Jim Solberg's Vintage Snowmobiles
Items needed for this summer's restoration. 1972 Scorpion Stinger II
Metal cooling shrouds for CCW 400 twin engine. Especially the part under the exhaust. #4 on the diagram.
~ Latest Additions To The Site~
1977 Scorpion BullWhip article reprinted from Dec. 2007 SnowTech magazine with bonus photos of BullWhip engine internals courtesy of TJ Henriksen
Walbro WDA, WR, WRA Carburetor Applications
Jim Solberg's Blog
www.vintagesnowmobile.com
2007/2008 Season Slide Show
2006/2007 Season Slide Show
(1.5 meg or better internet connection recommended)
My Vintage Sled Collection
1972 Scorpion Stinger II 400
1970 Arctic Cat Panther 440J
1971 Arctic Cat Panther 440A
1970 Scorpion Stinger 340
Jim Solberg's Vintage Snowmobile Web Log
June 21, 2008It has been a long time since I've bought a new sled. That changed a couple of weeks ago when I was offered a deal I couldn't pass up. I bought a 1973 Arctic Cat Panther and 1974 Arctic Cat VIP. The sticking point was the sleds were in Milwaukee, and the costs involved in picking them up was more than the sleds were worth to me. That was solved when my good friend Dennis "Scorpsrus" Kutz offered to pick them up for me and deliver them when next we meet up.I've been anxious about the condition of my trailer for a while, ever since I snapped the tongue pivot bolt while loading up the sleds at Eagle River a couple of years back. Everything underneath is really rusted up. I finally replaced the springs and mounting hardware which was my biggest safety concern. A nice aluminum trailer is what I need, but this will suffice until I can afford better.My '72 Scorpion is completely torn apart now, and the refurbish is underway. The track is looking cracked and lots of threads hanging out, so I'll replace it. Most everything else just needs a little paint and polish.
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April 7, 2008I purchased a few Walbro parts lists, and included were applications for the various models WDA, WR, and WRA. I thought this would be good information to put on the site. There's a link at the top of this page, and on the carburetors page in the literature section.Just as a note of explanation. I've started stamping most of the technical literature on this site with the site name and who provided the literature to me if it's not mine. I'm not on an ego trip! A while back someone copied a lot of the information on this site and used it to start his own site. Kind of ticked me off because it was just a straight copy and he didn't even bother to ask . So because of the actions of one guy, I feel I have to guard this stuff in some manner. Too bad.
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April 5, 2008 - The 2007-2008 Season In Review.Time to reflect on the past snowmobiling season.In many ways, this season was a polar opposite of last. Start time was about the same, with my first ride on December 2. This was the first of nearly all my riding that was done right from home, a pleasant change from last year. We did not receive an abundance of snow, but what we did get stayed. There were no extended warm spells to lay bare the alleys and streets of my short route out of town. March 23 (Easter Sunday) was my last ride.My usual pipeline route to the official trail was marked off with no trespassing tape (torn down by the time I got there) which was a bit disturbing. I avoided this route early in the season, but later when others were using it and the flagging did not reappear, I used it more and more. I hope that this access is not cut off as it will add a couple of miles (all in ditches) to my escape route to the county trail.I sold my 1970 Scorpion Stinger in January. This was one of my dream sleds when I bought it. It was my most thorough and detailed restoration to date. It won me my first and only show trophy. It was not a pleasant sled to ride though, which is very important to me. With money tight, and it being the most valuable sled in my collection, it was the one that had to go. I didn't regret it this winter, but it will be missed when I go to shows as it attracted a lot of attention.No one ride or event stands out in my mind this season. I had some very nice leisurely early season rides on the 70 Panther. The 71 Panther uncharacteristically had engine trouble throughout and left my stranded out on the trail twice! The 72 Scorpion on the other hand performed exceptionally. I ran about a 70/30 mix of 93 octane unleaded and 110 octane leaded racing gas in the Scorpion from the start of the season. The CCW engine' s compression is 30 psi or so higher than my other sleds, and it benefited noticeably from this fuel mix. The engine ran strong even after long runs in warm weather when in years past it would start pinging and losing power. The ride with the Hoffman family was great again, and I got to see some new territory I will be riding myself in the coming years. The Ironwood racing events were a good time. The one Hurley Relic-Ride I attended was marred by the ill running 71 Panther. A local show/ride at the Pub & Grub north of Washburn was a good start at what I hope will become an annual event. I got to meet some new local vintage riders this year and got better acquainted with some others. I still enjoy my solo rides a lot, but it is nice to ride with a group some times.Mileage totals;* 1972 Scorpion Stinger II - 342 miles* 1971 Arctic Cat Panther - 155 miles* 1970 Arctic Cat Panther - 260 miles* Total - 757 miles, four more than my previous season high, 2005-06.As far as summer projects go, I would very much like to strip the 72 Scorpion down completely and restore it again. It has been ridden for seven seasons since it's restoration, and it's beginning to show wear and tear on the chassis. I would also like to bring my 72 Scorpion Stinger III wide track home and start on the restoration of it, now that I have more room. Of course, I've been saying that for the last couple of years!It looks as though my days of being self-employed have come to an end. A new job is on the horizon and it remains to be seen how much free time I'll have to devote to my favorite hobby. The security of a salaried position will be welcomed, but I certainly will miss the ability to take off and go snowmobiling at the drop of a hat. Please visit the ads you will see on these pages from now on. The extra income from that will help me keep this site on-line, since it will no longer be a business write-off.
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