Today we did a compression test on the cylinders. The results were good.. 110 psi in both. not the best but good. We decided to fire up the motor again and see how well it would run with a gas tank. I had the GoPro ready but pushed the wrong button.. so once again no video. 🙁 We ran it for a good minute and had to stop the gas flow to shut it down… Then tried to start it again… nope. It’s flooding very easy. Once the carb kit is in and the carb adjusted good that should not be a problem. So I went back to reassembling the drive line and hooking the controls up.
Here’s the Transmission all done and secondary drive, disc brake too. I need a castle nut for the brake adjustment, but everything works good..
It bothered Dave that we could not re-start the motor… So he wanted another try. With this run the transmission is installed.
Here’s the promised video.. I think the belt is just a tad too wide.. it can stall the motor when you apply the brake. Otherwise everything is working great.. as it’s supposed too.
Work has been slow as I think about the cables and try to find some ambition.
Got it.. Just a bit more welding and I’ll paint the frame..
I’ve also been working on the front hubs.. just to do something else. They are all done now. Cleaned re-greased and painted.
These are three times bigger and heavier that most Quads.. In fact these could work on a farm tractor.. The U-joints are the same as on my rear PTO on the tractor.. I can see how one could install locking hubs too. Something to think about for the Jet I’m keeping.
Meanwhile back at the FRAME:
I’ve welded more seat support , a battery holder and new nuts inside the rear axle case. Now it’s paint time.
Here’s the underside with a coat of Por15. It’s a very hard frame paint for cars. Not sure if this is better that good ole rust paint.. After all the Terra Jet frame is protected inside the tub.. But water may be there too.. so. We’ll see. Everything I do to this Jet is a test to see what will work the best..
All done now… And I’m reserving judgment till it’s cured.
I was in a painting mood.. so I got some of the other bits painted too. And I turned some attention to the front steering.
Axle Tubes ? Don’t know what to call them, and when you look in the Terra Jet parts catalog… they don’t either. Suffice to say they hold the bearings and are an outside extension of the frame. The steering pivots on these.. So yes they are very important. The one on the left has one of the original collette’s still in place.. The rest are 1/2 ” nuts welded on ! What a mess. No good… I want to make new collette’s and have set screws to lock the bolts instead of someones holes with bent nails through them.. GEEZ. These pivots need to be strong with a good surface area. Think of the forces on here.. Continued on page 5
New years resolution… to finish the Terra Jet.. for now..
The frame is a very important part of the Terra Jet puzzle. Everything but the steering linkage is on the frame. With a bit of welding you could add that too. Then you could go cruising around no problem.. The tub is basically just the bottom of the body.. and the “boat” part too. It’s a very cool design overall, and has stood the test of time. I will be experimenting with a few “improvements” of my own, such as better pedals, linkage and a center floor board.
Here’s the frame up on jack stands ..with the steering wheel attached. I’m testing the seating position. Turns out a bench seat straight across will work best. I was concerned that the steering wheel would be too far away for comfort. And was considering a middle seat that was forward more. Not necessary.
Also the pedals… these are just wrong! However right foot braking will be necessary due to the narrowness of that part of the tub. So a pedal on each side of the steering shaft. But a better design, and just a bit closer to the seat. The steel plate is just there to rest my heels on. Plans do include a floor across this part of the frame.
Also turns out this is a good place for the shifter. So I need to keep it here and I want to have the choke and key switch in this location too. Now it’s time to remove the unwanted stuff and weld on new stuff.
Control Freak:
I spent hours looking through my scrap metal and thinking about how to rig a better pedal set up. I wanted them to be comfortable and the brake pedal to have good leverage. I wanted the throttle pedal to be adjustable. And both to have the leavers go down between the frame tubes. I believe I have done all that!
looks a bit complicated.. If you took away the steering shaft maybe not so. Yes ! I used an old brake pedal from a lawn tractor. Upside down from the way it would be on the tractor..
View from the other side.. you can see the adjustments I have for the throttle pedal to make it comfortable. The sheet of metal you see represents the floor and where it will come too. So that should be fine.. But they have to hook up to the things they control. So I figured I better mount the motor and the transmission and get all the linkages proper. May have to weld more bits & pieces to the frame. It’s looking like a cable would be better for the throttle.
The 340 CC motor.
Well here it is in place on the frame.. seams like a good place to work on it. The Carb is off and the covers too. The pull start and fan cover are missing. I’m planning on making new ones.. because finding those would be hard.
This is a snowmobile motor ! Air cooled , high RPM , but very simple. I hope the carb works good. Before we get carried away though we need a few tests on the motor like we did with the BAZOO. There needs to be good compression in both cylinders for the motor to run proper.. So that’s the first thing to check. And spark ! won’t run without spark.
Here’s the Tillotson carb ready for a bath and inspection. It was amazingly clean. And the motor too… I’m thinking it wasn’t very long ago that this ran. Optimism builds.
Attached to the motor is of coarse the clutch.. this is an interesting one. When I pulled the cover off I see there is these four plastic / weighted thingys.. I forget what they are called.. When the motor speeds up the weighted “Things” push the two halves together engaging the belt. Typical snowmobile stuff. But usually they are metal rollers.. Hmmm. This is very rusty and in need of lubrication.. Badly. So I hope it will work. I cleaned it the best I could and greased up the sliders. Put it back together.
Jan 12 th :
Dave came over today so we could run the motor.. We could not get it to run for more than a minute… just whatever gas was in the carb. But it fired right up… so Thinking if we had a gas tank and proper adjustment of the carb.. away it would go.. I forgot to get a video to prove it.. so take my word. But we now know that the motor will run.. I also found a throttle cable in my bike parts. So that’s one of the next things to do.
The Transmission :
Same transmission as the Bazoo.. So I’m very familiar with this.. And like the Bazoo it works fine.. But the silicone job joining the two halves is poor and leaking. So once Dave helped me get the secondary clutch disc off the shaft I was able to do a clean and Re & Re on it..
Is that clean or what.. I took my big sander to the two halves and flattened the surfaces good.. With better gasket stuff should be no more leaks. Also the end of the change lever that rides in a grove was warn a bit so I built it back up with the welder and got a better fit. These transmissions are tough.. This one is very old but works like new.
Ta Da… Ready for installing.. after I put the secondary drive back.
Today I took the frame and axles to the wash bay and degreased them.. nice and clean now.. makes it a bit easier to finish taking them apart. Did not clean the tub..because I’ve decided to replace most of the bottom of the tub. Front and back too.. Just too many holes and thin beat-up metal.. So I’ve ordered a 4×8 sheet of 16 gauge steel. this is a bit thicker than the factory 18 Gauge of the tub.. I used this same steel to make a hood for the Kubota F2400 mower that I restored. Got to bend it with a torch because it’s too thick to use the bender. But it will be easier to weld than the 18 gauge.
Holes like this will be gone.. the 16 gauge will take more beating on the bottom than the thinner stuff.
Here it is.. nice and new , no rust.. I use the jig saw with a fine tooth metal blade.. makes a nice cut.
Well it’s more of a bump.. and it hangs down under the body, one front one rear.. This is where the chain sprockets live.. and this is the rear one and it’s in good shape so I’ll save it. The front one needs a rebuild… is full of holes.
This is the rear of the bottom.. and under the striker is the place to cut out for the rear bump. We have also bent a 1″ lip to the correct angle for the rear piece to weld to.
Now you can see what I’m up to… and how much of the bottom I’m replacing. Lots ! I need to weld as much as I can then flip the tub over and cut out the “unneeded ” old metal. That will take some patience.. I did not want to remove much of the old bottom so as to keep the form & dimensions. When the tub sits flat on the floor “like in the photo” the shape will be intact too. From the factory the tub was in just two pieces, and a press was used to put those bumps in for the chain runs.. And other bends too.. Can’t work that way ..so we’ll now have three pieces, and my front bump out will be welded.
The Bottom is 90 % welded in place now .. And I’ve cut away what was left of the rear..
As tough as these Jet’s are.. this is one weakness. 18 gauge steel is just too thin. 16 gauge is not very much heavier, but I feel it will take more beating before failing. Another weakness is those aluminum bearing hubs.. We actually got the one out of the front left housing INTACT. ! Wow. Here’s the new panel for the rear of the Jet.. all welded up.. just needs grinding.
Here’s one ..the rear one .. of the axles holes for the tub. The hole is six inches round so you can get the chain sprockets inside. Then a cover plate goes on with the bearing holders. If you look back you will see that these only on the chain side are bent & beat up.. Welding new pieces with smooth new metal will make the seal work better.
And speaking of seals & bearings… Above you see I have only two good holders.. Both the rear axle holders were cracked. I would like to replace these with machined steel holders and four new bearings and new seals too. It just don’t make sense to have heavy 1-1/4 ” axles… nice big bearings and put it all in a wimpy aluminum holder. ?
Dec 15 th 2014:
Meanwhile back at the Tub…. I put the frame back into the tub so I could line up the new mounting plates. Then I removed the frame and flipped the tub back on it’s side.
Here’s the rear one all welded. I’m not the best welder. it’s a bit messy.. but the whole tub will have a thick coat of black paint… And most of where I welded would not be seen unless you look under the Jet.
A bit of fancy bending needed here… and some trimming too. This part of the tub gets sandwiched between the inner frame and the hubs that hold the bearings.. I will make thin rubber gaskets instead of just using silicone. Also today I went to the auto parts store with my one good bearing.. and they had the perfect match.. So I bought three more. They did not have a seal that matched .. sigh. So I’ll be looking for those. Got the front all welded now.
Getting closer to finishing the tub.. just a bit more welding and a lot of grinding.. and cleaning. I’m considering using truck box liner paint.. it’s thick and tough. So Here’s a Video of where I’m at with the tub and stuff.. Got a GoPro for Xmas..
It’s a so so Video.. My first attempt.. I’ll do better.
December 27 2014:
Christmas is over and I have more time to get back at the Terra Jet. I got all the welding finished now .. No holes that I can see. Everything is all cleaned up.. and today I ran urethane caulking around the inside of the tub.. And I gave the tub a coat of grey paint.
Grey ! I thought that I would try something different that the back. And I had a can left over from another project. Keep in mind that this Terra Jet is my learning one.. When I get to fixing up the second Jet I’ll know what works..and what I like.
Like this … Box liner coating for trucks.. It’s a two part epoxy thick coating.. much like tar..but hard. and very durable. I’m hoping the this is the ultimate coating for the bottom of the tub.. When they do truck boxes with this stuff and seal all the cracks.. the box holds water.. for months ! so if the opposite is true ..than this tub with never leak through my crappy welds.
However if your wanting a smooth surface this is not the stuff.
And with these photos the tub is 100 % done…. now to start the frame on a new page…
This POST will be for one of the two Terra Jets I have for restoring this winter… There will be a separate post for the other once I start it. The 400E (in the shop now) looks like a Corvette with monster mudder tires. This is the start of a love for these rare amphibians.
Yes they are different !
All About A Terra Jet:
What we have here is a power train similar to the Bazoo that I restored last winter. A 2 cycle snowmobile motor and belt drive / clutch. A simple transmission with just forward , neutral and reverse. The difference is: Far less chains, a steering wheel instead of leavers, Four wheels not six. Like the Bazoo there is no suspension to cushion the ride.. just the soft tires and hopefully a soft seat. Controls are a gas and a brake pedal very much like a little car . Ahh but a 4×4 car.. all four wheels are driven.. full time. Very simple straight through axles.. I would imagine that turning would not be tight with the two rear wheels trying to push you straight. But you would have tractor like traction.. AND you also have an AMPHICAR that floats and the wheels paddle it through the water. How cool is that ! Well its’ so cool, and the design is so good that 44 years later they are still making these.. Yup you can buy a new one.
When it comes to taking things apart I do not wast too much time . But I wish I’d stopped long enough to take more “before” photos. Hopefully one can glean a picture of the sad little Terra Jet from this shot above. SOOOO Got the wheels off and the body off.. The body get’s set aside for later. Once I do work on the body You’ll get a better idea of the roughness of that. The wheels will come off the rims so the rims get cleaned and painted. But first I need to start with the tub and inner frame.
Things to deal with:
As I dismantle the Terra Jet I’m going to find the stuff that needs attention. Here they are:
Holes: Yup there are a few..if you want to cross a river or go out on the lake you can not have holes. This is a steel tub so it’s patchable just like a car body. And I have two welders !
Some play in the steering.. caused by this interesting steering gear. It shouldn’t be a problem to fix. Some guys replace this with an auto steering box. Oh you can sorta see those foot pedals… real crappy.
In this photo you can see the little short steering tie rod. they are worn and so I’ll need new ones from Princess Auto.
Before I use this motor to anchor my boat.. we will test the compression and look it over good. It does have a better carb, but it’s a noisy 2 cycle..
As we carry on taking things apart.. there is lots of rusted and seized stuff. Like the nuts on the end of the rear axle.. Big wrenches needed here.. Got the motor and transmission out.. and chains off the sprockets..
Here’s the motor liberated from the Jet.. Couldn’t resist cranking it over a bit.. Hmm we think it would run fine..
Oh ya… deja-vu The very same trans that the Bazoo had.. So I know what to do.. sure hope there are no cracks in the body.. But they are built tough so I’m doubting that. The big disc for the brake is a bit bent.. and it seams too thin.. Maybe I’ll get a thicker one made.
This is where I’m at .. the hubs and axles need to be removed ..then the frame will just lift out.. and boy it’s not easy..
The Left Rear Hub: These parts are all seized together.. Needed a very large wrench to get this nut off. And still the hub is stuck.. I guess a torch and a puller is the way. Once this hub is off and the bearing and seal slid off, the whole axle pulls out through the right side. Same with the front axle.. comes out the right side.. because that is the side with the drive sprockets, and larger holes in the tub for pulling them through.
OPPS.. I broke the aluminum bearing cup. The bolts were so seized in there that while trying to punch them out the casting cracked in half. This should be a steel part so it won’t react with the steel bolts. The bearing was toast too.. Ah the start of the parts list. And I’m shearing bolts off constantly… Oh well it’s all good fun , and part of restoring something old and rusty.
And speaking of rusty ! I did get the front axle out. That’s good but it still needs to come apart. The steering came out without too much swearing.. So that’s out of the way.. I only sheared off two bolts for the front hub.. They are in the frame…so once the frame is out I can remove them.
Well after much toiling and foul language.. We got the hub off the rear axle .. and the frame out of the tub. Here’s a photo of the frame standing up on it’s left side. Tomorrow it’s off to get pressure cleaned and de-greased.
We flipped the tub over to see just how bad things are.. Yup there is a few holes…well lots of holes.. Once it’s clean and I run the sander over the metal I’ll see the bad stuff..
Some is obvious.. Like this hole for the rear axle. Going to weld in a new piece here for sure. There has to be a gasket here..so it needs to be good.
This is a big project.. and will need several pages. Now that the destruction is done, it’s time for cleaning and repairing.. on to…
Time for a new Quad. Everything came together .. I sold the 300 Polaris… These were on sale till the end of Aug. Very low financing rate.. If I take good care of it … should last me a long time.
New And Blue !
Here’s what it looks like without the extras. I’m adding a few goodies.
Here’s what it looks like in my shop after a quick trip to get it. I am thrilled .. brand new . Because I’m enjoying quading so much.. and the older one was… old.. and would always need help. This is going to be a pleasure to ride.. can’t wait till Sunday. I need to attach the accessories I got .. the photo above shows the new bag I have..
Last night I got all the goodies mounted up.. A railing around the rear rack, My new three compartment bag and the mirrors.
I also mounted the LED brake light .. but I need to figure out the wiring to hook it up. And I had to cut slots in the rack to run the hold down straps for the bag through. A draw back for a big flat rack.. but with the padding in my bag and that flat surface.. things I put in the bag will stay protected. Plenty of room for my little gas can too.
When you add all this front storage .. I have way more than I need. This is a cool feature of the Sportsman, dry, hidden and lockable. I don’t like anything on the front rack to block my view so this is nice to have.
The mirrors are fold away and very rugged.. I’m hoping that they work well and I don’t grow to hate them.. On lots of rides there is always someone behind you.. and I like to check to see that they are still there.. Compared to the 300 the body of the 400 is way wider.. the fenders cover the wheels and then some.. The foot wells are huge. I could wear shorts & sandals… but I wont. The quad is quite a bit higher too.. but that’s because we are now riding on 12 ” wheels not 8″ and the clearance under the 400 is close to 12″ wow. I also think that at 688 lbs we are now more than 200 lbs heavier. That should translate to a better ride.
I could not resist at least one pimp… I found these in one of many boxes of goodies from the motor home. LED marker lights that you can change the color.. Red, green, yellow.. but Blue is cool. I was nosing around under the access panel to the fuses and found two auxiliary power wires.. They would be for things like hand warmers. So I used one.. Also noticed the wires are in place for a winch. And yes I’ve got a winch.. 4000 lb one is now on the front..
I’ve been on no less than 8 rides now.. 20 hrs on the meter.. and I love this quad.. so smooth.. quiet.. so far reliable.
Jan. 2019: After enjoying this quad for years I traded it for a 2014 RZR 570.. same color of blue.. Post is HERE
Everyone was getting a quad.. I had a Sportsman 500 this winter… as a fixer upper project… but I found it to be complicated and just a tad too big to fit my Avalanche. They are great quads.. but I sure liked the profit that the sale brought me.. and it was time to move on to the Bazoo . Now with that done.. it’s again time to move on.. But I want to have some fun this summer.. Then this little guy kinda fell into my lap while advertising a trade with the Bazoo.. The price was low enough that I could just buy it and not trade. It’s in awesome shape.. not a fixer.. not a project.. Oh but I can always find something to fiddle with.. Also it fits in the back of the Avalanche ( if I wanted too). That’s how it came home. I would rather use the trailer, less scary when you’re backing up off of..
There was some questions as to what model this Polaris is.. a call to MainJet and with the vin # was able to clear things up.. it’s simply a 300 4×4. And it was purchased new in Deer Park, Wa. just south of here.. so it’s a US model.. I believe it was bought there and brought here.. so it’s a GF’er .. Cool.. The 288 cc motor is a 2 cycle with oil injection.. Plenty of power and still good on fuel. No liquid cooling on this one.. just a fan when needed.
I’m going to service it.. once I get a peak at the repair manual.. Then I’m going to ride it.. Oh it came with a snow blade.. That I don’t want, so I sold it.. Made the 300 4×4 even cheaper
The Green & tan kinda grows on ya.. Look at the seat.. other than being dirty.. it’s in good condition for 20 years old.
June 10 2014:
Now that we are back from our trip to Alberta I want to get caught up.. This Sunday I would like to use the Polaris so I’m giving it a go over. And that required the removal of some of the plastic.. First: … it runs good IF you remember to shut the fuel off. Seams the float in the Carb is not doing a good job and the fuel will flood the motor.. So I’ll need a carb kit to rebuild the carb.. Second: .. The front drive chain did not “just” come off.. It broke. Not a biggy.. it’s just standard motorcycle chain. Really… that’s only two things out of a possible many.. Oops I forgot the pull start rope could use another wrap around the pulley.. but it still works. Everything else is working good. Dave and I are marveling at how good shape the little Polaris is.. So I’m ordering a Carb kit, chain & air cleaner.. that’s it. For Now..
More like 5 wraps for the pull starter.. Over time the spring gets weak and won’t return the cord.. all fixed now. As I was putting the body parts back ..the head light bulb went pop.. and that was that .. These are a special bulb that you have to buy from Polaris.. I’ll have none of that.. so I’m adapting a regular Brake/ Taillight holder into the old bulb.. this way I can use a LED bulb I have.. If this ends up not working I can easily revert back. As for the Override switch issue …(the Guy that I got it from thought it normal to push the override button every time you use reverse) NO.. shouldn’t have to… I decided to disconnect the speed limiter circuit for now.. It stalls the motor .. So something is not working there.. I’ll have to be careful because this is a safety thing.. preventing you from going too fast in reverse. I also added a 12 volt power outlet.. newer quads have them.. and I’ll need that for my GPS. Let’s see how the ride goes this Sunday..
First Ride.. Fathers Day too.
Don’t have to go far.. just a 5 min drive and you are on some great trails. Dave , me.. and my neighbor Brian.. And we choose to just go up behind Valley Heights. Just over 3 hrs of riding. Brian’s new Honda.. Dave’s trusty Yellow Polaris Sportsman 500 ..(the one I rode when I first went quading last summer.. see POST) and my little Polaris 300… The weather was threatening to rain.. .but it held off for the most part.. Great ride.. And the 300 purrrred like a 2 cycle kitten. Didn’t need 4×4 .. nope.. got along fine without. The only thing that may or may not be an issue is my front struts. They bag hard when you “top out” ( wheel off the ground) I’ll find out if I need something for that..
Anyway this was a familiar trail for me from my mountain biking days . The others had not been there before. So I lead the way.. If I’d had a map we could have made a loop trip instead of doubling back.. But we took a few side roads and checked out the pond that’s hiding up there. Hey it was fun.. and I wished the weather was better.. and we went longer..
Fixin a few things:
As mentioned at the start of this post there are a few little things to fix.. I got the parts this last weekend.. A new chain for the front drive, a carb kit to fix the flooding issue .. and a new air filter. One more thing that I found to be needing is a new fuel shutoff . The 20 year old one has a tiny leak… Can’t have that.. So that’s on order.
If you turn the fuel valve to off.. it leaks.. If you leave it on.. the carb filled up with fuel.. or did till I fixed that. Also of interest I found a vent hose in the overflow place and the overflow hose on a vent ? That would not help at all with that flooding !
Here you see the carb all clean and rebuilt.. and the vent & overflow hoses in the right places. The two lines tee together and have a one-way valve. Their purpose is not explained any where.. I’m thinking of adding that extra shutoff and a new filter. The new shutoff will be under the seat.. I bought new 3/16 ” fuel line today.. as well. So all will be good… Just the way I like it..
I decided not to install the extra shut-off. Keep it simple. I re-assembled everything and put some gas in the tank to check for leaks.. none. Then I fired up the motor to make sure nothing went out of adjustment.. runs good. So I must have the float adjusted properly…
With the mechanical end of things in good order.. I decided to do a little “pimping”. I’m building the winch mount .. and I’ve repainted the racks.
The green paint was wearing off … and I like the look of the satin black.. it matches the frame. I also installed the new bag I bought for the rear rack..
But it works.. I’ll maybe get a couple of small tubs to put inside .. hold some tools & stuff..
The Winch:
This quad never had a winch.. So I had to start from scratch. There was lots of room up front.. so I built a holder. It’s just a small 1500 lb one.. but the quad is light.. and the winch was a price I could live with.. A nice little roller fairing in front.. and there you go. I always carry a tow strap as well and I’ll have a “snatch block” which doubles the pulling power.. if needed. I’m not one to go places I’ll get into trouble.. But one never knows ! Boy Scout rule applies here.. The other rule is don’t get lost… !
So my GPS is also there when I need it.. powered by the 12volt plug and I will mostly use the trip / speed feature. Would be nice to have a new one that had topo maps.
As the Summer goes on:
I’ve gotten out on a few great rides. Been to the top of a few local mountains.
Old lookout towers are on a few peaks, so there is a trail to the top. Like Mount Morrissey in the above photo. This is the highest peak between here and Christina Lake. We’ve explored a lot around the Phoenix area too. Lots of good trails up there.. And the last trip (with the ATV club) was to Renata on the Arrow Lakes. A long 120 km ride which really challenged the little 300. My tank of fuel won’t last that long..
Now that fitting a regular sized quad in my truck is not an issue .. a newer 400 or 500 would be nice. Hmmm.
Aug 23 2014: SOLD
I’m taking the plunge… will be buying a new quad next week. I sold the 300 within the day of listing it. Off the Nelson on Tuesday to pick up a 2014 Sportsman 400 HO.
Once again .. new month ..new page.. Welcome to Page 4.
After putting new seals and bearings in it seamed pointless to use the bad axle. So I had a new one made. Nothing was happening to the Bazoo while waiting for a new axle. And that took weeks. But it’s here now so it’s back to work , and get the Bazoo finished.
It’s a work of art.. That’s what we said.. Nicely made. and pricey too.. but good work is not free.. So I cleaned it and painted the outside end like the others.. And the assembly starts..
After I tidy up some wires and put some in a loom the motor can go in.. We are getting close to launch here.. Here’s what’s left to do for testing.. If the test run is good and there is no other issues… then I want too: But back to the “Git R Done” stage.
Getting there.. The motor fits perfectly.. as it should.
So much time before hand was spent on lining these things up.. it was a pleasure to have them just fit ! If the weather is bad tomorrow I should get everything ready for a test drive.. Sure nuf.. the weather gods were in favor of working on the Bazoo.. Everything is in place.. Boy are my tires in sad shape.. two of them will not hold air.. So they go in the middle where it won’t matter. It’s kind of a 4×4 now.. 🙂 Here it is back on it’s wheels after a bit more than three months. We wore the battery down tuning up the motor today.. and discovered that the kill / solenoid system I devised turns the spark off when you turn the key to “start”. not good. so that has to be figured out.. Also the belt we have is too small so the motor still turns it at an idle.. Makes it hard to change gears. I’m sure more stuff will show up after the test drive. Tomorrow.
Hooray it’s May 2014:
Never did get the test run.. The motor started to act up and would not stay running.. Then the weather got nice and yard stuff had to get done.. Anyway going to look into the why, thinking a fouled plug ?
Here’s the Video.. after a lot of fiddling around
Yes We changed the two spark plugs and still the motor would stall.. Figured it was a fuel thing.. so we rigged up the tank that someone had in the Bazoo.. just to see if the motor was starving for fuel.. and it ran great ! And that is why you are seeing the video.. The sun came out for a few hours.. and so did the Bazoo.. And boy does it go.. Still need to make some adjustments but she flies.. I’m going to abandon the front gas tank.. just like before I got it.. So I’m looking for a good replacement that will fit on the back of the seat..
May 24 2014:
Bazoo is just sitting there while other things get done.. So I thought I’d see if there was interest in a trade for a quad. Yes there is lots of interest.. But that also made me want to remedy some of the little things wrong.. Last night Dave & I fixed the kill circuit on the key switch.. so now the motor starts and shuts off with the key. I also totally removed all fuel lines to the front tank and configured them properly in the temporary tank . and the motor ran great.. better that ever ! Now I have the throttle response I was hoping for. That just showed The other little mod I did was with the drive belt.. I knew that the common belts these days are wider than the one that would have been on the Bazoo’s drive.. So I trimmed 1/4 ” off the spare belt I had.. and the drive works so much better. So I when for a little drive around the yard… even more fun when things work good.
The Bazoo is SOLD..
My Bazooo went off to a museum for amphibious ATV’s !
And I have the goodies I need to make the secondary drives new again.. I also bought new master links for the chains.. and some nostalgic looking beehive marker lights.. that I’m thinking would look good for my running lights. Back to the drive line…
All new axle shafts and the inner bearings too. Looking good.. time to work on the motor mount. I added an extra 1/4 ” of rubber to the motor mounts. and I trimmed the mounting plate, flipped it over and the motor is in the right place. The belt lines up and there’s just that little extra room for the air intake on the carb. Forgot the photo.. Took the motor back off so the chassis is not so heavy.
This photo shows the chains for the drives and a stop plate for the levers.. After trying things out and seeing how they work we realized that this was a necessary part. So I made a new one .. When the clutch levers are in the release position, they rest against the stop plate. ( adjusted properly ). To use the brakes you pull back further compressing the two springs you see.. This way you can’t engage the clutch & the brakes at the same time. ( Brilliant ). The one axle is now out getting fixed.. But I can still carry on. Just a few things to do and Dave & I will fit the chassis back into the Bazoo. I don’t know if I should call it a chassis or the frame.. it’s both !
In the mean time.. I’m cleaning up stuff and getting the bits ready.. I know your thinking why paint the gears..Well RUST.. I don’t want them to rust.. that’s my answer and I’m sticking to it.. I have gold paint so that’s the color..Those black blobs are the seals & bearings that hold the frame to the body.. and keep the water out at the axles.. They bolt through to the frame on the inside. Four bolts each and a rubber gasket.. it’s all that holds the two together sandwiching the fiberglass body and the frame. I’ve got three different kinds… two are the factory aluminum castings, two are machined aluminum and two are machined steel. Can’t explain that one..
Here you see them again after we put the frame back into the Bazoo. I still need to paint the ends of the axles. Just stuck them in there to see the fit. So yes we got the frame in, and bolted five of the seals in place.. one is with the axle getting fixed. There is still a lot to do.. but this means more room in the shop 🙂 .. When I get the repaired axle back all the drive gears and chains need to be installed. In the mean time I could do the wiring now.
Even the choke control is in.. After I wired everything up.. I put power to it to see if things work as they should.. I think I blew ( no pun intended) the fuse for the horn.. but the rest works fine.. The red light is to show power on.. It’s kinda over kill because the hour meter has a flashing light. I may just rethink the running light thing.. and hook the tail lights to the head lamps.. and use the other switch for the bilge pump.. Yes a bilge pump.. don’t forget this thing is part boat too. I did not want drain holes in the bottom so a bilge pump is a better choice. I’ve got one kicking around somewhere.. As for the lights.. I have three different sets.. that include those beehive ones, some LEDs and good old trailer side marker lights.. the marker lights are my favorite because they are easy to install and durable.
Maybe they aren’t the prettiest lights out there but they work for me.. If you break a lens you can get a new one cheep. These now turn on with the head lamps. I’ll be using more of these on the Kubota BX to replace it’s factory tail lights. ( I broke one this winter) and I’m not buying the Kubota one..
Where your WAZOO goes in the BAZOO
Other than the wheels, the seat was the other only thing to be untouched. I set it aside to be worked on later… Later has come now that I’m waiting for drive train parts. The upholstery on the seats is in remarkable condition for it’s age… presuming it’s the original. However the plywood that it’s stapled to is not. So I’m mulling over what to do. Mean time I set to work on the frame.. Someone had welded extra pieces to the top bar for a gun rack.. I used the grinder to remove those.. One of the cross bars had a broken weld.. and one mount was missing.. Zap Zap with the welder.. fixed. And above you see a new satin black paint job.. As for the cushions I’m thinking that at the least new plywood could be a good thing.. But a part of me would like to send them out for new covers too. However I should just wait and see .. they are easy to remove if I change my mind later. Yup that works.. Ya know I never sat in the seat till today.. I took things apart right away.. It’s actually comfy.. certainly does the job.. Next I cut new plywood sides for the interior..
They fit like this.
There you have it.. They are bolted through with carage bolts… that way the heads are flush. These add a bit of strength to the sides.. And I stained and varnish them too.. I’m jumping back & forth a bit , just trying to take care of loose ends.. & things I can do for now.. The muffler was one of those things.. A while back I cleaned and painted the muffler.. I have now taken the old piece of aluminum they had for a heat shield and re-worked it.. so it attached to the muffler mount and not to the body of the Bazoo..
Welcome to the second page 🙂 But don’t forget the read page 1 first
After the first coat of paint on the tub I thought it would be a good place to start a second page in the restore.. scrolling down to the bottom was getting to be too much.
While I wait for paint to dry.. 🙁 I thought I’d see about the dash board design.
I lined them up the way I would like them to be on the dash.. From the right.. 12 volt outlet, Horn button , Key switch / with a power light above, Hour meter, Running lights, Head lights, And the choke will be next to that.. In the back is the relay that will kill the motor when the key is off.. All of this will be on an aluminum panel mounted at a slight angle in front of the control sticks. The only other thing on the rest of the dash will be the original HOLY- SHIT handle in front of the poor passenger. Not considered and not forgotten is a winch control.. later. Got the switches and stuff. mounted to the aluminum ( old deactivated road sign). Just need to cut out the shape and make the bends. The fuse panel will be up inside. Ya… wood grain .. but it’s a bit more to my liking than naked aluminum. The choke is still missing .. and so are the labels. But we have indicator lights for , power on , running lights and head lamps.
This is a far cry from what there originally was on the Bazoo. There was just a key switch , hour meter 12 volt outlet and choke control. The dash panel will easily remove with just four screws for access to the wiring. It took me a whole day to build this.. but I like this kind of stuff. I left the painting of the second coat on the tub till the evening, so I would not be working around wet paint all day.
Nice and shiny.. the way we like it.. After a days curing the tub will go right side up on some stands. Tub’s over… and I was trying the interior covers on for size..
They are now in great shape. I still need to paint the screens satin black. And to figure a way to anchor them down. The seat holds the front one down.. but the motor cover needs a way that makes it easy to lift up. And hopefully no holes in the tub. Got lots of time to figure it out.
After trying several different ways .. I settled on this. hope it’s not to loud for the operator 🙂 Also in the photo is the new gas tank fitting.. threaded in there tight .. should not leak. I will test before I mount the top on the bottom..
I had to work fast before the resin set up.. just got the two together in time.. I used a slim strip of fiber mat and resin as glue. Tomorrow I’ll lift the body up a bit higher for painting.
Sunday February 16 th 2014
Well another Sunday …and more work on the Bazoo to be done. Last night I got the first coat of paint on the top side of the Bazoo. And because I only have just enough paint to finish.. I only painted the interior parts that will show. The plywood that was bolted to the insides of the sides will be replaced with new plywood. That is why I left those holes along the sides unfilled. I plan on staining & varnishing the wood, not painting it. I feel that the plywood helps give strength to the body. As for the second coat.. I will wait till the evening so I’m not working around wet paint all day .. and I’ll do some other stuff..like cleaning and painting the motor..
Motor Time !
So yes I did take the motor apart clean and paint the parts.. It took all day.. but the result is worth it.. High heat paint on the exhaust header, Satin black on the starter , cowl and air intake. Will it run better ? don’t know. It ran fine so now it will look good running fine.
Transmission Time :
It was the transmission’s turn.. So I removed the secondary drive (in background) & the output gear. I slit the case apart and had a good look inside.. nothing wrong..no metal pieces.. So I cleaned the halves and resealed them.. Should be good to go..
I’m also trying something brave.. I painted the rubber headlamp mounts with the flexcoat bumper paint.. They are / were white from the factory.. very grubby and would not clean up.. If the paint won’t stand up to the flexing then I’ll have to think of another way. I’m not doing the white trim thing like from the factory.. I want black.
They are just 35 watt tractor lights.. but I could not find LED’s that are the same size.. These work ok so they stay for now. And I’ll be keeping at least some nostalgic stuff.
The frame got it’s satin black paint job tonight.. and looks good.. Next I’ll be cleaning and painting the bits that go on the frame..
This is a critical part in the 6×6 drive system. It takes the power from the transmission and splits it to the two sides.. and the brakes for steering as well.
This is in very good condition. Not worn down at all. Lots of pad left on the clutches.. and the discs are good. Seen also in the photo is the control handles, they are chrome and I’ll leave them that way. Here’s the Two Clutches & both brakes are put back nice & clean.. Lots of adjustments on this system..
I don’t know what else to call the two split drives that are after the clutches.. so I’ll call them the secondary drives.. The final drives being the chains that join all the wheel axles together. Any Who.. the brunt of the abuse seamed to be here.. A lot of torque is on those small sprockets. And the key way in the axles show it.. ( upper right hand in photo) I bought new keyed 3/4 axle, and new bearings , key stock.. collars too. I took a break for a few days till I could get to Kelowna to get these supplies.. now its time to have at it again..
That’s what it’s called.. It’s an amphibious 6×6 ATV.. Or AATV.. very much like the Argo that everyone is familiar with. This Bazoo was made in 1971.. yes it’s old and kinda rare. Made here in Canada by Otaco Industries in Ont.. there is very little info on these, just a couple of copied brochures and one or two running ones on the forums .. So I’m thinking a cool project indeed.. and This little buggy looks like WAY more fun than a quad. It seats two people… side by side ! has room to carry stuff.. is the same size as a quad.. and goes in water, snow and through the bush.. What’s not to like about that !
So here I have one in my garage. acquired from a fellow lawn tractor guy.. who did not want to bother with the Bazoo.. Mostly original , and a little cosmetically challenged. Just dying to have me put some love into it. Oh.. and the orange is the factory color.. and I intend to keep that.. however newer paint. I’m excited !
Not to forget we are talking about a 42 year old mechanical device here..
The tires are old and cracked / flat . However two unused tires came with it.. so that still leaves four crappy tires. Not really a problem since you can buy six new ones for a reasonable price. I’ve been told the drive chains are “newer” but until I get into this buggy and start testing things out it’s very hard to say what is needed. I can put tubes in the four bad tires so as to be able to drive the Bazoo around.. I can do a compression test on the motor to see if it’s worth spending time on. Then there is other parts such as the transmission that may or may not be good.. anyway I could go on .. but I really need to get the Polaris Quad finished up and gone so I can get going on the Bazoo..
Hmm I was about that age.. in the ad. the kids in the top photo that is ! So the big question ? Is Bazoo spelt with three “o”s ? I’ll be sure to use three in the new decals. As for this post.. I’m lazy and 2 will do.
And Now :
Here’s a quick photo of the motor in the Bazoo. A twin cylinder 2 cycle snowmobile engine. Very simple indeed, at least compared to the Polaris Quad I just worked on.. Now here’s a little info on the motor.. This is a CCW.. or Canadian Curtis Wright 290 cc , and yes Curtis Wright … of Wright Brothers fame makes airplane engines.. But here in the great white north.. the Canadian division made motors for snowmobiles.. Go figure ! The carb on this wonderful piece of history is a Walbro WR6.. and Walbro still makes carbs. so there is parts and info still out there. I printed the carb diagram.. and did a quick dismantle… conclusion.. I’m suspecting there is three missing springs inside the pump in the carb and thus the carb may not work , but we have not tried.. so I’ll be sorting that out first. After tests on the motor.
A Note Here : A bit of news I found out later.. I was told by the fella I bought it from that the motor was a 400cc.. well the label and the model number on the motor disagree. This is the 290 cc twin that was offered as an option for the bazoo. The standard motor being a single 240 cc. That explains why other photos of Bazoo’s have singles in them. Also of note is that the “Bazoo” was only made for two years.. and Otaco industries went though many changes and was bought by American Seat Inc.. and up till 2007 they made seats for buses and trains.. Then closed the doors. They are better known for the tin & cast toys they made in the fifties.
Thinking to myself:
How fortunate that this Bazoo came 99% complete.. all the inside covers, the original seat in good condition, all the original controls.. and a few questionable extras ..like a trailer hitch and some ugly mud flaps. The fuel tank in the front has been abandoned and now one sits in the back next to the motor. I’ll find out why ? The potential for improvement is churning through my mind.. One is the complete power train.. I can get the Hydrostatic drives from a zero-turn mower and then use a Briggs & Stratton V-twin motor that would be newer and easy to repair. That would mean no more transmission, clutches & brakes. Hydro drives would chain drive right to the wheels.. and provide instant reverse and braking on hills.. Think about it …. I am !
Hey While your waiting to see & read what I’ll be doing with this little gem.. or if you’re scratching your head thinking Rob’s lost it again..
Jan 24 2014: and the work starts..
Tonight Dave and I pushed the Bazoo into the shop.. let it thaw out a bit. See those two ply wood cross dividers .. they are gone.. first thing I removed . The second thing on the agenda was to pull all six wheels off. and I was anticipating a problem.. was told by the previous owner that he could not get them off.. stuck ” you need to take a torch to those wheels” .. OK . Well he must have loosened them or?? because they came right off with a bit of a tap of the hammer. Looks messy , but it’s very simple. Dave & I tested the function of the drive line.. and it works good. The transmission shifts ..forward /neutral / reverse like it should .. the chains all seem good and the framework that holds it all together is not rusted or broken. There’s a bit of play in the levers, and the throttle cable was broken.. Minor stuff.. I’m impressed for such an old machine. But as far as use goes…. The Hobbs hour meter.. which looks original .. says 165 hours ! Wow that’s low ! Does it work ? Also it looks to me that someone at sometime replaced five of the drive axles & hubs. I know this because I’ve seen a photo of the factory inner hub.. and there is only one left. And the wheel nuts on that hub are 1/2″ and the others are 9/16″ ? That axle is also the loose one of the bunch.. So it may be the leaking one too.
I took a few parts to work and gave them a bath.. It’s sure good to have the two interior covers.
Testing The Motor:
Before I go taking too much apart.. I need to know the condition of the motor. Part of that involves the use of the starter.. So I needed to sort out the rats nest of wiring.. People do make a mess with the wires.. tons of tape & cable ties. There’s dead end wires , there’s dirty connections and fuses that don’t work… Well then I like to study the wiring diagram.. and in this case it’s not for the Bazoo but instead for the motor. And it turns out to be dead simple.. just like a lawn tractor.. kinda simple. Even the key switch is from a lawn tractor. It has four positions.. off/kill… on with lights… on without lights.. and start. I thought of using a new key switch till I realized that it needs to have a kill circuit in the off position. So I’ll keep the key switch ..it works ok. And what’s this in the photo below ? Checked the compression on the cylinders with two different gauges and we have 118 in both cylinders. That’s respectable considering the age. The spark was good too.
Check out the video.. After having a snowmobile mechanic look at the Walbro carb and tell me that it’s good and we are not missing parts .. Dave & I put it back on and hooked up the gas tank. Had to do a bit of adjusting but finally ..vroooommm… Dave is seen tweaking the mixture.. and the clutch is working too… Bonus ! So now we are getting six tires up and working.. Two are new and two will have tubes put in. These tires are badly cracked.. but I just need them to hold air for a test run.. And I need a new throttle cable, which is a bicycle brake cable. And a new belt for the drive. Then we should be BAZOOING !
Slight change in plan:
I had everything ready, Tires mounted, throttle cable… except the belt was on order.. Then we are standing there looking things over.. and we noticed the motor was not lined up with the secondary drive. And on these belt clutch / drives alignment is everything. So the motor would have to be moved over 3/4 “. Totally not to big a deal.. but a bunch of work none the less. The motor runs good… the Drive line could use a few adjustments.. So I made the decision to forfeit the test drive and get right into the “taking things apart” job. Hey we had the motor out.. anyway..
With the frame removed from the Bazoo it will be easier to work on stuff like mounting the motor. So I went to work on removing the axles & seals … They hold the frame in. I was right about the center axle on the left side.. needs to be replaced / or machined. One out of six … not bad !
All the chains had master links , and so once they are off and the set screws loose on the collars on each axle… they just slide out. Each of the outer seals has four bolts through to the frame rail inside.. The frame is loose now but I need help to lift it onto some saw horses. Then I will have two separate things to work on.. The fiberglass body.. and the frame with all the mechanical stuff. Oh I almost forgot the motor.. I can’t leave it looking like that.. It needs some love too.
Well the frame is out and on the saw horses. And that’s one greasy place where it came from. I also got a few of the external stuff removed like the muffler & the stupid mud flaps.. Just need to remove the plywood from the sides and the top and bottom will separate.
It’s going to be easy to work on the drive up here on the saw horses.. way better than bending over the side of the Bazoo. I plan to remove the transmission and the chains. Then degrease the whole thing at work in the wash bay. Same thing with the bottom fiberglass tub. Lots of cleaning ahead of me here.. I need to think of a way to keep the chains lubricated without the mess. I believe there is a sticky chain lube that won’t get “flung” all over. We can do things better ! I ordered the paint I need for the fiberglass.. I use Interlux Brightsides polyurethane boat paint. I’ve used it before .. pricey but tough. Not wanting to get things mixed up..I used colored cable ties to mark the chains as to where each one goes.. there is nine chains. Same thing with the axles, want them back in the same place they came from.
Here’s the frame stripped of the drive parts and ready for the bath. This weekend I hope to get the body split in two and washed.. as well as the other parts.. The workshop is going to be a bit crowded with so many parts..
Here we have the top & bottom in two pieces. Now I can clean them properly.
Here’s the old gas tank .. looking at it from the underside. I see they had problems with a leak.. It’s been patched , but the outlet is not there.. I’m guessing the outlet fitting would leak and so the new tank was the easy solution.. I would like to fix this and use it again. So that would be one of the improvements.. I have some others that we’ll see about later..
Rub-A-Dub-Dub.. Scrubbing my Tub :
Sunday Feb 2 2014:It took a lot of scrubbing to get the greasy mess out of the bottom of the tub.. All clean now.. so I can see what’s going on .. Found two holes drilled in the bottom.
It would never float for long with all the holes I had to fill today. Once it was warmed up in the shop I mixed up some resin and plugged those UN-needed holes. A lot of messy patching has been done over the 42 years.. so I’ll be trimming some extra lumps down.
That’s quite the heavy duty hitch there ! I had to cut the ball off. Dave & I tried to wrench it off.. no way was it coming off. I’m deciding weather or not to remove the whole hitch .. and put it back on later.. I will keep it though. Ok I did remove it.. cleaning it up and it will get the satin black paint treatment. One thing missing .. is drain plugs. The holes were there.. but they’ve been fiber glassed over.. Need to deal with that.
I’m taking the time to fiber glass the front corners to be like the rear ones… As seen in the photos.. This way I can wrap the edge guard completely around. I will be bonding the top & bottom when I’m done painting..
Funny what you find when you sand the spray paint off.. There’s three LIFE GUARD signs on the Bazoo… all painted over with BLUE ? paint.. on a orange Bazoo. ? WTF. Hmm what stories it could tell… Anyway all this body work is messy / dusty stuff.. so I want to get it done before I work on the frame and motor..
If you look at the photo back when I brought the clean tub back to the shop.. you will see that there is red primer all over the bottom.. And under a very messy layer of fiber glass was two metal plates. One is easy to see.. Presumably to protect the front of the bottom from damage. That would be OK.. but they are badly rusted.. and in a year or two would have dissolved into muck. On top of that they were leaking.. I found that out when I was washing the inside.. Mostly because not much of Buddies glassing job stuck ! I’m careful to sand & clean the surface before putting resin on.. Anyway they are removed and the holes filled and three coats of glass & resin go on the bottom. I have an idea for protecting the bottom from damage. It’s been a lot of work to fix up the bottom tub.. But if you do all this taking apart… don’t put it back together with things wrong.. I DON’T want any leaks. Nor do I want damage from rocks & stuff. So here’s what I have dreamed up for protecting the front of the Bazoo..
Yup.. I’m thinking this would serve best to protect the body of the Bazoo from unwanted bangs & scrapes.. I would make four strong attachment points while I’m glassing.. Build it out of square 3/4 ” tube. Attached to the bottom with metal skid plates… And … Once all the resin on the bottom is dry, I’ll do some more filling and then flip the tub back over and do a bit of reinforcing.. Got my supplies from the fiberglass shop.. including the Interlux paint. The bottom tub is all done ready for paint now. Time to start the top half.. not worried about leaks up there.. but I would like to have it cosmetically nice. Lots of work needed on the left front where Buddy fixed some damage.
Decal Time:
Nailed it !
It’s these little details that really make the restore. I’m having the decals made. Had to do this before I scraped it off.. Another weekend.. more time working on the Bazoo. It’s the top of the body that’s getting the love.
I’m continuing the body work stuff.. like I said I want to get the messy stuff out of the way and clean up after. Above you can see the motor cover is getting a few patches where there was holes.. and Buddy cut slots for the fuel line. Same for the front cover that goes under the seat.. With the body work finished., I cleaned the shop up.. Getting ready for PAINTING ! one of my favorite things to do..
I cleaned up the two interior parts … And mixed my paint.. 1 Quart Fire Red + 1 Quart Yellow. and the color was a pale orange.. most likely because yellow has a touch of white in it.. but after brushing some one.. I liked it.
It’s not a vivid orange for sure.. but it’s easy on the eyes.. Interlux does not have a ready mixed orange.. so this is what I get. This is a polyurethane paint with a hard glossy finish. I used a good brush on these small pieces , but a foam roller will be used on the other big stuff.
I’m slightly ahead of my time…
Actually I’m trying to think ahead.. By gluing these pieces of pipe in there I can keep the wires tucked up out of sight. The long one across the rear is for the tail light wires. Yes there will be tail lights .. Yes they will be LEDs . I can’t help myself.. just got to pimp my ride.
Rolled the first coat of orange on the tub tonight.. It will have overnight to cure good, then it gets a sanding and second coat.. The plan here is after the bottom is all painted then I’ll glue the top on. Then I’ll paint the inside. Last will be the top.
This Post is getting long… So I’m creating a second page
