1976 T'NT 340 resuscitation project: A study in Masochism - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

antisubae · 04-15-2008, 07:42 PM

Heehee!

I recently took possession of a severely beaten but eminently salvageable 1976 T'NT 340 for a grand total of $150. It looks like someone has been hauling it around behind their truck - without the benefit of a trailer - for the last 32 years, but I can still see the bright soul of a functional snow machine shining through.

It's going to need a lot of TLC. The cowl is missing some chunks, I've already removed the "seat" (read: duct tape and crumbling foam), the track is still usable but really should be replaced soon, and it looks like I'm going to be hunting for a lot of rubber bushings and such...but you know what?

It runs, and it runs REALLY WELL.

I reset the jets on the carb to the recommended positions, put in two fresh plugs, dumped in a couple gallons of gas, and it started on the second pull. I was more than a little surprised. Unfortunately the snow was almost gone at that point, but I did a couple of laps around the yard and was pleased to see that it's still got plenty of power. I'll probably still end up pulling the engine apart to make sure it's not about to unceremoniously grenade itself, but it felt awful good to run it around.

At any rate, I'll be adding to this occasionally with updates on the restoration. I'll try to get off my lazy arse and get some pictures up tomorrow.

You'll probably get a good chuckle out of them.

**smallengineguy** · 04-16-2008, 06:12 AM

As long as it runs well and isn't making any rapping noises, etc. leave the motor as is and concentrate on the other things.

antisubae · 04-16-2008, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallengineguy

As long as it runs well and isn't making any rapping noises, etc. leave the motor as is and concentrate on the other things.

That's probably very good advice. It sounds great - again, I was very surprised given the condition of the rest of it. I suppose it's better to leave well enough alone!

As promised, here are some pictures of my poor, abused baby....

antisubae · 04-16-2008, 04:58 PM

And a few more....

antisubae · 04-16-2008, 05:05 PM

...AAAAAND two more:

Here are the missing pieces from the front of the cowl, along with all the metal pieces (snow deflectors?) from underneath. I drilled out a LOT of poorly installed mending plates, leaving a large number of holes that will need to be filled when I reconstruct it.

Speedo, ignition switch, headlight, cowl clasp levers...all reusable as far as I can see. The tach hole cap's snap tabs are broken, so if I can't find something to replace it I'll make some metal tabs to hold it in place. Or maybe just glue it since I don't ever see myself installing a tach.

As you can see, the poor thing's seen better days, but I'm confident I'll be able to make it pretty again. I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade - small machines like this don't scare me very much when it comes to repairs.

maggiemay199819 · 04-16-2008, 09:20 PM

Hey when I found my '78 colt, 16 years ago, my hubby was trying to buy another sled and I kept asking about the colt. They said it was being parted out and the rest was going to the dump. I had been riding a '68 yamaha and this colt seemed so great. I test drove it and could actually keep it upright. It had no breaks so I really got a good feel for it's "freewheeling feel" it had after that stiff tracked yamaha that didnt need breaks. Hubby was trying to trade our 2 yamahas for 1 widetrack 2 up. I was having none of that. I want my OWN sled. I begged. They said there was nothing to work with. All that worked was the moter. Anyway, he was a neighbour so he gave me that sled. Hubby welded a large metal skid plate into the front. Made new moter mounts, had the hood redone at a professional place and on and on. I put thousands of miles on that sled. Literally. Half of them chasing sleds similer to what you just got . Go for it. PS I don't know if you'll ever get a banana to stay upright though.

**RJ Gleason** · 04-17-2008, 04:57 AM

Extender plates on the ski mount will solve that problem, giving a wider stance.

**smallengineguy** · 04-17-2008, 06:02 AM

See if you can find a hood for it, they are around here and there. You'd be surprised what some quality black spraypaint will do to that rig to improve the look!

antisubae · 04-17-2008, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maggiemay199819

I don't know if you'll ever get a banana to stay upright though.

Hehehe...it's been a long (long!) time since I've had a machine to ride, but my last one was a '72 (I think?) Nordic 440. That thing was about as roly-poly as they come, I think, but I got used to it pretty fast. I like the idea of the extenders though - might be worth looking into as well.

As far as the hood goes, I'm actually going to spend the time doing the body work on this one. We just bought a house, so "fun funds" are going to be limited for a while yet. I'm going to save money for things I *have* to buy and I don't mind putting the time in to do the work myself.

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone! With a little luck and alot of work, you'll all be seeing progress pictures as the weeks pass.