• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

I'm a Kristi, not a coma patient!

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
I found I needed an exhaust heat exchanger to keep my carb from turning into a block of ice while operating in ground storms.
 

Scotg1107

New member
after filling the clamshell housings i decided to make a cold air intake. I've had this idea in my head for a few weeks, like the factory piece but with an air filter. made it out of some drop material and the air cleaner i already had. tomorrow I'll blast and paint it, then clamp the hose down.


RAM AIR!!! :punk:

Love the cold air intake, nice job. It's been a month or so since I've had the hood open on mine but I could swear it had something similar that looked stock now I'll have to go out tomorrow and check. Crazy about the clam shells fingers crossed that a broken drive chain is my issue.
 

Kristi Kt-4

Member
Don't laugh but I remember reading in my Kt-4 manual that it is on a pre-flight checklist to check the final drive fluid level each day before use. It also said that some seepage was common and to just top it off with fresh gear oil. I will have to find the paragraph in the manual. I bought a Kt-3 that ran and drove onto the trailer for parts to keep the Kt-4 going. I bought it mainly for the final drives since they are a Kristi exclusive part. The other thing I thought of using someday is the hydraulic pump for the hydraulics since mine was long gone along with the control valve. I still have the cylinders and lines but somewhere in its life that was removed and a new dash installed also. The only thing I ended up using so far were the tracks and I had to cut off about 3 inches from the inside since the sprockets are a different mold. The belting was rubbing on the final drives. Its supposed to be a parts machine but I think this next summer it is going to get some new tracks or its old ones back. It is needing some love but is better than a parts cat!
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I found I needed an exhaust heat exchanger to keep my carb from turning into a block of ice while operating in ground storms.

funny you bring it up as i was just having this conversation on another forum.
i have been wondering how it will do in extreme cold. worst case scenario i can remove the hose if icing is an issue. to this day i have never seen a kristi with heat risers. seems they were all chopped off at the factory as far as i can tell. i cant speak for the snowtrac but i know the kristi engine bay is a very warm place and if you look closely over the years they kept adding more ways to vent the heat out of the engine compartment, wonder if the cold air tube was added later.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
Don't laugh but I remember reading in my Kt-4 manual that it is on a pre-flight checklist to check the final drive fluid level each day before use. It also said that some seepage was common and to just top it off with fresh gear oil. I will have to find the paragraph in the manual. I bought a Kt-3 that ran and drove onto the trailer for parts to keep the Kt-4 going. I bought it mainly for the final drives since they are a Kristi exclusive part. The other thing I thought of using someday is the hydraulic pump for the hydraulics since mine was long gone along with the control valve. I still have the cylinders and lines but somewhere in its life that was removed and a new dash installed also. The only thing I ended up using so far were the tracks and I had to cut off about 3 inches from the inside since the sprockets are a different mold. The belting was rubbing on the final drives. Its supposed to be a parts machine but I think this next summer it is going to get some new tracks or its old ones back. It is needing some love but is better than a parts cat!

deffinetly not laughing. infact, i was surprised when i read the kt3 maintenance manual, mine states regular checking of the final drive oil is only needed if its noticed to leak. . . what the hell?? no mention of periodical oil changes or anything. "no wonder they fail" i thought to myself. obviously the extra weight of the kt4 made someone wake up and put some final drive maintenance in writting.

its understandable, to save a kt4 one must sacrifice a kt3. . . . hopefully you can keep them both alive. as I recall, the final drive is a single chain followed by a double chain. . . wonder if there is room inside to double up both chain loops. could be the end all fix for these hard to find parts. something to look into next spring when mine comes apart.
 
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KT3survivor

Active member
Love the cold air intake, nice job. It's been a month or so since I've had the hood open on mine but I could swear it had something similar that looked stock now I'll have to go out tomorrow and check. Crazy about the clam shells fingers crossed that a broken drive chain is my issue.

wish i lived closer. nothing but time right now and i really am interested in this double chain idea so id like to take some measurments and start fab work, just dont want to take mine apart untill the snow melts. when you do take yours apart, take a :shitHitFan: load of pics and post them up.

after searching all morning i cant seem to find the open clam pics im after :mrgreen: i know i have seen them before.
anyone have any clamshells kicking around?? (haha yeah right)
 

peace

New member
Hi,

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and have been slowly restoring a KT-3 of my own. I have enjoyed watching your progress this winter. The clam shells are relatively simple assemblies, which consist of two gears connected by double roller chain inside the housing.

If you follow the link below and scroll down the page, there are some pictures of the internals from Big Al's restoration:

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=33743

If it helps any, I can see if I have any pictures from when I tore down and reassembled the clam shells on my KT-3 last winter.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
thank you and welcome. congratulations on the KT3. this really is turning into the year of the kristi. you should post some pics of it. as i always say, this place could use a little more kristi positivity. snowtrac guys like to get going on a hate parade around here and most of them have never even experienced, drivin, taken a ride, or even looked at one in person. . . . pretty sad really. reporting unfounded opinions as facts like CNN hahahahaha

thank you for the link. i knew i had seen pics somewhere, should have known they were courtesy of big al. I was remembering it wrong. just a straight double roller inside. maybe we could squeeze a couple fat chains in there for an upgrade :w00t2:
 

KT3survivor

Active member
Went for a nice cruise on the mesa today. Cat ran well. on the way back we had a slight problem with fuel pressure but nothing major. 50 year old fuel pump starting to show its age. the high-low-reverse shifter still likes to pop out of gear on occasion, one more thing to look into.



still not enough of an issue to warrent a tow strap. I'm sure all you haters get more dissapointed with every post I make that doesn't end with a break down. too bad. I'm working with so little and im still out getting it done. someone had quite a laugh when i said i couldn't afford new rubber belting this year because it cost $2k. I have put this thing together on nickles and dimes and it shows. I lost the drag race. not surprising. factory backed restoration vs. some guy living on broke street.

Still had a great time meeting up with Tom and the family. Katy is a beautiful machine and i couldn't have spent the day with a better group of people. It was a pleasure meeting everyone, getting to see a Tucker 443 so minty fresh was a real treat. Its no stretch of the imagination to say that cat looks better today than it did when it left the factory in 1963.





 

tom

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
You won't get any flack from me. I think you have done a great job with your machine. Yours was the first I've actually seen running around and it did well. Would like to go again when you have time.. today was perfect! I looked for years for my machine and saved my money so be patient. It's true what they say.. "Snowcat's will get you through times with no money more than money will get you through times with no Snowcat"..:clap:
 

KT3survivor

Active member
thank you sir. kind words mean alot. its always a balance. the machinist in me wants everything spec'd perfect but I'm forced to walk a fine "do-it-yourself" line with what little I have to invest at the moment.

seeing your machine in action makes it quite clear why people love Tuckers. I applaud you and the tucker clan for a job very well done. wise investment. no question about that. :respect:
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I ordered a brand new Bendix electric fuel pump. its the same 12v aviation style pump that it had originaly so here's to another 50+ years of service :beer:

Probably take my original apart and rebuild it, keep it in the machine as a spare.

 

KT3survivor

Active member
takes awhile to get parts from the czech republic. worth it. direct replacement and I love the yellow zinc finish.





I find it interesting that one pump was manufactured in new york 55 years ago and the other was made in west germany 30 some years ago but they are the same brand and nearly identical. new one sounds much better. think im good to go for the vail cat jamboree but I would like to get a distributor with more advance before then.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I cant say the weekend went without a hitch. . . but i never saw a tow strap and for me thats a mark in the win column. here's how it went down.

woke up late friday, checked the air pressure on the cat and the trailer, then loaded up and hit the road. everytime we stopped someone wanted to chat, admire or ask just exactly what is that thing on the trailer?? but everyone seemed to dig the machine. lots of thumbs up from passers by.
we arrived at camp hale headed up the hill towards ptarmagain ridge and got a little lost for a moment, but the kristi climbed on. once near the top i stopped to check the map and let the machine cool off, i noticed a small oil leak coming from the oil pressure sensor i had rigged up for my oil light. nothing major so i topped off the oil and tractored on.
I finally spotted the group of snowcats parked ontop of machine gun ridge so we headed that way. half way up the hill, right as a couple machines came down the kristi just shuts off. no idea whats happened i couldnt even get out on the steep incline without rolling back. luckily the nice gentleman in the prinoth pulled behind me and set his blade down to act as a wheel chalk.
popping the hood it only took a few seconds to spot the problem. my coil had broken away from the fan shroud mounting and pulled one of the wires in the process. easy fix with some zipties and a new spade connector, we were motoring again. thanks to everyone who offered to help us out. it was great to have so many helping hands and not one negative kristi comment was heard. a nice surprise to say the least!

the rest of the weekend went well. got to meet lovethemvws, gave him a ride before the end of the day. looking forward to seeing his kristi on the hill next year. my battery hold down shook itself loose as did my air cleaner and throttle linkage but again, all easy fixes.

the last issue we had happened about 200 yards from the trailer. motoring along we watched as the driverside exhaust stack broke off just above the hood and fell under the track. so much for my original factory exhaust! time to upgrade and repair for next season.

overall we had a great time at the first annual colorado snowcat jamboree. the KT-3 was very well recieved and got much love from everyone. glad we could be a part of this event that is sure to grow in the coming years. thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, helping hands, advice, zipties, burgers, moonshine, and good vibes. this is one event we wont be missing out on in the future.











 

mtncrawler

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
We all Loved the Kristy and missed you guys at the afternoon picnic Saturday. Next year-more Kristy's!
 

vintagebike

Well-known member
Nice rides!

Those sure are a bunch of great looking Cats! We hope to see many of them in McCall next year. I know now I'll have to put a lot more wax on mine.:clap::clap::clap:
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
well don't feel bad in the 600 miles I put on the snot trac it came home on a tow bar twice. Frst with snow tracs if one finds him self finally needing to adjust the drive chains,you might consider replacing them.it Is likely the bushings in the chain are shot and a pin will fail shortly after.Second time was out of the blue the starter decided to die after 4 years of having 12 volts run through it I suppose it was time to die. Also replaced a rear tire I was afraid was going to blow my good used one did blow out meaning spending 4 hours shoveling another good one out of the snow. it was a crappy Iditarod for me I think I can put some blame on the rental I did last year and the fact it was driven on a lot of sand
 

KT3survivor

Active member
believe it or not this project is still underway albeit a sloth pace. its got a hot date at the exhaust shop next week and a few more repairs to do but it will be at the colorado snowcat jamboree for a third year.
 

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Sno-Surfer

Active member
believe it or not this project is still underway albeit a sloth pace. its got a hot date at the exhaust shop next week and a few more repairs to do but it will be at the colorado snowcat jamboree for a third year.

There must be an award for the Kristi that puts on the most miles per year. I bet you’re in the running, you and KT7. :smile:
 

KT3survivor

Active member
There must be an award for the Kristi that puts on the most miles per year. I bet you’re in the running, you and KT7. :smile:

there are a couple guys here in grand junction with a few kristi's that get out quite a bit, I bet they could take that award no problem!

mine hasn't hit the snow as much as I would like the past year, partially due to lack of snow (last season) and not much free time with work and chasing a 1yr old around the house. but we are looking forward to the colorado snow cat party and I'm excited to get up into montezuma bowl this year.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
hand filed a badge for the rear of the cat out of some billet aluminium drop. tried my best to go with the same script as the OG front emblem..
 

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KT3survivor

Active member
resting the knee, waiting for parts, cat is at the exhaust shop. here are a few never before seen personal favorite photos from the 2018 Colorado snowcat jamboree
 

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KT3survivor

Active member
today i salvaged the heat shields off of the factory exhaust. once the pipes were out i straightened the one that got run over twice. checked in at the muffler shop last thursday and the cat was 'bout half way. once he is finished i'll weld these back on along with the new flaps. eventually (probably summer time) get the entire exhaust system ceramic coated. found a tachometer that matches the factory gauges well. also finally got a spare for the kristi trailer! slowly but surely getting my shit together
 

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KT3survivor

Active member
I would like to give an overdue thanks to ken, a.k.a. luvthemvws for hooking me up with a free Holley 2100 two barrell carb also known as the "bugspray" along with a couple intake manifolds that will bolt on to the single port.

I am relatively certain that the stock solex 28 is far too small for my HI-PO 1384. While Ken and I have had many conversations on the subject im concerned that the Holley might be a little big for a sub 1.4 litre at elevations above 10,000ft but i'm hoping we can cure that with the right jets. the intake manifolds are a huge improvement over the stock T shaped split and the new exhaust will have 2 oxygen sensor bungs welded in for much easier tuning. time to order a carb rebuild kit and get this setup ready. I also have started piecing together another distributor with an electronic pickup and more advance than my stock one. hopefully Tom will give me a re-match once i get my tune dialed in
 

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KT3survivor

Active member
kristi's don't need heat risers. you can't change my mind. :boxing:
 

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luvthemvws

Active member
That carb/intake swap looks to have real potential! I suggest you brace the carburetor to the fan shroud so it doesn't rock back and forth when throttle is applied. And, if you can score a crankshaft from a 1500 or 1600 engine, you would greatly enhance the mid-range power of the engine as well.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
That carb/intake swap looks to have real potential! I suggest you brace the carburetor to the fan shroud so it doesn't rock back and forth when throttle is applied. And, if you can score a crankshaft from a 1500 or 1600 engine, you would greatly enhance the mid-range power of the engine as well.


thanks ken, good points. that carb is probably 3 times heavier than the solex plus the kristi linkage adds even more stress to the carb mounting so it will need bracing for sure. and i would love to get a 69mm crank and have the bottom end balanced in this thing. more torque and increased RPM would be some key ways to improve a kristi with the gears bieng so short.
 

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