Bolens Diablo Rouge and Hus Ski Discussion Forums

As the Diablos await their official "complete" photgraph,, I have decided to move forward on the sandblast, prime and paint of this 444 for Lou. I'm also dying to paint something yellow!!!! If I see any red on this project it will be from the blood , sweat and tears rather than anything else. It is from Lou that I was able to get the wood for more skiis (to be made later) in exchange for this repaint of his 444. This machine is his "rider" which looks straight and clean without rust and bends but what will I find during or after the dismantle...........stay tuned!!!

Doing the four Daiblos at the same time was a time saving decision so I can't pass up the opportunity to redo this 444 for myself while I do the 444 for Lou. I threw it in the back of my pick-up and brought it in for dismantling. It does appear to be larger than other machines.

Barrie, What kind of pickup is that? How about a picture of it?

That's about all she'll hold. This pick-up is a 50'ish Diahatsu TROMOBILE made in Japan. It comes complete with sun roof and fold down side windows. It is powered by a one cylinder engine with three speed transmission (no over drive) and electric start. It starts better than any Diablo i've seen but isn't as good in the snow. Top speed is about 30 mph.

Red Truck. Red MG. Now Red Diablos. I think you are just a Diablo lover scared to come out of the closet.

The short story about this 444 is that is was bought over the intternet without previously seeing it. The photos looked decent even though it was obvious that someone had hacked the front fender off with a torch. It APPEARED to be a sound original machine. On examining the fenders I found more cracks than on a jigsaw puzzle. With no intention of snaking mig welds over the sheet metal like a road map of Canada, I had Bruce transport one of those fine fenders made by Rod L. The fender exchange took place at the ill fated "pick up the Sprints" escapade of last march. (memories, memories, memories....) With the machine cut apart as you see it, the new fender fit perfectly....however more vibration cracks were found on the under structure at all the common places. The hood was straight but had ...yes, you said it...cracks in all the common places. There was also a few holes drilled for support brackets where support brackets never existed. Onward HO!!

The cracks and extra drilled holes seems to be standard on most Hus-skis.

For sure, cracks are a common thing on HUS-SKI bodies. The 444 for Lou has no cracks now but sandblasting has shown how much repair was done many years ago. It was all brazed together so I hope it holds. Who ever did the brazing was obviously an expert. It has been drizzling rain here this weekend so with outdoor work on hold, I set up this sandblasting booth in my garage entrance. This is the best set up I have used. Reusing the sand is easy. 20-25 minutes to do this seater.

This has to be the absolute worst part of any restoration....the sand gets in parts of my body I didn't know I had! The large parts are done which allows me to clean them up a little more by hand then quickly spray the primer.

Where u gettin that expanded for that hood scoop?