model 600 restoration

[Barrie2777]

We are getting closer to the end. There is some "under the hood" stuff that has to be done like rebuilding the recoil (YIKES !!! I won't bore you with those details unless I'm empailed by the spring and need to call 911), installing switches, cables and wiring harness, securing the engine oh my ......the list seems endless.

[Barrie2777]

Newly rechromed bumpers will arrive soon.

[72 Blizzard 340]

Wow, beautiful work. I am really enjoying watching this!

[Barrie2777]

Thanks for the nice comment. The 600's that I have came with one rusted and broken muffler however there was enough solid materials to make new parts. I have now completed one muffler for the first 600 I finish. The "can", interior baffle and engine mounting plate are the same as used on the 444. I had the exhaust pipe and tailpipe made when Bruce was ordering parts for the 444 mufflers he is assembling, then welded all the parts together. The big difference between this muffler and the original is that it is completely welded on every seam. It may even be quieter because of this. The original muffler was a sandwich of two end caps held together with a long threaded rod. Through time the nuts would vibrate loose and at the most inoppertune time, your muffler would dismantle itself and leave you with the loudest machine on the trail. You never knew how many miles back the parts started to drop from the engine compartment so it was usually a loud ride home rather than endlessly search for the one nut which held everything together.

[Barrie2777]

Rather than twiddle my thumbs waiting for the bumpers to arrive I repaired the other two hoods. The hood on the left is for a double track 600 while the one on the right is for the single track 600. The hood on the single track caused overheating of the engine so as an improvement HUS-SKI cut out the top side vent in the uppermost hood hump. Very early and unaltered hoods do not have this top vent. The first hood I did was of this vintage and you can see the difference in the photo above this posting. The left hood is for the double track because it has two "V" shaped cut outs on the bottom edge. This is cut out to accomodate a base reinforcement. Templates for this cutout where sent to service centers to do when a single track 600 hood was converted to fit a double track base. Many owners of 600's understood the overheating problem and often cut extra vent holes in the hood. This particular double track hood had a 6" x 8" hole cut in both sides when I found it.

[Barrie2777]

Recoil rebuilding is one thing but there isn't much more tedius than cleaning the recoil housing. I spray engine degreasing fluid on it before threading a cloth thought the vent fins. I pull it back and forth until clean then later with a dry clean cloth redo the process. It would be simpler to beadblast to remove the grease and oil but I prefer the old patina that the aluninum gives when cleaned by rubbing. Some 0000 steel wool on the outside finished the natural glow. Cleaning this recoil and rebuilding the interior was a 2-1/2 hr job.

[Barrie2777]

I finally was brave enough to try to make the engine run. This wasn't fear from what to do but rather the fear of the amount of time required to do so...but hey... it's a JLO just put the cam on the right groove and all will be well!!! I started by placing the stator plate where I thought it should be since there were no indicator marks where it was when dismantled...first mistake....always mark the stator plate and the ring that hold it in place so you know where it goes back. Then I put the cam into the notch which was indicated with an "R" for right hand rotation. The flywheel also has two notches but neither is marked for direction so I aligned its notches with those on the cam thinking this to be the logical arrangement. After getting the recoil back on I cranked it. The curious thing was that it ran a for a few seconds so I figured a small timing adjustment will correct that. Off with the recoil, off with the starter hub, pull the flywheel and adjust the timing by rotating the stator plate, back on with all those parts and crank it. It again ran for a few seconds....hmmmmmmmm! Repeat the procedure three more times with same result. Now I don't bother with the recoil because a rope is faster and besides that,the engine was now ripping that cord right out of my hand. This wasn't good exercise for my torn rotator cuff in my shoulder but luckily this is a HUS-SKI and can be cranked with the left arm. I took that engine apart and adjusted it so many times I can do it in the dark in less than 10 minutes. When I came to my sences and realized I wasn't getting anywhere I decided to pull the flywheel of of another engine to see which notches it was assembled in. All logic for the past two hours vanished when that flywheel came off. The cam was in the "L" position and the flywheel was in the opposite notch. After I finished scratching my head over this detail, I assembled my 600 engine in the same arrangement. The engine starts on two pulls, runs and seems to be timed perfectly. The moral of this story is to take detailed notes of how everything comes apart. It will save you time in the long run and probably a head of hair!!

[Barrie2777]

Before this beast is trail worthy, I must dismantle the primary clutch and check for wear problems. The first thing to do is remove the bell housing. This a particularly difficult job if you try to unscrew the bell housing in the regular way. THIS IS A REVERSE THREAD. My method includes clamping the fixed sheave to my work bench, removing the tab washer and attaching a lever arm with the bolts from the tab washer. Then add some more leverage with a long pipe. These suckers are tight!!!!Turning in a clockwise direction will remove the bellhousing. It does take a lot of force. When clamping to a bench, be careful not to clamp too far in on the sheave as this will permanantly bend it. Clamp near the edge and protect the sheave with a few blocks of wood.

[Barrie2777]

Once the bell housing is loose the clutch is easy to take apart. Removes all parts. I usually place them on a towel in the order they came off. The counter weights are what usually wear . Check the small end of them and the wear plate rivetted into the movable sheave. This small wear plate is often broken or worn out completely.

[Barrie2777]

Two of the wear plates had the tab containing the rivet, broken off. Since they were still attached to the clutch, I welded them in place. Worn counterweight pins can easily be made but sometimes the aluninum walls holding them have also worn away. This is a bigger problem but I have seen this repair made with JB weld and the clutch runs great since the fix.