MY FEEDLY

For Sale: A Restored 1963 Polaris Sno-Traveler

This is a restored Polaris Sno-Traveler K-95 from 1963, it’s a model we’re not used to seeing much of as the vasty majority of them were eaten up by rust or scrapped as newer, faster models were released.

It’s generally accepted that the snowmobile as we know it today was invented by Joseph Bombardier in 1935, with a track drive system in the rear and skis up front for steering. This basic layout had already been in use on automobile-based snow vehicles since at least 1915.

Fast Facts – Polaris Sno-Traveler

There can be little doubt that the Polaris Sno-Traveler is one of the most important snowmobile models in history. The company started building the Sno-Traveler in 1956 from their factory in Roseau, Minnesota.
The first prototype of the Polaris Sno-Traveler was built in 1955. It was fitted with a 9 hp Briggs & Stratton engine, it had pieces of Chevrolet bumpers as skis, and it used a grain silo conveyor belt as a track.
By 1956 the first production Sno-Traveler was put into production. It proved immediately popular with hunters, anglers, farmers, and for general winter recreation.
The 1963 Polaris Sno-Traveler K-95 has been refurbished, it’s in good overall condition, and it’s powered by a 10 hp single-cylinder, air-cooled Kohler engine mounted in the rear over the track.

The Importance Of The Snowmobile

The invention of the snowmobile was a critically important innovation for those who live in the northern US, Canada, and Alaska. Along with other snow-based vehicles like the Bombardier B7, the snowmobile made winter transportation far easier than it had ever been before.

Above Film: This 16mm silent film from 1960-1961 shows a family testing out a Polaris Sno-Traveler snow machine in front of the Alaska Marine store, it was filmed by Anchorage resident Victor Rovier, aka “Pioneer Pete.”

This in turn allowed people to venture further from home in the winter, and to socialize more than had been previously possible. This increased socialization was incredibly important for many, as it reduced the solitude of the long cold winters in the north.

Early snowmobiles had been developed for use by hunters, trappers, and anglers but they were quickly adopted by those who wanted to use them solely for fun.

Cross country endurance races were organized as well as shorter circuit based races, and the age of the snowmobile began in earnest.

Today, snowmobiles are a vital part of cold climate life and for many it’s impossible to imagine life without them.

The Creation Of A Clandestine Prototype

The Polaris Sno-Traveler is one of the earlier production snowmobiles. Back in the early days of the automobile people had been experimenting with turning their cars into rudimentary snowmobiles by adding tracks on the rear and skis on the front.

By the mid-1960s Polaris had a number of different snowmobiles in production, each aimed at meeting different needs.

The Model T Ford was a popular target for these conversions and kits were available to buy for those who lived in cooler climates and wanted to use their vehicles year-round.

In 1935 Joseph Bombardier took this design concept and created what is now widely considered to be the first snowmobile. It had a seat, handlebars, a powered track in the rear and twin skis up front.

In 1955 three coworkers in the town of Roseau, Minnesota named David Johnson, Paul Knochenmus, and Orlen Johnson set about building their own snowmobile while their boss, Edgar Hetteen, was away on business.

They used an off-the-shelf Briggs & Stratton engine, Chevrolet bumpers as the front skis, and a grain silo conveyor belt as the track. Though it was rudimentary the vehicle worked well.

When Hetteen returned from his business trip he was said to be furious that the men had wasted so much time building the vehicle. Much to his surprise the local lumberyard owner wanted to buy the prototype and offered $465 USD for it.

This refurbished Sno-Traveler comes with some period literature about the vehicle as well as a pair of traditional snowshoes.

Seeing that there was demand for such a vehicle led to it becoming a serious enterprise, the men set to work developing a production version of the vehicle called the Sno-Traveler, and founding the company we know today as Polaris.

The Polaris Sno-Traveler Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is a very early version of the Polaris Sno-Traveler from just its 7th year of production.

As with almost all early snowmobiles it has a very simple structure made up of a steel frame housing a rear-mounted engine driving the tacks. Up front there is a hull for weather protection and two skis for steering.

This Sno-Traveler is powered by a 24 cubic inch, 10 hp single-cylinder, air-cooled Kohler K241 OHV engine. The carburetor and fuel pump has been recently rebuilt, the fuel lines replaced, the fuel tank was internally coated, and it has new maple track runners, and rubber drive track inserts.

It’s now being offered for sale out of Minnesota with some Sno-Traveler memorabilia, a pair of Viking snowshoes, and a bill of sale.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bring A Trailer.

Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer

The post For Sale: A Restored 1963 Polaris Sno-Traveler appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/polaris-sno-traveler/
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A Custom Land Rover Defender With A Factory-Fitted 3.5 Liter V8

This is a 1989 Land Rover Defender that was fitted with a 3.5 liter over V8 from the factory, it’s not one of those popular aftermarket conversions. It also came from the factory with a soft top fitted, and the desirable 5-speed manual transmission.

The vast majority of Land Rover Defenders that were built were fitted with one of the company’s turbodiesel engines, the 3.5 liter V8s are more rare, and thanks to their considerably higher power output they’re a lot of fun to drive both on road and off.

Fast Facts – A V8 Land Rover Defender

The Land Rover Defender first appeared in 1983, though it was originally badged as the “Land Rover One Ten” and the “Land Rover Ninety.” After the release of the Discovery in 1989 Land Rover needed to differentiate their model lines, and so the name Defender was chosen, going into use in 1991.
The Defender was a significantly upgraded version of the Series 3 Land Rover that had come before it, with new coil spring suspension instead of leaf springs, permanent four-wheel drive, a more modern interior, a taller windscreen made of a single pane of glass, and more modern engines and transmissions.
Releasing a new Land Rover is always challenging, as Land Rover enthusiasts are often life-long owners with strong ideas about what a real Land Rover is. The Defender proved wildly successful, and it remains so today years after production ended.
The Land Rover Defender you see here was factory-fitted with the Rover V8. A 3.5 liter petrol engine that has its roots in the 215 cubic inch alloy Buick V8 from the 1960s. It offers excellent power and torque output for its relatively low weight.

The Rover V8 And The Defender

The story of how the Rover V8 came to be is fascinating, it started out as the Buick 215 cubic inch V8 that had originally been released in 1961.

The 3.5 liter Rover V8 has an aluminum-alloy block and heads, making it lighter than many comparable V8s but no less powerful.

It was an unusually small and lightweight V8 thanks to its aluminum-alloy block and heads, and its displacement of 3.5 liters, much smaller than most comparable American V8s.

Interestingly Buick only kept the engine in production until 1963, when it was replaced by a similar engine with an iron block, then later by engines with an iron block and heads.

British automaker Rover was looking for a more powerful engine for upcoming production cars and so a deal was struck with General Motors to buy the tooling and rights to the defunct Buick 215 V8. Rover engineers largely reengineered the engine to make it stronger, then released it in a passenger car in 1967.

They can’t have known it at the time, but the Rover V8 would become one of the most important performance engines in British history. It powered everything from Range Rovers and Land Rovers to race cars and high performance sports cars built by companies like TVR, MG, Morgan, and many others.

The interior of this Defender now benefits from new black leather Exmoor Trim upholstery, a Mountney Classic steering wheel, and a smart USB output.

The engine’s low weight, good torque characteristics, reliability, and simplicity made it ideal for use in four-wheel drive applications like the Defender – so much so that many aftermarket conversions have been completed over the years. But collectors always tend to prefer factory-built examples.

The 1989 Land Rover Defender V8 Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is an upgraded 1989 Land Rover Defender V8, as mentioned above this vehicle came from the factory with this engine installed, but a number of other improvements have been undertaken to bring it up to a modern standard.

This Defender is also an original soft top model, a rarer option than the standard hard top and another common aftermarket conversion.

Among the upgrades that have been applied to this vehicle is a retrimmed interior with black leather Exmoor Trim upholstery, a Mountney Classic steering wheel, a smart USB output, an Edelbrock carburetor on a new intake manifold, and the paintwork has been resprayed in the original Midnight Blue.

It’s now riding on 16 inch steel wheels with gold centre caps wrapped with knobby Comforser CF3000 mud tires. A tubular steel rear bumper has been fitted, as has a tow ball, and there are rocker guards mounted on either side.

The car is currently for sale on Collecting Cars in a live online auction, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post A Custom Land Rover Defender With A Factory-Fitted 3.5 Liter V8 appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/land-rover-defender-rover-v8/
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For Sale: An Upgraded 1983 Toyota Hilux Pickup Camper 5-Speed 4×4

The Toyota Hilux, better known as the Toyota Pickup in the USA, is one of the most lauded four-wheel drives ever made. Their blend of reliability and toughness has seen them become a favorite of everyone from American weekend adventurers to Middle Eastern warlords and everyone in-between.

Since its introduction in 1968, the Hilux has been built in eight distinct generations. While the earliest examples of the model were two-wheel drive it would be the four-wheel drive versions that first appeared in 1978 that would define the truck, and ensure its ongoing success.

Fast Facts – The 1983 Toyota Hilux Pickup 5-Speed 4×4

The Toyota Hilux was first released in 1968 as a small, rear-wheel drive pickup truck. A decade later in 1978 the first four-wheel drive version would be announced as part of the model’s third generation.
The most famous Hilux in popular culture was almost certainly the black 1985 model featured in the “Back To The Future” film trilogy. This truck has been credited with turning the Hilux into a desirable vehicle, rather than just a workhorse pickup truck.
The 1983 Toyota Pickup you see here is from the third generation, it’s powered by the 2.4 liter inline-four cylinder gasoline engine, sending power to the wheels via a dual-range transfer case and a five-speed manual transmission.
This truck has been given a series of upgrades including Detroit Truetrac locking differentials, an aftermarket exhaust header, a two-inch lift kit, a a Ramsey winch, Recaro seats, and a camper shell on the back.

The Mighty Hilux

When Toyota first released the Hilux in 1968 it was a small, cheap pickup truck offered with rear-wheel drive only. It was destined to compete with the likes of the Datsun Truck, at the less-expensive end of the pickup truck market.

This Hilux has the 2.4 liter Toyota inline-four cylinder gasoline engine, it’s fitted with aftermarket headers and an MSD ignition.

The second generation Hilux appeared in 1972, it further refined the basic concept but it still only offered rear wheel drive.

In 1978 the third generation version appeared – this would be the model that formulated the DNA of all the Hiluxes that would follow, with its optional four-wheel drive system, increased ground clearance and more modern styling.

The fourth generation Hilux appeared for the 1984 model year, this would arguably become the most famous of all thanks to its prominent inclusion in all three Back To The Future movies as a key plot point in the various timelines.

So popular was this truck that a company was formed recently specifically to build replicas for fans of the film.

This Pickup has Detroit Truetrac locking differentials and a 2″ lift, it rides on 15″ alloy wheels fitted with 33 × 12.5 Firestone Destination A/T tires.

The 1983 Toyota Hilux Pickup 5-Speed 4×4 Shown Here

The truck you see here is a 1983 Toyota Pickup with the 5-speed manual transmission.

It features a slew of upgrades over the original, including Detroit Truetrac locking differentials, an aftermarket exhaust header, a two-inch lift kit, a camper shell on the back, a roof rack, steel bumpers, an 8,000 lb Ramsey winch, a receiver hitch, Recaro seats, air-conditioning, and an aftermarket stereo.

It’s now riding on polished 15″ alloy wheels which are fitted with 33 × 12.5 Firestone Destination A/T tires. Power is provided by the reliable 2.4 liter Toyota inline-four cylinder engine, with power sent to all four wheels via the dual speed transfer case and 5-speed gearbox.

This truck is currently being auctioned live on Bring A Trailer and at the time of writing there are still a few days left to bid. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.