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SnowChicken Bombi Build

HillBilt

Active member
Started bending some hoop yesterday. Got most of it tacked together.
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Bobcatbob

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
You have excellent taste in your illumination standards!

Your fab work looks fantastic! The running board will be a real help getting in the cab....wish I would of thought of that. What are you using to reinforce the rollbars to the frame?

Great mods! I’ll have a “mod” to post in the next few weeks....it’ll be purely aesthetic, no functionality other than a cool factor.

Bob
 
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HillBilt

Active member
Thanks guys! :beer::beer:

Bob-The roll bar or rack is basically just to mount lights and snowboard and ski racks. Its pretty solid, if you look at the plates and tubing I added to support the factory framework. But I was thinking of building brackets the would bolt to the cab being that it is steel and pretty stout, well see when I fully weld it in, I still have a few more lights and items to add. The running boards help for sure in getting in and out, the first time I climbed in I told myself that I was going to do something there. Thanks again for the compliments:thumbup:
 

HillBilt

Active member
I have a question regarding foam filling tires. I want to do it but didnt realize how costly it was, so i was thinking of just doing the front and rear tires as I assume those see the most abuse? and leave the other 4 air for this season and do them later to split the cost. Would I run into issues with 2 foam and 2 air tires? Any information will be appreciated:mrgreen:
 

Snowy Rivers

Well-known member
Not really.

The big deal is not having a flat on either a front or a rear.
Get a flat up front and the track will come off.....Not cool

I am sorting out all that stuff too
Most of my wheels are JUNK from having tires go flat and the guides plowing into the wheels and messing them up.

If you can...Weld a guard around the valve stem on the wheel....
When things get Hinky AND THEY CAN.... the valve stem gets hit....shears it off and INSTANT flat tire.

The foam gives you an extra bit of protection....The tire can still stay pretty good even when it looks like a pack of Wolves been chewing on it....

The fun part is getting a filled tire apart after it goes away....
 

Snowy Rivers

Well-known member
I never gave it much thought....after getting my cat home and getting started mucking the machine out I noticed that several of the wheels had big dents in the rims.
Two of the wheel/tires were flat and the valve stems were missing.
Removed the wheel and ripped the tire off the wheel......The valve stem looked like it had been cut......\well it had been, sort of.

I puzzled over this entire scenario for quite a while....one day a while back when I was removing the track guides I had several guides off and laying on the bench....fast forward to a few days later I was sitting at the terminal surfing and stumbled onto a listing for Skid steer tires (Actually looking for suitable tires for the cat)

The listing on the skid steer tires/wheels showed good pix and the wheels had tubular steel guards over the valve stems.

The little light bulb came on and I ran down and grabbed a tire guide and fooled about sliding it over a tire on the cat and changing the angle a bit.... BINGO

Operating the cat on rough snow with berms, banks and such that can deflect the track could certainly shove the tire guide uprights into a position that the upright towers would be able to shear off the valve stems.

The tire goes flat poooooof....then the tire flops around and there is nothing much to keep the guides away from the wheel.

Then the guides beat the hell out of the wheel.....

Tires can fail, and foaming certainly will help.
Solid tires would be the ticket....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Adding the valve stem guards should stop that one failure point.

It is a timing thing....Valve stem must be right at the bottom or coming down toward the bottom with the guide being tweaked at a severe angle and if things are just right.....zoooooop there goes the stem.

The all alloy wheel/hub combos that are foamed also have a wide flat bead edge and there is not a protruding valve stem......
These seem to fair quite well.
But the cost of the alloys is steep..

Just some observations.....
 

ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just wanted to say hello HillBilt and to all. Just bought a 76 Bombi and like @Patroller said, I barely know what I'm doing. You thread is a great resource and thanks for taking the time. And to all of you that post, thanks. The community is quite small it seems.
 

HillBilt

Active member
ust wanted to say hello HillBilt and to all. Just bought a 76 Bombi and like @Patroller said, I barely know what I'm doing. You thread is a great resource and thanks for taking the time. And to all of you that post, thanks. The community is quite small it seems.
Hello! congrats on your purchase and thanks! this forum is a great source of info
 

HillBilt

Active member
Earlier I had posted about using a Ranger Jump seat for the third seat in the bombi, but my buddy has been pushing me to try a bench seat. So went on the hunt to see if I could make one work. I did find a decent seat, its the back seat from a late 90's Yukon. I slipped it in for a mock up and must say it is way more comfortable than the original. It also offers more seat room for passengers. I will look into making it fold forward like the original to access the battery and such, see how it goes. Im not 100% sold on the idea yet.
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ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
Yeah, I'm gonna need a solution for that as well. Hows the head room sitting in that? Im short, 5'7 so I figured I could sacrifice a little headroom. Also thought a bout a cab chop and extension. The more I tear into this thing, the more i want to ditch everything in the cab and start fresh.
 

Snowy Rivers

Well-known member
Some times the "Start Fresh" thing is the only way to get a good result.
Warming over stuff is fine, but after a while the warmed over thing just gets to be far too busy and the end result is not gonna cut it.

Roll back to a good starting point that will give you lots of options and then go ahead.
Even then there are always bugs in the idea the crop up along the way.

Gawd knows I have had several that were quite annoying....
Trying to think through all the systems and the interaction with things can be a real task.

The IMAGINEERING thing can be rewarding.....but the pathway to glory is generally littered with casualties....

Good luck...
 

HillBilt

Active member
Yeah, I'm gonna need a solution for that as well. Hows the head room sitting in that? Im short, 5'7 so I figured I could sacrifice a little headroom. Also thought a bout a cab chop and extension. The more I tear into this thing, the more i want to ditch everything in the cab and start fresh.

Actually has more head room compared to original by probably 2" as it sits currently. I need to modify the factory GM hinges so I can get the seat back further as its closer to the pedals

That looks really good. Just needs cup holders....

Oh buddy, cup holders are a must!
 

HillBilt

Active member
So my EFI got back ordered until Dec 15, kinda figured something was gonna happen lol. I now have all my ignition parts and my diff oil showed up today. Caterpillar TO-4 30w. Been bouncing around on the build and not really getting a lot of time but decided to dive into the tracks last night....wow, not really anything fun about that.
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I’m getting a lot of bolts spinning inside the cleat and man, it’s shitty. Definitely added some new words to my vocabulary and I’m only 1/2 done 1 track! Still fun though right.

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ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
Yeah, it’s hard to get stuff right now it seems. Supply chain are getting crushed by the COVID.
Looking good!!! Yeah I’m not looking for are to tearing apart my tracks. Maybe try a bigger hammer? ???
 

Snowy Rivers

Well-known member
Don't fight those bolts with the heads spinning
Get ya a couple of these bad boys. https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...i8y5PIqr7tAhXTpJ4KHfIvDE0Q9aACegQIDBBL&adurl=

Should be easy to get at all the nuts.
Just split them and you're golden

A die grinder and a cutoff wheel will work, but you could nick the belting.

Or take a piece of sheet metal, drill a hole in it to lay over the nut to protect the track.....

The nut splitters work sweet though.....

Good luck on this one.
Rusted bolts are a bitch....especially when the head is a carriage type and you can't get at it.
 
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HillBilt

Active member
Any chance you have dimensions on the tub chassis? Im doing some modifications myself and am going to build a cad model of the machine once I strip it down. But if you had any as built dimensions that would be super helpful

thanks
What dimensions are you looking for? width/length? I can measure it today
 

HillBilt

Active member
Don't fight those bolts with the heads spinning
Get ya a couple of these bad boys. https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...i8y5PIqr7tAhXTpJ4KHfIvDE0Q9aACegQIDBBL&adurl=

Should be easy to get at all the nuts.
Just split them and you're golden

A die grinder and a cutoff wheel will work, but you could nick the belting.

Or take a piece of sheet metal, drill a hole in it to lay over the nut to protect the track.....

The nut splitters work sweet though.....

Good luck on this one.
Rusted bolts are a bitch....especially when the head is a carriage type and you can't get at it.
Ive been getting pretty rowdy with a zippy wheel and using a torch to get the ones in the wheel guides. Been getting the majority with just breaking them loose by hand and hitting them with the impact, just more complaining then anything :bonk:
 

HillBilt

Active member
Tub. Chassis.
Tub is 60” wide/100” long
Tub depth is 19.750” with the well or belly being 14” deep. The well starts at 5.750” down
Well is 20” wide and centred
Hope that makes sense hahaha. Can’t really get a good photo of the suspension because my tires are still on atm.
 

ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
Ive been getting pretty rowdy with a zippy wheel and using a torch to get the ones in the wheel guides. Been getting the majority with just breaking them loose by hand and hitting them with the impact, just more complaining then anything :bonk:
Cutting disc for the win! Just cleaned my tub of all unnecessary bolts. It looks like swiss cheese now. :LOL:
 

ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm super anxious to see how this EFI set up work out. I might be as excited as you for the 15th :weneedpic:weneedpic:weneedpic
 

Snowy Rivers

Well-known member
Ive been getting pretty rowdy with a zippy wheel and using a torch to get the ones in the wheel guides. Been getting the majority with just breaking them loose by hand and hitting them with the impact, just more complaining then anything :bonk:
I understand completely

When I dismantled the 2100 track...Wrenches and impacts did nothing.
Cut the belts and packed the grousers into the shop and drilled out the bolts enough that they would break off.
GAWD...WHAT A DEBACLE.
 

ezroller

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
Hey @HillBilt hows that seat working out? I found almost the exact same seat, suburban 3rd row in great leather. Looks primo. Whatcha Think??Is it gone work? Modification I'm ok with. Throwing a hundred bucks out the window to keep up the Hilbilts only to find out that its a no go, eh? :poke:
 
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