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THIOKOL 1450 SUPER IMP TRACK MODIFICATIONS?

Snowcat Operations

Snowcat Operations

Active member
I need a little help here. I purchased a Super Imp and want to modify the tracks. I want to add 6" onto each side outer edge. I will make up some new grousers to span the diffrence (every other one). My question is can this be done without adverse effects? I will keep the suspension stock. Thanks for any help. And yes I got smoken deal on it as usual.
 
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1980 Thiokol Super Imp
240 original hours!
tracks and grousers are in new like condition.
cab has been insulated but I will redo that.
Paint is faded but I will make it look all nice and shiney again!
 
It should be possible to add 6" to the outer edge of the track without a lot of difficulty. The OC12 differential could easily handle six foot wide tracks if you wanted to try that it! The main problem is the grouser itself. It uses the small J style grouser that has been hardened. If I tried to add on to it, I would use the same material and weld it to the ends of the grousers that exetend to the edges of the track. You would loose some harding or strengh in that area, but it isn't required there as much as the mid-section of the grouser. Peterson's is having grousers made new for the IMPs in Canada. You could check with them about who is making them and see if they could make you enough 6" sections to do the job. Ask Steve at Peterson's what he thinks about the idea. ( or see if it was tried by LMC. ) It would have been cool if they made a ultra wide track version of the Super IMP. Four or Five foot tracks would have been really something. :thumb:
Thiokol made a groomer with six foot tracks on a OC12. It went through brake bands really fast, several times a season from the work load. :4_11_9:
 
I have 46" tracks on one of my 1202b but of course those are heavy duty. I figured I could go up to 24" more if I was crazy enough but then I would have to widen the axles ect. I figure on adding about 12" with 6" protruding from the original grouser and welding up the back 6" I remember these style grousers on our VMC and I didnt like them. I was going through one or two a long run. They seemed to be made from real thin light duty material and I dont belive they were heat treated. BUT I havent actually seen these up close yet. Thanks for the input!
 
What is the purpose of this modification? Seems like in deep, unbroken powder having the outside of the track wider would cause it to float higher and want to twist the track, decreasing performance and increasing the chance of derailment. What did Petersons say about doing this?
 
Several snow cats run asymmetrical tracks without problems at all. The track tension over the front and rear wheels causes the track to compress the snow evenly across the track. This is the process that keeps the track from tipping or tilting. Once the snow has been compressed by the weight of the snow cat, it provides a level platform for the track to displace the weight of the snow cat. :idea:
I operated my Imp with 36 inch wide asymmetrical tracks and never saw any evidence of the track tilting or tipping. The Super Imp runs a larger front idler then the 1402 which will make an asymmetrical system work better. (more rigid front and rear grousers caused by the tension)
That is why the LMC 1500 works well with asymmetrical tracks. :thumb:
 
Nutsster, from your earlier posts it looks like after you mdified to torsion bar suspension at least for awhile you ran symmetrical track before adding the extra outside belt and extending the grousers. Was there a very noticeable performance gain after widening the track, especially in unpacked off trail snow? Would you do it again?
 
Snowcat Operations said:
I need a little help here. I purchased a Super Imp and want to modify the tracks. I want to add 6" onto each side outer edge. I will make up some new grousers to span the diffrence (every other one). My question is can this be done without adverse effects? I will keep the suspension stock. Thanks for any help. And yes I got smoken deal on it as usual.
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I would question if the cost, time and actual gain would be effective on this modification. You can easily over engineer/modify and end up with something that may not be as useful as the original design. I would consider trying the cat "as is designed" before redesigning into an unknown. You may find that it works and operates great as designed and needs no modification to the tracks to be a great snow cat. Many hours of OEM engineering, testing and design went into the original track configuration. I am sure many different people worked on the final track design for the best overall usage of the machine and to make it as snow capable as possible. :my2cents:

And, if it does not live up to your expectations, you can either trade, sell or modify after you know its full stock design capabilities. I would not buy something that someone else has modified in such a manner without throughly making sure it works. I believe the stock value is better for most people than the modified versions that maybe someone else's "dream baby" that did not workout as intended. :myopinion:
 
I drove a Super Imp a year or so ago and it had decent capabilities in the deep stuff but not great by any means. It needs wider tracks to be a good deep powder machine. I do like the egineering that has gone into the unit. It just needs a little bit wider tracks in my opinion. What ever I do I will strive to make it much better and if it doesnt work, then I will put it back to stock. Another 18" in track width 9" per side should see this thing hitting some pretty deep trails! Also resale is not a question here. This will stay in my fleet for a long long time. When she does leave she already has a home assigned to her.
 

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When I first got my Imp 1402 it had the 24" tracks. I talked to Peterson's about widening it and they said that they had done it to a few of them with good success. I used their drawings and added 6" to each track, taking them to 30" wide. It worked fine for me, then I noticed that the axles had been widened a little prior to my ownership. So I decided to add 3" to the inside belt too. This took it to 33" overall. It performed great in very deep snow with only a 3" asymmetrical. (These tracks are now on my friend's 1404 Imp and work very well.)
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I really wanted to try the torsion axles to improve the ride and change the geometry that had been changed from the original design. The plan was to also make a strait grouser track to fit the slightly longer setup that I was planning to install. When I made the tracks for the torsion axle conversion, I went to an asymmetrical design that was about 37" wide. Feeling bigger is always better! :boobies: However, the new grouser was far more aggressive than the original drop center type and worked the rearend quit hard on hardpacked snow. :4_11_9: If it had the OC12 in it, I would have stayed with it. With the additional 8" of length, I could cut down the extra 6" to 31" and still have more area then the standard 32" wide track. I now have a 31" symmetrical track on my 1402 that performs very well in deep powder and on hard pack. :thumb:
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This is the history of the several tracks that have been run on my 1404. I would talk to Steve at Peterson's to see what he tried on the Super Imp when he was on the design and test team. I think a Super Imp with 36" tracks would be sweet. I also would like to run torsion axles under it just like the LMC 1500. Really sweet!:thumb:
 

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nutsster said:
When I first got my Imp 1402 it had the 24" tracks. I talked to Peterson's about widening it and they said that they had done it to a few of them with good success. I used their drawings and added 6" to each track, taking them to 30" wide. It worked fine for me, then I noticed that the axles had been widened a little prior to my ownership. So I decided to add 3" to the inside belt too. This took it to 33" overall. It performed great in very deep snow with only a 3" asymmetrical. (These tracks are now on my friend's 1404 Imp and work very well.)
View attachment 14593
I really wanted to try the torsion axles to improve the ride and change the geometry that had been changed from the original design. The plan was to also make a strait grouser track to fit the slightly longer setup that I was planning to install. When I made the tracks for the torsion axle conversion, I went to an asymmetrical design that was about 37" wide. Feeling bigger is always better! :idea: However, the new grouser was far more aggressive than the original drop center type and worked the rearend quit hard on hardpacked snow. :4_11_9: If it had the OC12 in it, I would have stayed with it. With the additional 8" of length, I could cut down the extra 6" to 31" and still have more area then the standard 32" wide track. I now have a 31" symmetrical track on my 1402 that performs very well in deep powder and on hard pack. :thumb:
View attachment 14592

This is the history of the several tracks that have been run on my 1404. I would talk to Steve at Peterson's to see what he tried on the Super Imp when he was on the design and test team. I think a Super Imp with 36" or 48" tracks would be sweet. I also would like to run torsion axles under it just like the LMC 1500. Really sweet!:thumb:
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I think it would be exoensive to do it to one, but worth the effort.
 
I agree. I must say I have fallen in love with this little beauty! Unfortunately or Maybe not. WE get extreme deep powder here. I'm not a skier so it doesnt thrill me like it does some of my other snowcat friends who are avid back country skiers. BUT it sure is nice breaking trail in this stuff! I know a standard Super Imp or Imp cannot go where I go in my Snow Master. BUT I love that automatic transmission and the Ford Industrial inline 6 with the HEATER that actually works. I also love my 1202B but thats another story. Thanks for your help.
 
" I know a standard Super Imp or Imp cannot go where I go in my Snow Master. " so let see that means that the Imp will not be in the Circus tent then?:yum:

Super Imps are nice machines we have had several over the years they all have ended up out west. The only thing we have not liked about them was the light duty grousers around here with marginal snow it seemed that they would always be breaking. but with enough snow cover they should be fine.:thumb:
 
I agree with you "ON" the light duty grousers. We had the same type on our LMC1500. They kept breaking in the beginning of the season and towards the end.
 
What do you guys think about 1"x2" 1/8" inch wall grousers? The stock grousers are 1x2 tall. I can get the 1x2 cheap. Boggie dont you sell aluminum grousers?
 
No helpful comment on your question Snps, but am really interested in what happens. I picked up a Super Imp- wide track, will run it stock this winter but consider going wider for next year. Am interested in seeing what you come up with for a grouser. Asymetrical is how I want to do it.
 
I have 3 possible ways I will proceed. The best way is to buy the grousers from BOGGIE. They can custom make deep powder aluminum grousers. The second route is to add extensions to the existing grousers. 3/4"x3/4"x1/8" wall square tubing. This fits inside the existing grouser snuggly and all that is needed is longer bolts and 9" of beltinging for the extension ect ect.. The thisrd option is to go with 1x2x1/8 wall tubing. I would just go every other grouser as well.
 
I looked at my grousers tonight- I see what you are talking about- I wonder if you could cut the existing grouser and run the cut pieces out to the end. get my drift?
 
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