1979 1642 coversion to a 1644

[Tuckerterra2000]

So with the winter coming to a screaching halt in northern New England, starting to think about my summer project that awaits...

I am planning on making my 1642 a 1644. I have moderate fabrication skills and I have looked everything over in good shape and appears that it shouldn't be too hard of a project provided I can find some of the parts and pieces I'll need...

I am starting off early to find some of the items I will need so when the time comes I don't have to chase those parts.

The part I am most concerned about finding is the windows. Does anyone know where I can find an original style window like the one in the front doors of a late 70s-early 80s tucker.

Also wondering about the door hinges and rear seat. I have already found the door latches.

Also open to ideas, recommendations, tips, ect if you have any. I have been following some of the the larger project threads on here.

Thanks much!

P.s. I am also going to put damper wheels on the remaining 3 carriers this summer. After putting and running them on the left rear carrier this winter, the noise reduction of thay corner is unbelievable and I can't wait to have the other tracks just as quite!

 

[Track Addict]

Did you get that cat from Forks/Greenville Maine area?

 

[Tuckerterra2000]

Did you get that cat from Forks/Greenville Maine area?

Yes sir, it was a friend of mine who had it. Bought it from him this summer, it is still in the West Forks, just a couple miles north of where it used to live. It is the same machine I learned to groom in years ago when it was part of the club.
How did you know this?

 

[Track Addict]

I talked to the guy selling it . Said a local guy was buying it and it was going to a good home.

Was a good deal with the drag.

I like your damper mod. Love to get rid of that track clack!

 

[LakeTucker]

Seems like a resto mod? Look at that dash! Nice.

 

[Tuckerterra2000]

I talked to the guy selling it . Said a local guy was buying it and it was going to a good home.

Was a good deal with the drag.

I like your damper mod. Love to get rid of that track clack!

Yeah, I can certainly get my money back out of it if I had to. Very glad to have it especially since I am so active in the snowmobile club.

I highly recommend that damper mod, for the cost and headache it really quiets it down so much that it is worth it!

Seems like a resto mod? Look at that dash! Nice.

Exactly! Restoring it back to good shape but upgrading and changing a lot to make inprovements and fit our needs per-say.

I am excited to have a back seat to carry my dogs and extra gear in the cab and an occasional extra passenger.

 

[KickerM]

Like the dash! What are you using for your setup?

 

[Tuckerterra2000]

Like the dash! What are you using for your setup?

It is a system called "one guage". I originally had ordered all new analog guages but then found the "one guage" system. After looking into it I calculated that it would actually be cheaper as well as show more perimeters to go with the one-guage system.
I knew it wouldn't look original but I am going for functionality over originality with the resto-mod.
Currently I have the following sensors hooked up and display:
GPS speed
Altitude
Attitude (bank amd pitch)
Machine miles
Machine hours
Outside air temp
Engine coolant temp
Rpm
Fuel amount
Oil pressure
Batter voltage
Compass

I also have a transmission temp sensor to hook up once I put an auto in it.

It displays manifold air pressure but I dont have that sensor wired. I think I may change it from MAP to a hydraulic temp guage instead since it does not have a turbo.

Although there are a few bugs I got to work out of the system, (Mike at One Gauge has been very helpful with seting-up, adjusting, and changing ) I have been happy so far.

 

[Blackfoot Tucker]

My snowcat buddy Scott and I converted a 1979 1642 into a 1643. It was a LOT of work. We tried to do it to the best of our ability, and gave considerable thought to how we would go about it. We tried to do it basically like Tucker did, though with some improvements to their design. If we had cut some corners it would have been a whole lot easier, faster and cheaper. But we didn’t do that. For example, the roof panel on a two door Tucker is a lot shorter than the one on either a three or four door cab. I think on most cab conversions people will try and add on to the existing roof. We wanted a one-piece roof panel, which meant getting a big sheet of 5052 alloy aluminum .063 thick and then trying to roll the curves into the roof and form the rain/drip channels. Scott deserves 100% of the credit for doing that, and it turned out very well.

The sliding windows were (I believe) made by a company in Southern California named Levan. About a year ago I tried finding some window latch hardware for Levan widows and got absolutely no where. My impression is they are no longer in business. I did call a company that makes RV windows, and the conversation was laughable:

Me: “I’m looking to get a ballpark price on some new sliding RV windows.”

Sales Rep: I’ll need the dimensions of the windows, the corner radius, window thickness, frame thickness (and more)…”

Me: “I don’t have that information handy, so how about I give you the overall dimensions and get an idea of the price before I take the time to get the specifics”.

Sales Rep: “That makes sense. What are the dimensions?”

Me: (I supplied the rough dimensions.)

Sales Rep: "Those would cost about $1,600 each, but could be more”.

Me: "Well, there’s no point in getting more accurate specifications because there is no way I’ll pay that kind of money for some simple windows.”

End of conversation….

Looking at the photos of your machine, I believe the hinges were made by Eberhard, and the hinges are: Left Hand P/N 5867-L-25 and Right Hand P/N 5867-R-25. You will need to slightly modify them. Here’s a link to the left hand version: https://www.eberhard.com/product/hinges/5867-l-25.

There are some flanged plastic (nylon?) bushings that the pin (or bolt) goes through. It looks like your hinges are maybe missing those bushings from the way the hinges are askew. A VERY nice sales rep at Eberhard named Jo Anne kindly sent me a bunch of the bushings gratis as they aren’t sold separately. Sometime during the 1980 production year Tucker changed the door hinges to a different style and I think those are better. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the manufacturer was/is.

As far as seats go, the front seats in the 1979 and two 1980 Tuckers were identical to the rear seats in my 1980 four door cab. Our 1986 1544 has a rear bench seat with a sliding drawer below. The rear bench looks to have been made by Tucker, and without much imagination. For example, the front seats have a glossier black vinyl with a diamond stitching pattern whereas the rear seat is a dull black vinyl with no stitching. The front seats and the rear bench all have tears in the vinyl and before we sell it I'll get them reupholstered with identical material and similar stitching patterns. Not difficult, or particularly expensive, but apparently beyond Tucker's "standards".

In essentially every project I’ve ever done, at the end there are what I call “would-a, should-a, could-a” items. In our case a big one was making the cab wider. To be fair, Scott suggested this more than once, but I didn’t want to expand the scope of the project to do that. And then in other ways we did, so it wouldn’t have been THAT much extra work to have done it in the first place. I would humbly suggest you give that some consideration.

I look forward to following your progress!

 

[Tuckerterra2000]

My snowcat buddy Scott and I converted a 1979 1642 into a 1643. It was a LOT of work. We tried to do it to the best of our ability, and gave considerable thought to how we would go about it. We tried to do it basically like Tucker did, though with some improvements to their design. If we had cut some corners it would have been a whole lot easier, faster and cheaper. But we didn’t do that. For example, the roof panel on a two door Tucker is a lot shorter than the one on either a three or four door cab. I think on most cab conversions people will try and add on to the existing roof. We wanted a one-piece roof panel, which meant getting a big sheet of 5052 alloy aluminum .063 thick and then trying to roll the curves into the roof and form the rain/drip channels. Scott deserves 100% of the credit for doing that, and it turned out very well.

The sliding windows were (I believe) made by a company in Southern California named Levan. About a year ago I tried finding some window latch hardware for Levan widows and got absolutely no where. My impression is they are no longer in business. I did call a company that makes RV windows, and the conversation was laughable:

Me: “I’m looking to get a ballpark price on some new sliding RV windows.”

Sales Rep: I’ll need the dimensions of the windows, the corner radius, window thickness, frame thickness (and more)…”

Me: “I don’t have that information handy, so how about I give you the overall dimensions and get an idea of the price before I take the time to get the specifics”.

Sales Rep: “That makes sense. What are the dimensions?”

Me: (I supplied the rough dimensions.)

Sales Rep: "Those would cost about $1,600 each, but could be more”.

Me: "Well, there’s no point in getting more accurate specifications because there is no way I’ll pay that kind of money for some simple windows.”

End of conversation….

Looking at the photos of your machine, I believe the hinges were made by Eberhard, and the hinges are: Left Hand P/N 5867-L-25 and Right Hand P/N 5867-R-25. You will need to slightly modify them. Here’s a link to the left hand version: https://www.eberhard.com/product/hinges/5867-l-25.

There are some flanged plastic (nylon?) bushings that the pin (or bolt) goes through. It looks like your hinges are maybe missing those bushings from the way the hinges are askew. A VERY nice sales rep at Eberhard named Jo Anne kindly sent me a bunch of the bushings gratis as they aren’t sold separately. Sometime during the 1980 production year Tucker changed the door hinges to a different style and I think those are better. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the manufacturer was/is.

As far as seats go, the front seats in the 1979 and two 1980 Tuckers were identical to the rear seats in my 1980 four door cab. Our 1986 1544 has a rear bench seat with a sliding drawer below. The rear bench looks to have been made by Tucker, and without much imagination. For example, the front seats have a glossier black vinyl with a diamond stitching pattern whereas the rear seat is a dull black vinyl with no stitching. The front seats and the rear bench all have tears in the vinyl and before we sell it I'll get them reupholstered with identical material and similar stitching patterns. Not difficult, or particularly expensive, but apparently beyond Tucker's "standards".

In essentially every project I’ve ever done, at the end there are what I call “would-a, should-a, could-a” items. In our case a big one was making the cab wider. To be fair, Scott suggested this more than once, but I didn’t want to expand the scope of the project to do that. And then in other ways we did, so it wouldn’t have been THAT much extra work to have done it in the first place. I would humbly suggest you give that some consideration.

I look forward to following your progress!

Thank you so much for such a detailed and well written reply!

Definitely have some good points in there. As far as a roof, I haven't really decided what I'm going to do. I do know that it would be a lot easier just to add on to the existing roof although I also know that technically isn't the correct way of doing it. I do not have the resources to roll the roof but I do have a very good working relationship with a large fabrication shop a couple miles from me and I figured I would have to involve them for that part of it.
It does appear that most of the rear seats I see look pretty simply made, even in the newer extended cab tuckers there's not much to them.

As far as a Windows, I got thinking that the windows look pretty similar to some truck cap windows.I might see if there is a company that makes replacement truck cap windows that could come up with something to match existing windows.
A friend of mine believes he knows where there is a cab to an old Tucker sitting down at an old Lodge up near Jackman. I am not sure if it is a four-door or even the year . He doesn't think I will be able to find it until the snow melts but once the snow melts he knows the guy that owns the land and if there's anything left of it he believes I can have it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but there is roof and doors there.

I definitely hear you. The narrow calves and making it wider. As silly as it sounds, I do sort of like the narrow cab, it's cozy and makes me feel like I'm in a small aircraft. But that is a biggest reason I want to put a back seat because there's literally no room to bring anything with in the cab if someone is riding, even a cooler or camera bag.

Thanks for the information on the hinges, I will certainly take a look!