (1st pic). If you look closley at the brake assembly you can see it says $14.56 (4th pic). Someone has completely rebuilt the brakes at one point. I suspect they had also replaced all the bearings as well. These are all in new like condition. Still have some cleaning to do but so far so good. Everything is in great shape. I will completely rebuild the brakes which should be about $100 dollars for everything.
Here are some pictures of the large front drive sprocket. There must have been 5 lbs. of grease behind the sprocket inside the engine compartment. I started to wipe off all the grease and decided I should just scrape it off. Scraped off then cleaned up with WD-40 (finally a good use for it). I then scraped off the sprocket and cleaned it with WD-40 as well (1st pic). If you look closley at the brake assembly you can see it says $14.56 (4th pic). Someone has completely rebuilt the brakes at one point. I suspect they had also replaced all the bearings as well. These are all in new like condition. Still have some cleaning to do but so far so good. Everything is in great shape. I will completely rebuild the brakes which should be about $100 dollars for everything.
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Snowcat Operations
Active member
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Re: AXEL HOUSING GREESE
The Axel Housing casting that the shaft that this sprocket rides on holds over a full tube of greese (cartridge like goes in to a greese gun). Once it has been packed you should not ever have to add greese. I don't knnow why they even put a Zerk on it because this is what happens. When greesing the chassis SKIP this Zerk. It tends to push a bunch of excess greese in to the wrong places like brakes and the engine compartment. Also too much greese in the rear(Big Wheel) will push the seal out.
The Axel Housing casting that the shaft that this sprocket rides on holds over a full tube of greese (cartridge like goes in to a greese gun). Once it has been packed you should not ever have to add greese. I don't knnow why they even put a Zerk on it because this is what happens. When greesing the chassis SKIP this Zerk. It tends to push a bunch of excess greese in to the wrong places like brakes and the engine compartment. Also too much greese in the rear(Big Wheel) will push the seal out.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Re: Snow Master Restoration (several threads merged together)
Thats where all that grease came from! I knew it was my Amsoil grease but I couldnt figure out where it had come from! Thanks for the info.
Thats where all that grease came from! I knew it was my Amsoil grease but I couldnt figure out where it had come from! Thanks for the info.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Ok. Finally after a long a bit of hard work I decided to go buy a small gear puller so I could get my drivers side brake assembly off. The gear puller I bought was really to small. The arms needed to be about 1/2" longer on each side. BUT I was able to grab one arm behind the brake assembly and the other on the web. I have soaked the axle shaft for a few days in Kroil hoping to just pull it off like I did the other side. No go. So I bought the small gear puller, attached it and took out the slack. I turned the wrench 1/4 turn and the whole assembly slide right off! So now its off and everything is getting cleaned tagged and boxed. Here are some pictures.
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Snowcat Operations
Active member
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Picture of the small gear puller I used. Cost me $14.39 and even though it was to small I was still able to grab one of the webs. I was not going to put alot of force on it. In fact I was going to just tighten it up about a 1/2 turn and then let it sit overnight. Came loose in 1/4 turn .
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Snowcat Operations
Active member
Today I went out and removed the deck Extensions someone had added on. They used 1/8" steel deck diamond plate for the extensions and welded part of that to the rear angle iron piece coming out of the rear cab area. They also riveted the botom to the edge of the aluminum deck (original piece). After all was said and done they were a pian in the arse to remove. I havent a way to weigh them but suspect they are close to 100 lbs each. That decking is way to heavy. I spent the rest of the time designing and measuring out my new decks I will build plus the rear fender I will be putting on. Here are some pictures.
