"Elkidmino" (elkidmino)
02/11/2016 at 14:40 • Filed to: None
5
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"Elkidmino" (elkidmino)
02/11/2016 at 14:40 • Filed to: None | 5
| 16 |
Some of you may remember a post back in the Spring called the Cheap Car Challenge where a group of guys purchased a Conquest, Merkur and Camaro for less than $1000 each and built them to compete against each in a series of real world challenges on the street. You may also remember that there was never a follow-up post...because it was a complete FAIL. Turns out you can’t build a (road legal) car within that budget and expect it to live very long with excessive boost, nitrous and some spotty timing. Or we picked the three worst cars to mod, whatever, I digress.
After a lackadaisical summer on the local lakes and the thoughts of rod-knock and nitrous backfires long gone, a buddy and I were sitting at a bar when insanity genius struck.
“Bro, winter’s coming. We should do a cheap snowmobile challenge!”
“Nah man, we should do pitbikes or something, sleds are stupid”
“Don’t be sad bro, sleds are awesome, and so cheap on CL. We’re doing this. I’m texting Mike to see if he’s in”
*texts Mike*
*Mike’s response* “SO IN! Drag Race, Longest Catwalk, Highest Ski-Lift, Biggest Jump.... YAAAAAHHHH!”
And like that, the Cheap Sled Challenge was born.
Rules were written up shortly after; sled purchase price must be less than $300, repair/mod budget is unlimited, but sled must maintain stock suspension, number of carbs, etc. Same rules that Lucky Thumb and other MI ice oval organizations use. In hindsight, there should have been a limit on sled age, but leaving it the way it was has brought some interesting competition to the table. There are twelve sleds total ranging from 270cc-600cc’s; 1970-1996 with all variations of suspension and condition.
Note the charge pipe sticking out of the cowl
List of sleds entered:
1971 Massey Ferguson Ski-Whiz 500SST
1970 Polaris Mustang w/ ‘68 hood
1994 Ski-Doo Formula STX 583
1996 Polaris XLT 600 - Sunoco Edition
1972 Mercury Lightning - 503 Rotax
1973 Johnson Reveler Turbo - Mitsu 16g & Custom Exhaust
1991 Polaris Indy 488
1979 Arcitc Cat Panther 5000 - P-40 Warhawk Livery
1979 Arctic Cat Panther 5000 - less seat and brakes
1979 Arctic Cat Lynx 2000 - 275cc Suzuki
197? Ski-Doo 440 - “Beautifully Majestic”
1990 Something or Other - ?????
Of course a big part of this competition relies on the weather, you know, snow and ice and all. Mother Nature must be on the rag this year because she’s not giving anything up to those of us who enjoy winter sports. The date has already moved once from mid-January to this coming weekend and for once the conditions look favorable for racing. The event will be taking place Up North at a lake that’s famously known for it’s celebration of Bud Light in the Summer and Tip-Up fishing in the Winter so if you happen to be up there and see twelve relics belching smoke and rambling across the lake, give us some sympathy that we’re out of our goddamn minds.
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 14:36 |
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At least you guys will all make it up there, seeing as you don’t have to drive them up under their own power. Stupid Merkur.........stupid timing......stupid driveshaft vibration. At least ours didn’t NOS backfire and blow the air filter/MAF off the car....
WiscoProud
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 14:50 |
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Very cool. You see little mention of snowmobiling (or ATVs for that matter) here. They can be insanely fun. I’ve jumped them, raced them, went over open water, and blew two up. And that was just in high school. I was just snowmobiling last weekend as a matter of fact.
Good luck.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 14:51 |
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I’m all the way down here in NC, but we had a good time in the last snow with a garbagey old ~’80 Polaris Gemini.
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StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> WiscoProud
02/11/2016 at 14:51 |
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Good point, you really don’t. Its pretty big here in MI, everyone goes up north or to the UP to ride all over the place.
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 14:53 |
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This is........GENIUS!!!!!!
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WiscoProud
> StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
02/11/2016 at 14:55 |
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Same here. Snowmobiling was big business where I grew up in northern Wisconsin.
Stapleface
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 15:02 |
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I remember the cheap car challenge post. Bummer it couldn’t come to fruition.
I had no idea snowmobiles were so cheap! I assumed they cost about as much as a Jet-Ski, guess I was mistaken.
Looking at a couple of the older models, they look like some deranged amusement park ride from 1975.
Wacko
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 15:08 |
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retro snow mobiles is really a big thing.
everyyear the local club passes in front of my place with about 40-50 old machines.
I own one of these
just don’t have time to touch it this winter :(
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 15:12 |
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My money’s on the Polaris XLT600, and not just because it’s the newest, A buddy of mine has that sled: It’s pretty fast stock.
My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 15:24 |
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Brings back memories of the 1979 Yamaha Enticer 340 I bought in 1989 for $350 I was 14, it survived until I moved 2 years later I sold it for $300. Indestructible is what I would call it.
Elkidmino
> Stapleface
02/11/2016 at 15:26 |
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It came to fruition, but didn’t last long. The Merkur had to be trailered to the start point and then we spent two hours trying to set the timing and get it to run without backfiring. Got it close and decided to get on the road. As we were leaving the start point the Conquest started to make knock-knock jokes and the Camaro blew its MAS apart during a botched burn out/drift out of the sub-division (they left the switch on).
We all called it shortly after that.
V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 15:51 |
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Fun story: I picked up a Polaris Indy 600 triple for literally nothing. And it even sort of runs(sort of) .Best part is that it hasn’t even blown up yet !
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V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
> StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
02/11/2016 at 15:52 |
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That's where I'll be this weekend, in Bessemer.
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Elkidmino
02/11/2016 at 16:59 |
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That Massey Ski-Whiz........that looks amazing. I want it!
And I’m Canadian, so I should know! :P
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StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Wacko
02/12/2016 at 10:03 |
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That thing is crazy looking.
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StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Stapleface
02/12/2016 at 10:06 |
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Turns out the Merkur needed 30 degrees of timing because of the cam that was in it.......found that out months later. Crapmaro left the NOs on. Friend still owns the Crapmaro though, don’t think he will sell it. He’s having way too much fun.
Merkur is for sale though if you want it! $1500 takes the car, and extra trans and a spare set of wheels/tires! It pulls like a champ now.