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Thiokol?

kl1256

New member
Need help to find out what year and model my thiokol is. I bought it to restore. Looking for a manual and miscellaneous parts.
Can anyone help me out.
Thanks
 

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BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
I am sure some old restorer will be along shortly and tell you everything about that model and also who the last 15 owners were too .


Welcome to the best group of restored vintage snowcats owners on the web . If it ain't here it was never made !!!!!
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
that is certainly a 4-t and some other thiokol guys can tell you more about it i kind of like those old cat's because of how they steer
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
looking at your screen name i'm guessing you are also a ham feel free to get on 2 meters and call me up on the alaska reflector some time
 

dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
that is certainly a 4-t and some other thiokol guys can tell you more about it i kind of like those old cat's because of how they steer

Ya I think dds is right..4t of somekind. Maybe we can get Mainer to give a little 4t history lesson---pre 1961??? Mainer???

Is the data plate still inside the cat??
 

Snowcat Operations

Active member
SUPER Site Supporter
That was a 4T10. The cabin looks to have been modified. It is definately early 60s vintage. I have one in my back yard. Does it run?
 
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Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
Need help to find out what year and model my thiokol is. I bought it to restore. Looking for a manual and miscellaneous parts.
Can anyone help me out.
Thanks

The machine is a Thiokol Trackmaster model 4T8N. I'd put it at a 1960/61 given it has the features of the earliest years. The cab is standard design of the earliest models post-University design when Thiokol took over the IP. Notice the narrow track design (hence N) which was more for ice than snow.
The front and rear steel frame parts are non-standard add-ons. The rear tow bar has been beefed up a bit. The bar between the two rear diffs is an add-on after it was determined that the prior steel tube was insufficient and would fail. The standard Thiokol re-issued tube was more substantial however the square stock there is non-standard/home-brew but clearly will do the job. The windows are the right early design... a bit more simplistic than the 61's which leads me to it being a 1960/61. You'll notice the 4T8's had the slightly more slanted front panel design as well which made them somewhat unique as well as the shorter cab design but Thiokol kept the chassis the same. The 4T8 is a bit odd for that reason which is one reason why there were very few produced.

Here are a few pics for your reference....

I add a pic of an early model 4T10 so you can see the cab difference in length and also note the exhaust is early-location same as yours (prior to routing under body). Note the angled door which yours should have as well. I'm not sure why but it seems yours has some sort of either body reinforcements or has had panel replacement...or something else. Sometimes people get their fingers into these and 'do things'...some times proper, sometimes not, hard to say.

The third-to-last pic is the following year 4T10 where they settled in on the final front-end and rear door design...these were the teenage years...this photo has some non-standard bits on it but it's a nice photo that shows back-to-back the rear door comparison and the updated front-angle design.

Then, you'll see the maturation of the Trackmaster 4T10 from teenager to adult and that is in the form of the Thiokol 601--painted proper Air Force blue. This particular example is finest 601 restoration on the planet as meticulously and masterfully done by Weatherby on the forum. The full concours restoration thread was kindly posted by Weatherby and you can use it as reference for some of your work (minus differences of course).

I haven't commented on any of the differences in drive train, track design, etc... as that's been covered under seperate threads that you can research.

It's good to see some more Thiokol discussion after people have been somewhat distracted by all this Tucker conversation... whew. Breath of proper 2-track air. :yum:

You've probably already done it but you can go onto youtube and do some 4T10/601 searches to see them playing in the snow. You'll notice that they are faster than all other cats of the period (exception being the bombi-bus but that's a different type of unit so hard to include in a proper comparison).

Feel free to PM me with questions. If at some point you decide to sell it, please let me know first as the museum could always use more unique specimens.
 

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dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Mainer...that is great history and information...I love the decal on the side of the highly modified 601:w00t2:
 

Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
Don't really think that is a decal........ just a photo shop moment. her foot is covering the tire ever so little. :whistling:

Well, yes, but a 'bad photoshop moment'... I just threw it on there for giggles so I think DLM was being kind... I thought most of us would recognize it as one of our forum members dancing avatars anyway... :boobies:

You guys...keep your eyes on the machinery! :brows:
 

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weatherby

Member
Just another pic. for your viewing pleasure.

Mainer pretty much said it all:thumb: and welcome to the Forum KL1256
 

weatherby

Member
whoops....... forgot the pic in the above post (been away from the PC for to many days)
 

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dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
It is very interesting how the roof has evolved on these very early Thiokols. From a significant curved roof line in the 4VL to slightly curved in the 4T8 to the nearly straight line in the 4T10 and the 600 series

Snoscat.jpg
 

Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
Agree. I think they were looking to ease production with straighter lines (benefit to sheet as well as structural steel templates), as well as increase cargo room on top (again benefits in decrease in curvature). Minimal difference in aerodynamics with exception to some snow build-up post curve peak, but not much to that. Headroom decreased but then they just painted brighter orange on the roof cross-members as warning to all entering the 'low-rider' 6-profile.
Track designs of course are drastically different... and of course window areas and shapes. Leaving drive train out given coverage elsewhere.

I think the bar-pole in the 6-series was a nice add-on for the Air Force gents evening entertainment... 3rd party after-market add-on of course. Rumor was an early snowcat improvement project by some (at the time), young guy out of Brainerd with an eye for entertainment. ;)
 

socal4t12

Member
Nice to see another 4T coming out of the woods for a restro project. Its a shame that there is no data plate to give it a proper date and serial number. When you get a chance, drop your cat and info into the 4T registration thread here. I think youve got the only 4T8 in the site.
 

impster

New member
Hey All, Was wondering what cats used a big gm I-6cyl? I found one in a junk yard. It has the motor facing backwards. No ID of any kind.(just gm on the side of the block) Only seating for one person. Very small cab.(dosen`t look like any kind Kristi, bombi, ect.) maybe a homebuilt unit.(the yard owner sead he "didn`t remember what kind it was but that it wasn`t a homebuilt" It has the all weather tracks.(steel grozers) This thing looks home made to me though! Thanks, Robbie in Wyoming
 

snow dog

New member
Hello Robbie,
If you post a picture there is a good chance you'll get an answer.

By the way, welcome to the forums
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
could be a nodwell i have seen some with gm power plants but never a rear engine the engine could have changed
 

impster

New member
Thanks Guys! I think that it maybe a snow-trac that has been retrofitted with GM power. I saw what was left of the cab and thats what it looks like to me. I also saw that the motor mounts had been really hacked up in order to mount that power plant/3 speed combo.(also has a spedometer that was just hung off the side of the "dash") It has definetly been modded a lot! Don`t know what he wants for it, nor what I`d do with such a thing these days.(as I`m not in broadcasting anymore)Robbie in Wyoming
 
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