Custom Made Parts

[yland70]

Looking at a 1972 Kitty Cat close to my house. Concerned with original parts availability, so quick question does any ever have parts made or make their own? How much would home made parts affect the value of a restoration. I personally wouldn't turn my back on a vintage sled because of freshly made parts in the restoration, not sure how others look at it though.

[brokerjo]

I don't have a problem with custom made parts if the intent is to replicate the original part. Not much else you can do in most cases of obsolete snowmobile parts.

[stephen79]

Ignition coils are a good example of a custom made part since they are known to fail. I don't think anybody is producing reproduction coils but I could be wrong.

Super technicians can sometime rewind these coils themselves. Rewinding an old ignition coil involves replacing the wire windings inside the coil to restore its function back to original snowmobile specs. This process is fairly intricate and requires specific tools and materials. If you have patience, some fine copper wire (the enamel-coated magnet wire), some insulating material (like varnish or insulation tape), you can unwind the old copper wire. Take note of the direction and pattern of the windings, as well as the number of turns for each coil. Take notes to the number of turns, re-seal it and you've got a non-stock custom coil. I think this is accpetable in a sled restoration.

And the other item I like to mention is custom repro decal kits. These are also acceptable and look fantastic since you'll never find OEM decal kits from the 70's and 80's.