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TUCKER TORPEDO Restore

weatherby

Member
After MUCH thought I decided to restore this 1949 Tucker torpedo, I don't think I need to say it is "truly" a basket case

After acquiring this torpedo from "forum member" Dan (Thepooguy) and getting it home, I then started dismantling it to take a long hard look at it, and determined there is still enough of it left to use as a pattern to build a new one.

All the important parts were still there, like the original engine, radiator, trans, dash and gauges, drive shaft, rear end, and the fuel tank. All the sheet metal and the entire frame will have to replaced and/or made. It took a lot of effort and time researching to determine how much of my frame is original and what has been changed so I could make a blueprint for a new frame, trying to create the curve of the front end and the up sweep curve on the back bottom was the most difficult to get to match the curves that the factory created.

I have to mention that Dan "Thepooguy" and Bill "snotrans" have been a HUGE help in educating me on these very old Tuckers along with sharing what they know and all there many leads and pictures of other torpedoes.:tiphat:

The first three pic is what a 1949, 50, 51 torpedo is supposed to look like, the following pics are what mine looked like when I took delivery of it:whistling:
 

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weatherby

Member
This is mine looks like
 

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Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
after the 601 project i will look forward to seeing how this one turns out it will likely see more snow time once it's done than Big Al's krusty
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Thats the one I hauled up to Bill from California!!!! . Did you also get the trailer ?The guy still has the original front skis up at his mine , I think . I may be able to put you in contact with him.

OOPS ! I should have read a little better . I see the first pictures are of Bills . I was told that was NOT a Topedo Tucker but a experimental model ????????
 

dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Thank goodness the "Sharp's" sign is still on!!! Awesome project...I am sure you will set the bar once again!!:wow:
 

weatherby

Member
The Old Trucker....The cab you see in the background is a 1973 542 Tucker, I was going to start a restore on it till I came across this torpedo, I then decided to do the torpedo first. I am going to restore this torpedo to as original as I can.

Big AL...You may be correct, I have as of yet, been able to find out how long Tucker made this style or how many of this style they ever made. The only other one of this style I have ever see is the one you took to Bill's, that he now owns. My data plate refers to it as a 420

The older ones that they did call a torpedo (like in my avatar and signature) did not have the nose piece.

I am still unsure about a lot of things about these old vintage Tuckers:confused2:
 

weatherby

Member
In my first post, I referred to Forum member "Thepooguy" as Dan, I meant to say Dave NOT Dan.........Sorry Dave:oops:
 

AAUTOFAB1

Bronze Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Looks like a great poject Weatherby,do you know what the letters on the side had said? was it used for scinic touring on a mountain...
 

northeastheavy

New member
Those have to be one of the coolest snowcats out there!!! Great that there will be one more around instead of disappearing!!!. Keep the pictures coming!!
icon14.gif
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Wasn't the Tucker Torpedo featured in the movie "How to Marry a Millionaire" with Marylin Monroe and (I think) Lauren Becall?
 

weatherby

Member
Melensdad....The tucker in that movie was a 423 as opposed to mine which is a 420. and I don't "think" they called a 423 a torpedo, but there are a lot of unknowns pertaining to these older Tuckers.

I have been told, back in the early days "1940s" that a cat that Tucker would build on Monday would not be exactly the same to the one they would build on Tuesday even though it was the same model. A lot of ideas were drawn out with chalk on a welding table or the shop floor then swept up at the end of the day

The is a pic of Forum member "Thepooguy" 423 like in the movie... "How to marry a millionaire".
 

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weatherby

Member
AAutofab1...I believe the letters on the side said "Pond MT. New York" and from my researching, I think it spent most of it's life in up state New York.

Northeastheavy...I agree with you, something this rare and unique needs to be saved!
 

thepooguy

Member
hey kev, great to see got started! if you need patterns for anything let me know. have you found pontoons and tracks yet? dave
 

Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm looking forward to following this thread!

It'll be great to see the restoration unfold at the hands of "a true master craftsman".
 

weatherby

Member
After dismantling the torpedo, I seen that the frame has been repaired and broken then repaired again just too many times, there were too many pieces of extra framing added with very poor workmanship, I then decided I would just build a complete new frame.

I have never given it much thought before, BUT, after looking at the curve that Tucker put in the angle iron frame (for the front end) and the square tubing used for the framing on the sides, I started to wounded how they did it AND if I could duplicate there process, because it looked perfect, no kinks or waves in the angle iron and the same for the square tubing, no bulges or depressions in the walls of the tubing. So after reading up on how to bend square tubing and angle iron by hand, I proceeded to attempt the process, and after about two weeks of trying to build a "bending jig" to get the correct curves and after many attempts at bending, I decided I just don't have the correct equipment to do perfect bends in the angle iron or the square tube. The most important thing that I needed was a "big" steel topped table (welding table) at least 4' x 10' and then it would need to be bolted to the floor and then I needed enough room to bend or swing a 14' long piece of angle iron, I have nether.

I then started calling and searching the Web for somebody that had the equipment and the dies to bend angle iron, well to make a long story short, I did find a guy within 80mi from me that could do it, and within one hour after he started he had all my bends done, and they looked perfect.
 

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weatherby

Member
Thepooguy...Thanks, you are #1 on my go-to list, and I must confess....... I gotcha on speed dial also:biggrin:......And NO, I still need pontoons and tracks. The guy in Maine decided he only had enough "good" pontoons for himself, and felt the remaining toons were not much better than what I have. So I am STILL searching!!!!

Blackfoot Tucker.....Also THANKS, for all the schooling you have shared with me on Tucker Sno-Cats along with your contacts at Tucker:thumb:
 

AAUTOFAB1

Bronze Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Thanks weatherby, all my projects are on hold, ether because of parts,time,or money........at least i can live vicariously in your shop drink a beer and see progress on something cool,:beer: reps coming your way for rescuing yet another soon to be work of art.


:clap:
 

weatherby

Member
The first three pics show my attempt at creating a "jig" to bend the curve in the new frame, I did get it to form to the jig as you can see in the third pic, however, the legs of the angel iron were still too wavy after I removed it from the jig, which you can't see in the pic. So after many attempts trying different methods and scraping out several 14' long pieces of angel iron, I decided to find someone with the correct tooling to bend angle iron.

After finding the guy that can bend angle iron, I cut the front end off of the original frame and took it with me so he could use it as somewhat of a template to make the curve's in the new angle iron.
 

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weatherby

Member
I used lengths of aluminum "C" channel as straight edges to keep everything square and flat, then began to "tac" weld the frame together. Some of the cross pieces you see are tac welded on only to help keep the frame square and at the correct width, they will be removed later.
 

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thepooguy

Member
hey kevin.....all i can say is WOW. very very big job to take on. your going to have a brand new machine when your done and im sure much better than what could have been achieved in 1949. i see you found a new nose piece.......what did it come off from? again very cool thread going here. dave
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Honestly ????? Do you have to do such perfect work ?????:mellow:
This thread makes me want to go throw rocks at my KT7 . I hate you :wink:

Ok ...... I bow to the master ...... happy now ?????
 

weatherby

Member
Honestly ????? Do you have to do such perfect work ?????:mellow:
This thread makes me want to go throw rocks at my KT7 . I hate you :wink:

Ok ...... I bow to the master ...... happy now ?????

Look who's calling the kettle Black.........I remember about 4 or 5 years ago, YOU were the one that started this sickness of restoring these old, unique, worn out, snow cat's and posting all those pics of your fantastic KT7 restore (which is now the nicest Kristy on the planet).... So don't blame me for trying to reach that bar that YOU set so "expensively" high, that I am now considering selling my "Lionel train collection" just to create more funds to buy damaged, rusty, worn out, Tucker steel tracks.....YEAH that's right...Sell my train collection....There, I said it:glare: ............... THANKS A LOT!!!!

Seriously though .....Thanks for the complement, and if your going to bow to the master of restoration, you better be standing in front of a mirror:thumb:
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Seriously though .....Thanks for the complement, and if your going to bow to the master of restoration, you better be standing in front of a mirror:thumb:

The man's got a point....anyone who can bring a Kristi snowcat back from the dead has got to be a master of restoration.:w00t2:
 

Mtn-Track

Member
REALLY nice work there, Kevin!

I guess I never considered that the rear axle on these had leaf springs, especially with how close the tracks are to the body.:unsure:

Can't wait to see her come together!
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Kevin , I responed to your PM . You need to clean out some room for my incoming reply .
Allen
 
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