A few weeks ago, there was a 2-day vintage snowmobile show at Gateway Lodge. I should have posted it prior to the event but dropped the ball on that one. The first day these incredible machines were displayed in front of the lodge and the second day the owners rode the sleds to Bents Camp and then returned to Gateway. I’m sure if anyone saw these old snowmobiles on the trails during that ride, they looked twice, because most are over 55 years old and look totally different from the ones we ride today.

I wrote before about how cool old sleds are and the number of vintage shows and rides there are across the Northwoods. But bringing an old sled back to life can be fun or an unpleasant task. I DO NOT want to discourage anyone that would like to put an old snowmobile back on the trail, because the finished product can be awesome. When you ride up to a bar or a resort on a vintage sled and everyone is looking at your sled, that’s when you know the restoration was worth all your hard work and money.

Finding a vintage snowmobile that has been restored by someone else is one way to have one that’s ready to ride. Also purchasing one of these machines could save you time and the headaches that can come with bringing an old snowmobile back to live. There are a few things you should consider before starting any project like this.

There are popular sleds like Arctic Cats, Ski Doo’s, Polaris, Yamaha’s and even John Deere’s, that many parts are easy to find, but some parts are a little harder. Then there are the Rupp’s, Massey Ferguson’s, Johnson’s, Moto-Ski’s just to name a few, that parts are really hard to find or next to impossible to find. If you have a snowmobile, make or model in mind, check the internet for a list of parts that are available for that snowmobile. By doing so, it could save yourself money and a lot of aggravation down the line.

Let’s say you find an old sled and its overall condition isn’t too bad.  Here’s two things to do that could make a big difference in the cost of restoring this sled. 1)  Pull the recoil to make sure the engine isn’t seized up. 2) Do a compression test. Engines can be very expensive to rebuild and internal parts hard to find. If it turns over and there is good (around 120psi) compression, you just lowered the cost of restoring that sled.

You can find old snowmobiles that have been sitting for 30 or even 50 years with low miles that you can start and keep running by using starting fluid. Other times the gas tank, gas lines and carbonators will need to be cleaned, rebuilt or replaced. Again, keep in mind the price and availability of the parts. You most likely will have to clean the gas tank, rebuild the carburetors and will want to replace/rebuild the primary & secondary clutches.

You might need to replace the recoil, speedometer, throttle & choke cables, suspension parts, track, and skies.  Then the seat might need to be reupholstered, and the hood may need fiber glass work and decals. This is a lot of work and the best advice I can give is, go to vintage swap meets and talk to people about restoring your old sled. They WILL BE happy to talk to you and point you in the right direction.

Once a restoring project like this is done, I’m sure you will be very happy, because everyone will be staring at your sled when you’re at a pit stop.