1970 Scorpion Stinger 340SS, photos of completed restoration, September, 2005.

September 24, 2005

The 1970 Scorpion Stinger restoration is essentially complete. The only thing missing in the photos is the decals, which I hope to have before the riding season starts.

I first showed this sled at the September 16-17 2005 Eagle River show. I have a picture of famous Scorpion racer Les Pinz with this sled. How cool is that!

I would like to thank the following people who provided parts and assistance for this project.

Dean Peterson - Hood, bumpers.
Dennis Kutz - NOS track, hood grills, and other small parts.
Winterhaven, Ernie Sr. - Motor mounts and other small parts.
A-1 Upholstery, Diane Miller - Refurbish original seat.
Carman Jordan - Sachs 340 SS cylinder.
Ed Boura - Sachs 340 SS piston.
Tired Iron, Bob Russ - NOS skis, snow flap.
Brent Ringlien - Flywheel puller & Sachs advice.
Dan Tomlanovich - NOS recoil, cylinder cover.

And of course, my wife Tracey and daughter Jennifer, who put up with my addiction to this insane hobby without complaining.

First Place Trophy === Vintage 1967-1970 Restored === Eagle River 2006

The hood is not an exact reproduction. The flake is just a bit smaller than the original. It does look very nice through.

The bumpers are very nice reproductions, and the chrome quality is spot on to the originals.

I liked the look of the windshield that was on the sled when I bought it. I used it as a template to cut a new one from smoke uvex. Much nicer looking in my opinion than the stock window.

The Scorpion emblems are perfect NOS items purchased years ago on ebay. From who, I don't remember.

The sled originally came with a ram tube type intake. It spits and leaks gasoline onto the seat, eventually destroying it. The period correct Sachs air box should help eliminate that problem. This is first and foremost a "rider" sled.

Skis are very hard to find correct NOS. These are just too rare to ride on and I'll be putting on something else for the winter.

The paint finish on the tunnel was a big disappointment to me. My skills and/or equipment were definitely not up to the task. I did eventually get down a base coat of tough POR-15, which I wet sanded smooth and top coated with rattle can enamel. It doesn't look too bad if you don't get too close.

Diane Miller (A-1 Upholstery) is responsible for the original seat restoration. The tool box and everything forward of it had to be replaced. There were a few holes that were repaired as well. This was the most costly piece of the puzzle. It's not as perfect as I would like, but it is serviceable and mostly original.

The bogie wheels (and all of the suspension) are re-painted original parts.

The clutch is a 94C Comet Duster. I intend to rebuild the original L arm clutch for possible show use. Again, this is primarily a rider. The Duster will work much better than the original and was available in 1970 as an aftermarket replacement.

The 340 SS Sachs is one powerful thumper. I installed a NOS piston and cylinder. The recoil is NOS as well. Many of these came from the factory with the Sachs "banana pipe" expansion chamber. The factory also offered an accessory "montana pipe" expansion chamber that exited through a pipe welded into the left foot board. The Donaldson muffler better suits this sled's role as a trail rider.

The exhaust clamps are the one exception to the period correct construction. I'm hoping these modern clamps will provide a tighter seal than the originals, which tended to leak, spitting unburned oil all over everything.