Well the Bug is put away for winter - which could last until June in Michigan.

To keep myself sane, I have a winter project: a 1972 Ski-Doo T'NT snowmobile. I doubt there are any of these machines hitting the trails around Texas.

I picked up this sled around 10 years ago. It was dragged out of a corn field behind a barn in southern Michigan. I paid $50, which was $49 too much. Today it's a 20-footer; if you get any closer you'll see my poor attempts at fiberglassing the hood.

Like most old sleds, it's tempermental. It usually conks out on me at the furthest point from home/help. However, it's fun as hell to run the Ski-Doo full throttle across an open field. It feels like you're flying at 50 mph, no really.

I'll post up some photos of it running - we picked up a skiff of snow today. However, it might be a few weeks before we have enough white stuff to race the sled around the house (the neighbors love me).

This is pretty much a on-the-cheap project. I wheeled off the big rust (it's Michigan, and it's a metal chassis - it took a few years for Ski-Doo to start stamping out aluminum ones). The paint is spray-bomb special; the hood is close to Ski-Doo yellow.

This is not a purist sled.

The little caddy mounted at the back of the sled never came on a T'NT. It's probably off an Olympic model. However, it's handy to throw all the tools you need to keep an old gal going. I recovered the seat, but I might break down and do a real T'NT seat since they're way cooler.

The sled only hints at suspension; the rider is the shock absorber. It's leaf springs on the front skis - I actually added ski spreaders that widen out the stance four inches. The Ski-Doo tracks ran either boogie wheels or slide suspension; my sled has slides.

This sled was a 340 model. It had a two cylinder, two stroke Rotax engine: 59.5x61 bore x stroke mm. The 339.2 cc engine was rated at 28 horsepower. The 340 sled cost $1,095 new.

I ran the 340 until it started blowing cylinder head gaskets. I picked up a 400 Rotax on Craig's list. A 400 was available in the T'NT model, but it was a twin carb, free-air model. I believe this motor came out of an Olympic or Alpine model. The top dog for 1972 was a 775 model: a twin-carb Rotax beast that put out 52 horsepower.

At some point I might try to pick up a Ski-Doo stable mate: perhaps a 640 T'NT. However, a stroker engine in the Bug sounds a lot more fun.

very cool! I lived in Idaho for 3 years and never rode a snow machine. Wishin I had.

Looks fun to ride, very cool

What a great time it would be to ride on one!!!

However, you can have the cold!

Idaho gets its fair share of snow. I've lived in northern Michigan all my life - snowmobiles are pretty much a way of life. They are a blast to ride; the new machines go crazy fast off the showroom floor.

Thanks. Just don't look at my spray-bomb paint job too close - I know your level of workmanship

That's a cool project!

I don't mind the snow - but it gets old by March.

Here is a world-beater from back in the day; the Blizzard was a factory racing machine. You had to qualify - basically a racer with a winning record - to earn one of these rides from Ski-Doo. The Blizzards ran 292, 340, 640 and 797 three bangers with triple carbs. Ski-Doo would pay guys running in modified race classes $500 for a win, $300 for second, and $100 for third. 500 bucks bought a lot of PBR or Stroh's back in 1972.

A guy I know his dad ran a factory racer for Ski-Doo. You were supposed to turn in your ride at the end of the season, but a few (including a Blizzard and a race Elan) are still in his garage - very wicked machines.