1977 Polaris TX 250

[cloughrin]

I am looking at cleaning / restoring my very first sled. I am new to this site and looking for help on different things as I go. The sled is in relatively good shape and ran when I put it away awhile back. I am going to go through the carbs and clean the tank first. I would like to sandblast the motor to give it that clean look. Any tips on doing this. How far does the motor need to be tore down to do this? Can I leave cylinders and heads on?  Some parts I am looking for, is the trim that goes on the edge of the hood around the handle bars along with the small pieces that go on the belly pan by the foot wells. Where can I order this? Anyone have repair / service manual for this sled? The hood needs some fiberglass work from stress cracks etc. (hoping a local shop can help with that) ,Or is there a reproduction hood that would be more cost beneficial? I am really looking for any tips, tricks, and techniques that anyone can suggest. Thanks

[Vintagesleds.com]

[Gilson435]

Welcome to the site! 
I would completely disassemble the engine if you're going to blast it and clean it VERY, VERY, thoroughly afterward. Also, prob wouldn't use sand... glass bead or something not so abrasive. 
Here is a link to a service manual
http://www.vintagesnow.com/Polaris_files/1972-1981_PolarisMasterRepair.pdf

[cloughrin]

Thank you for the link. I will print off what I need. I will talk with a few people on the glass beads. Anyone use crushed glass. We manufacture this product along with sand abrasives where I work.

[emrickmn]

Welcome to the site.
At Vintage Snowmobile Restoration, we kinda specialize in the 76 thru 79 TX sleds and have the parts you wrote about. Also, we have the hoods, pans, seat covers,etc. check our website at www.VintageSnowmobileRestoration.com
Having restored dozens of those sleds, I'm happy to assist our customers with any questions and how to's as well.
P.S.  There are other ways to clean up your motor that are allot less risky than glass beads. Here's a 78 250 we did this summer

[cloughrin]

Thanks for the post. I will certainly take a look at the website. I have read on some of the other restorations you have completed and they look great. What are some of the other options as far as cleaning the motor goes?

[chris r]

Thank you for the link. I will print off what I need. I will talk with a few people on the glass beads. Anyone use crushed glass. We manufacture this product along with sand abrasives where I work.

Welcome to the site. There are a lot of people who can help with most any project.

I wouldn't use sand on cast aluminum. Sand will rip open the pores and will leave more of a rough surface. I use glass beads on all of my cast aluminum projects. The glass seems to pound the pores shut and you will end up with a surface that will stay looking nice for a longer period of time. I'd image crushed glass would be similar to the beads, but haven't used them myself. Complete disassembly is what I do, wash with soap and water, and a very complete rinse with water.

[emrickmn]

Thanks for the post. I will certainly take a look at the website. I have read on some of the other restorations you have completed and they look great. What are some of the other options as far as cleaning the motor goes?

The motor on the TX above was degreased, then completely disassembled.  All openings were masked off with Gorilla tape.  Then glass bead blasted.  Then rinsed and cleaned in ultra sonic.  Once dried, it was brushed with a wire wheel to get the shine.  During assembly, it was still full of sand / glass. 

As Chris said, rinsing is imperative when blasting with anything but I won't go that route again. 

Most of my restos were just degreased with brake cleaner and then wire wheeled.  No sand to screw up the cylinders.  This motor was just cleaned and brushed.

[cloughrin]

What type of wire wheel is used to get inside the fins. When you say wire wheel I am thinking of something I have attached to a grinder and used to get rust or paint off of metal. Is this the type of the wire wheel you are talking about? Do you typically use a softer / fine wire wheel? Thanks

[emrickmn]

Yes sir
Fine wire brush on a bench grinder

[spark1013]

Before you do the motor check on piston and rings for it. If it needs pistons about the only thing available is from US Chrome and they are pricey. Rings are next to impossible to find. If it has chrome bore yet you'll have ro see if they have any with cast rings and not moly coated. I learned the hard way.

[cloughrin]

Perfect. Thanks for the information. I am hoping the pistons and rings are good. It ran great when I put it away last. However I never did a compression check at that time. I know its probably best to put new pistons and rings in once its apart, but would rather not if everything checks out.

On another note, this sled is something that I may ride once or twice a year. Once winter is over do and its time to store the sled or display it in the garage, do you normally drain all fuel out of tank and carbs and leave it empty? Just curious as it could be months (maybe a year) before its driven again. My thoughts are drain all fuel, but not sure if that is the right idea either.

Aside from new decals and hood work, the other parts that need attention are the gas tank and plastic shroud for gauges. Paint them? What is best to use as cleaner on them? Other options other than painting? Thanks

[emrickmn]

Perfect. Thanks for the information. I am hoping the pistons and rings are good. It ran great when I put it away last. However I never did a compression check at that time. I know its probably best to put new pistons and rings in once its apart, but would rather not if everything checks out.

On another note, this sled is something that I may ride once or twice a year. Once winter is over do and its time to store the sled or display it in the garage, do you normally drain all fuel out of tank and carbs and leave it empty? Just curious as it could be months (maybe a year) before its driven again. My thoughts are drain all fuel, but not sure if that is the right idea either.

Aside from new decals and hood work, the other parts that need attention are the gas tank and plastic shroud for gauges. Paint them? What is best to use as cleaner on them? Other options other than painting? Thanks

Good questions;
For storage, I'd recommend running some seafoam and stabil through it, fogg the cylinders and the carbs (untill it stalls).  Then get the gas out.  That gas won't be worth saving for the next winter anyway.  You can use the old premixed gas in mowers, trimmers, etc.  Leaving gas in there will harden the lines and gum up the carbs.

For restoring the plastic, there's all sorts of things on this site to try, but basically they don't work as well as scrubbing with soft scrub and re-painting with a plastic compatible paint.

[chris r]

On painting plastic, I use a product called Bull Dog. It's a adhesion promoter that comes in a spray can. They also make one for metals so if you check into it, make sure you get the correct one.

[lbet29]

Pistons and rings are available from Never Enough TX's on this site.  Yes a little expensive.  If you still have 120# of compression run it.

[cloughrin]

Sounds great. Thanks again for all the info. I am looking forward to starting this project. Will try to post some pictures once I get it pulled out and on the stand. Thanks again. I am really enjoying the site.