As a kid, my dad bought on of these in 72 for my mom and my sister and I. We rode it for two seasons, lots of great memories. Top speed around 55 to 60 down hill. Love that loping idle sound.
Arctic cat really was really ahead of everyone else when it came to design, first shocks on skis, engine placement and so on. Only company to say been there done that for sure! On top of that what a beautiful machine. Heck of a find
@@jeremyfre9761 Did you know the founders of Arctic Cat and Polaris were brothers? and Polaris is still in Roseau MN, and Arctic Cat home is Thief River Falls MN bout 50 miles apart. I worked 10 years at Arctic, and 7 at Polaris,,, many of us have family at both... I think if Polaris Bought Arctic it would go well, most of us have rivalry but we are family.
Fun video’s ! I am a old guy now but your videos of you outside working to get them started in heavy snow reminds me of my youth! Great memories,thanks. 25:2025:23
Arctic Cat - The Pride of Thief River Falls Minnesota! I really enjoy your channel Rock! You're a down to earth regular guy, who along with a few million others make our world go 'round!
Thanks for making this video. My Dad and Mom both had this vintage of Arctic Cat sled when I was a little kid. My Dad's sled was a 399 and my Mom's was a smaller engine, which didn't like to start when it was cold. I remember that leopard pattern seat and the picture on the lower dash of the snarling cat, both of which I thought were really cool when I was a kid. Nice memories.
the panther was a nice find sir and in excellent condition..nice to see you have it running again..when i was young back in the early 70's ..my family had a lynx and a puma...i liked the part of the video where you're running it around,,like old times for me ,,thank you i enjoy your work and videos
This really takes me back. We had one of these sleds when I was a kid. They were very torquey on the bottom end. You had to be careful because you would tear the cleats off the track with all the torque. The cleats are only held on with rivets. It didn't have too much top end, but fast enough to have fun. It was a bit on the heavy side. Thanks for making this video and saving this old cat.
My best friend's family had one of those! We rode it all over the hills of Steuben Co. in NY! Brother, you brought back some great memories of my teenage years! and the sound!!!!!
You finally got a good one!! after quite a few seriously broken machines, somehow, you found a working, in GREAT shape early 70's rotary! wow, the seat and windshield still good somehow, awesome!!!
@@rockspowersports Really a time capsule, amazing the tank is ok, the seat, the windshield, the engine, tracks, brakes work, unreal considering how long its sat! I read they're around 20hp and probably a lot of torque, should get that 330lb sled (so I read) around pretty well! I read 45mph top speed, look forward to another video on it, really cool, glad you finally found a treasure!
Greetings from Glasgow Scotland and a fan of anything with the rotary engine especially motorbikes, I'm quite sure that this Sachs unit ran on premix hence the non-rusty tank
I had a ’70 Panther with the 303. Great sled! No speed demon, about 45-50 mph tops. It was great hearing your 303 run! that rop-rop-rop idle was a signature of the 303. Mine always got a lot of comments as the 303 was kinda rare. The cleated track made it a pretty good climber, too. My biggest negative was the headlight. Really not the brightest……...
Hey I do appreciate you responding to everyone's comments. I subscribed to a few different channels and left good comments and no one ever responded. No longer following them. Great videos bud keep them coming 👍
I am very jealous 😊. My dad bought a 70 panther with the Wankel. The reliability of this sled was amazing. My dad finally sold it in 88 and it was still running beautifully. Over the same period of time we owned a sno prince, a Massey Ferguson and a John Deere. All of them died long before the cat. Wankels are really easy to rebuild and the components are of far better quality today. We owned a cabin, so our sleds were used every weekend and with 7 kids, even as we got older and dating, these were used even more. Up grade the skis and you will be happy for years. Still jealous 😁
My grandfather owned a 70 Panther 303 also. We never used 2 stroke oil. We used Shell Rotella and never had any problem with the motor. By coincidence he also owned a Sno Prince. I can't remember the model for sure. I think it was a Hurricane. It had a small single cylinder Sachs engine. We rode those machines night and day all over the countryside.
@@rockspowersports please do that vid as well. Our cabin is at 8600 ft and it ran all over those mountains even over 10,000 ft. You've got alot more potential than you know. Also, someone has worked out a better seal system so you don't get near the blow-by that the old motors did, and that's more HP.👍 Glad I came across you.
@@bivermonter it must have been a trend or something. Maybe at the time, these were the closest competitors??? Alot of people bought 1 of each to team them up. It really was common place. Also, they were always the wankels and not the bigger motors. Do you still go or just have good memories 🙂
@@halfloft As I got older and buying new snowmobiles, my grandfather sold the wankel around 1990. The Sno Prince died and we took it to the dump. I had lots of good times on the Panther and the Sno Prince. When I could, I always chose the Panther. The little Sno Prince didn't go for shit in the deeper powder.
The whirring noise you hear is the rotor hulahooping around the stationary gear, totally normal. I wouldn't worry about the crank seals unless they are leaking oil, the rotor tip and side seals handle all the combustion gasses. Congrats on getting it running! rotaries are awesome :)
That’s good to hear that the noise is normal. I’ve never had anything rotorary on the past so wasn’t sure. I have a bunch of parts including new crank seals to throw on it. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Definitely happy when it fired up.
My father was a mechanic, and when I was growing up in the 80s, we had the rotor and a few other parts from one of these in my basement. It's one of the first engines I've seen internals of. I've never seen one complete.
Such a cool video. I'm from Mackinaw City, Michigan, and a friend had 2 of these growing up in the late 90s early 2000s that we used to rip around on. Most unique and cool sounding sleds out there. Old sleds are so much more fun to dink around with!
Great video. I owned a Chaparral (dif brand) back in the early 90's but the pulling on the cord to start brought back painful memories. Nothing but good times back in Michigan so many years ago. Thanks for the video and memories.
Absolutely the best thing I've seen you drag hone and get going. I love it, I could ride that thing around all day and have a blast. Get some more vids on it man that is so cool.
Glad to hear you enjoy the longer video’s! Seems as though Some people like long some like shorter.. so I’m trying to get a mix of both. Anyways thanks for watching!
I have a lynx with one of these in it. Haven't run it for years. I always had a hard time starting it and just like it your video it loved to backfire.
As the point of contact on the points arm rides the lobe, it slowly wears making the points gap smaller over time. That's why it was really tight. They have to be opened up a touch now and then.
We had got one of those when I was a teenager and it was seized we soaked it in diesel for a week and taped the pistons with a piece of wood and hammer and that was the best skido we ever had it was so fast.
My grandfather had one just like it , he had a steel dog sled that he used to tow everybody around with, had lots of fun on that old snowmobile. They definitely have a distinct sound . The track had steel cleats and that thing was like a tank ,it would go anywhere. 👍🏻👍🏻
@ It was awesome, I’m also a native Vermonter,so in that time we would get crazy amounts of snow, once my cousin was big enough to drive it my grandfather would start it ,make sure we had enough gas and my cousin would tow the rest of us kids around for hours . Those old 303 engines just kept going. I do remember going down the lake one winter at top speed 😁 and a cleat ripped out of the track , that scared the shit out my cousin and I, but it didn’t really hurt anything, so we kept riding. It’s really cool to see you bring that old rig back to life.👍🏻👍🏻
Wow man this brings back memories for sure... I had one when I was a kid, we bought it fir 100 dollars, mine was a 399 , identical sled, it was my most favorite machine.. wish I had it sill
hey rock, i’ve got one of these engines i’m putting on a mini bike currently. was given to me by the old guy i help with his rx7 rotary engine race car. i’ve got two rx7’s myself one race car and one street car! these are cool little engines im stoked to see you save it!
Merry xmas Rock! What a beauty! Got my first sled a 72 440 panther with original walbro carb given to me about 12 years ago off of facebook. Kinda looks like a mad max version but has taken me many miles and taught me alot about snowmobiles due to all the repairs! My favorite of the 4 I have now but its turning radius is quite humorous compared to the others (93 prowler 2up/2001 mtn cat/78 lynx with a 73 440 b version transplant.
Wow that brings back memories. My father had the same machine, right down to the key chain. Watching you pull on that rope made me laugh! If i remember correctly the kill switch was a two position switch, so you had to make sure it was in the right up position for it to start.
My buddy had one when we were kids, back in the mid 80s, we worked on that sled all winter trying to get it to run right, only worked good once, but it really worked when it did.
@rockspowersports just finished watching, yours is running better than ours did but it's got a lot more in it , I'd put it up there with the 440s of the day, 40 ish hp
I had that exact machine grown up . I /A mouse built a nest in next to the fins on the heads and I cooked the pistons running about 50 mph down a side road ! Backfired two foot flames and melted my down jacket to my chest !! But my El Tigre 440 was the true BEAST !! Only downfall on that one was instead of a Rubber track mine was carbide metal for Ice Racing !! That one ran 72!mph and it was in the late 70 s
There is something about those old two stroke sleds, they weren't fast but they went through everything. They'd ride atop the snow and just motor along. Really sweet sled, time machine.
We bought a 1974 Arctic Cat Cheetah 340 back in the mid 1990's and it is in beautiful condition, but we never were able to get it running back then, but we didn't have TH-cam back then either. Sadly you can't buy a new cylinder for them anymore if it is a compression issue. Arctic Cat manufacturing went out of business in Minnesota 2 weeks ago and are hoping that someone buys the company, since everyone was fired. I guess Polaris will have a monopoly on the new sled market and can charge $20,000 for a sled now.
Way cool ,slash was a very nice machine for its time ,our family had one brandnew Back then same year, terrace b.c ,had a 340 tnt ski doo ,as our other machine 👍😀
My Father came home one day with two of those when I was around 14 or so,All they needed was some cleaning a tune up and new windshields. That was 41 years ago. Those things are Tanks and when your a kid they are heavy to move if you get stuck in deep snow. A lot of memories.
I had one of these it was a 1970 Panther 303 wankel. The top speed is probably 40 mph they have lots of torque out of the hole but level off quick. I would recommend checking and changing the chain case lube before running any more. The fuel mileage is really bad on these things and no reserve tank so don't go to far from home without a full tank.
Love getting a new machine sometimes it's fun to learn as you go and you feel good after getting it going. Other times it's frustrating. Never knew they made a rotary sled
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I’ve never owned one but My neighbor had a scorpion not sure the model but he said back in the day those sleds were hard to beat in a race.
Back in the day they had an optional cargo sled. It was great for firewood and sleigh rides for the kids. I bet you I can find my old owners manual for thee one I had. I know I have it ...its just where. If I find it I'll give it to you. I love thee older sleds. They were more for utility back in the day. I'm working on an old John deer currently.
Own an old 71 panther thats been sitting up in the loft of my garage for the last 30+ years. Its missing the engine but has an excellent hood, body, track and a ton of other good parts. It was given to me back in the late 80's and we just dont get enough snow here in Virginia to warrant even having a sled. Sadly, i'm moving soon and the old panther will just end up going to the recycling yard for scrap metal. I'd gladly give the thing to anybody who wanted to dig it out just to save an old piece of history from the scrap pile. But, here in Va there is no demand for snowmobiles and nobody from a northern state would ever come all this way just to pick it up. People have told me to sell the parts off of it on e-bay but thats just way more trouble than its worth to me. Anyway, it was nice to see another one running and riding again. My old panther though is sadly near the end of its life on this earth....great vid!
Cool video!, our neighbors had that same sled, ours was a 73, had the Kawasaki 340 engine…you need to keep your eyes open for a 640 panther, or a VIP panther
Great sled.....my Dad had one when I was growing up ..... I bought one about 10 years ago.....have rebuilt 2 motors.... Very easy to work on. Best upgrade is eliminating the recoil with the aluminum starter cup and converting to a Kawasaki set up.
Man this thing is so cool! i wish we got snow like you got here in the Netherlands so i could ride something like this Panther:) also i really like your way of making this video ! I subbed :D
Had one I modded and showed for years. Got in a bind and had to sell it. I’m still bitter. The thing about the Sachs 303 is they don’t like setting. Once you finally fix the usual problems and do a few mods the little sled comes alive. I’ll never forget doing hot laps At Coudersport oval on snow for a vintage track day after I got mine done. The locals thought I had an airplane engine in it. lol.
Need to get that white pull start cable bushing off there and get it 3d scanned so spares can be printed. I’m sure more people need it. I’d love to see the top speed of this rig.
My grampa bought three of those new from factory. Gave two to his oldest sons and kept one for himself. My dad now owns the only one left which was my gramps. It’s now in his shop and still runs.
One of the best sounding Wankels i have heard. My grandfather had, I believe, a '72...gotta pull out the old pics to verify. They were great when they started. If they didn't want to, they just plain wouldn't
As a kid, my dad bought on of these in 72 for my mom and my sister and I. We rode it for two seasons, lots of great memories. Top speed around 55 to 60 down hill. Love that loping idle sound.
Arctic cat really was really ahead of everyone else when it came to design, first shocks on skis, engine placement and so on. Only company to say been there done that for sure! On top of that what a beautiful machine. Heck of a find
I always liked Cats. It’s to bad it’s not looking to good for them right now..
@@rockspowersports no it is not, hopefully someone will buy them and not Polaris
Let’s hope so!
@@jeremyfre9761 Did you know the founders of Arctic Cat and Polaris were brothers? and Polaris is still in Roseau MN, and Arctic Cat home is Thief River Falls MN bout 50 miles apart. I worked 10 years at Arctic, and 7 at Polaris,,, many of us have family at both... I think if Polaris Bought Arctic it would go well, most of us have rivalry but we are family.
@@rockspowersportsya you got that right hopefully sumthing changes for cat
Fun video’s ! I am a old guy now but your videos of you outside working to get them started in heavy snow reminds me of my youth! Great memories,thanks. 25:20 25:23
So cool to see it come back to life. Thanks for taking us along.
Absolutely, thanks for watching.
@@rockspowersportsgreat job man. you are easy to learn from. subscribed!
Arctic Cat - The Pride of Thief River Falls Minnesota! I really enjoy your channel Rock! You're a down to earth regular guy, who along with a few million others make our world go 'round!
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching.
Cool sled/ find
And hello from New Hampshire.
Great video, so satisfying to hear this thing run. And that rotary sounds awesome 👍
I had a 73 Cheetah 340 and that brought back some memories! Those narrow skis and finicky riding. So fun!!!
Had a cheetah 400 kawasaki engine.
First sled i had was a 292 lynx when you cranked that cat up, it brought back many memories ,thanks for the video that cat is in mint condition
Mine was a 292 panther
Thanks for making this video. My Dad and Mom both had this vintage of Arctic Cat sled when I was a little kid. My Dad's sled was a 399 and my Mom's was a smaller engine, which didn't like to start when it was cold. I remember that leopard pattern seat and the picture on the lower dash of the snarling cat, both of which I thought were really cool when I was a kid. Nice memories.
Brings back some memories for this 70 year old. Had one in my teens.
Vintage Cats are awesome! I still have my dad’s 634 Hirth from the early 70’s. Lots of great memories on that sled.
the panther was a nice find sir and in excellent condition..nice to see you have it running again..when i was young back in the early 70's ..my family had a lynx and a puma...i liked the part of the video where you're running it around,,like old times for me ,,thank you i enjoy your work and videos
This really takes me back. We had one of these sleds when I was a kid. They were very torquey on the bottom end. You had to be careful because you would tear the cleats off the track with all the torque. The cleats are only held on with rivets. It didn't have too much top end, but fast enough to have fun. It was a bit on the heavy side. Thanks for making this video and saving this old cat.
My best friend's family had one of those! We rode it all over the hills of Steuben Co. in NY! Brother, you brought back some great memories of my teenage years! and the sound!!!!!
Those old rotary cats are sick! And sound super sweet.
They are pretty sweet! First one I’ve ever touched.
You finally got a good one!! after quite a few seriously broken machines, somehow, you found a working, in GREAT shape early 70's rotary! wow, the seat and windshield still good somehow, awesome!!!
Right, Finally a good deal on a good machine! After I cleaned her up I was surprised how good of shape it really was in.
@@rockspowersports Really a time capsule, amazing the tank is ok, the seat, the windshield, the engine, tracks, brakes work, unreal considering how long its sat! I read they're around 20hp and probably a lot of torque, should get that 330lb sled (so I read) around pretty well! I read 45mph top speed, look forward to another video on it, really cool, glad you finally found a treasure!
He definitely kept it in great shape over the years and best thing he could have done was store it in that barn on a wood floor.
@@rockspowersports Pretty impressive, that wood floor did wonders! amazing how old it is and in that shape!
Greetings from Glasgow Scotland and a fan of anything with the rotary engine especially motorbikes, I'm quite sure that this Sachs unit ran on premix hence the non-rusty tank
What an awesome video. It was really cool to see the amount of appreciation you this old Panther, and see you get to enjoy it out on the snow.
I had a ’70 Panther with the 303. Great sled! No speed demon, about 45-50 mph tops. It was great hearing your 303 run! that rop-rop-rop idle was a signature of the 303. Mine always got a lot of comments as the 303 was kinda rare. The cleated track made it a pretty good climber, too. My biggest negative was the headlight. Really not the brightest……...
Hey I do appreciate you responding to everyone's comments. I subscribed to a few different channels and left good comments and no one ever responded. No longer following them. Great videos bud keep them coming 👍
I try to respond to as many as I can. They’ll be plenty more videos coming!
Not everyone has time to reply to every single comment so not following because of that is a bit dumb.
Love the longer videos , your videos are getting better and better all the time
Thanks, Glad to hear it!
I have the same sled and agree with you. I have more fun on that old Wankel than I do on a newer sled. It's so fun haha Great video!
Glad to hear you’re enjoying your Wankel as much as I do, they’re fun to ride!
I am very jealous 😊.
My dad bought a 70 panther with the Wankel. The reliability of this sled was amazing.
My dad finally sold it in 88 and it was still running beautifully.
Over the same period of time we owned a sno prince, a Massey Ferguson and a John Deere.
All of them died long before the cat.
Wankels are really easy to rebuild and the components are of far better quality today.
We owned a cabin, so our sleds were used every weekend and with 7 kids, even as we got older and dating, these were used even more.
Up grade the skis and you will be happy for years.
Still jealous 😁
That’s good to hear these things were reliable. It should treat me pretty well when I get it tuned up!
My grandfather owned a 70 Panther 303 also. We never used 2 stroke oil. We used Shell Rotella and never had any problem with the motor. By coincidence he also owned a Sno Prince. I can't remember the model for sure. I think it was a Hurricane. It had a small single cylinder Sachs engine. We rode those machines night and day all over the countryside.
@@rockspowersports please do that vid as well.
Our cabin is at 8600 ft and it ran all over those mountains even over 10,000 ft.
You've got alot more potential than you know.
Also, someone has worked out a better seal system so you don't get near the blow-by that the old motors did, and that's more HP.👍
Glad I came across you.
@@bivermonter it must have been a trend or something.
Maybe at the time, these were the closest competitors???
Alot of people bought 1 of each to team them up.
It really was common place.
Also, they were always the wankels and not the bigger motors.
Do you still go or just have good memories 🙂
@@halfloft As I got older and buying new snowmobiles, my grandfather sold the wankel around 1990. The Sno Prince died and we took it to the dump. I had lots of good times on the Panther and the Sno Prince. When I could, I always chose the Panther. The little Sno Prince didn't go for shit in the deeper powder.
The whirring noise you hear is the rotor hulahooping around the stationary gear, totally normal. I wouldn't worry about the crank seals unless they are leaking oil, the rotor tip and side seals handle all the combustion gasses. Congrats on getting it running! rotaries are awesome :)
That’s good to hear that the noise is normal. I’ve never had anything rotorary on the past so wasn’t sure. I have a bunch of parts including new crank seals to throw on it. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Definitely happy when it fired up.
My father was a mechanic, and when I was growing up in the 80s, we had the rotor and a few other parts from one of these in my basement. It's one of the first engines I've seen internals of. I've never seen one complete.
Great video! Love rotary sleds
Thats a really cool sled, and it actually looks pretty nice for its age! Glad you got to show it on your channel
I thought it was pretty neat, glad you enjoyed it.
That is so cool! Can't wait to see a follow up to see if a few parts wake it up
Such a cool video. I'm from Mackinaw City, Michigan, and a friend had 2 of these growing up in the late 90s early 2000s that we used to rip around on. Most unique and cool sounding sleds out there. Old sleds are so much more fun to dink around with!
Great video. I owned a Chaparral (dif brand) back in the early 90's but the pulling on the cord to start brought back painful memories. Nothing but good times back in Michigan so many years ago. Thanks for the video and memories.
Man, i love to work on small engines for fun. I have learned a lot from you! Thanks for the great content!!!
Absolutely the best thing I've seen you drag hone and get going. I love it, I could ride that thing around all day and have a blast. Get some more vids on it man that is so cool.
Glad you enjoyed it! There will be more videos of this beast for sure!
Cool man....ive got a 73 JD #500 w/ CCW 440 totally restored i love it way fun to ride the older sleds....
That sled is mint for it's age. Awesome find.
I love the sound of a rotary engine. This was a great video and a great find.
Man I really love your videos! This was such a fun watch!
Love love the longer video's.
Glad to hear you enjoy the longer video’s! Seems as though Some people like long some like shorter.. so I’m trying to get a mix of both. Anyways thanks for watching!
Very nice find and looked so clean under the hood, too! Great video! 👀👌
I have a lynx with one of these in it. Haven't run it for years. I always had a hard time starting it and just like it your video it loved to backfire.
As the point of contact on the points arm rides the lobe, it slowly wears making the points gap smaller over time. That's why it was really tight. They have to be opened up a touch now and then.
Great video! I remember seeing those rotary cat's around back in the day here in Mn. Very cool.
Wow !! What a find !! And it seams to run pretty good !!
Runs better than I expected but I got some tune up parts in the way for it.
Rock, awesome segment. I don't know much about rotary motors so this was very informative. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Glad you enjoyed it, and happy new year to you as well!
Love the vids rock would love to see some old three wheeler content too them old girls need some loving!
Glad to hear it! And I agree, I gotta get to working on my Tri Z’s at some point!
We had got one of those when I was a teenager and it was seized we soaked it in diesel for a week and taped the pistons with a piece of wood and hammer and that was the best skido we ever had it was so fast.
Those rotory motors are making a come back in gocarts. I love the sound of them.
My grandfather had one just like it , he had a steel dog sled that he used to tow everybody around with, had lots of fun on that old snowmobile. They definitely have a distinct sound . The track had steel cleats and that thing was like a tank ,it would go anywhere. 👍🏻👍🏻
Sounds like you had some great times with that old sled!
@ It was awesome, I’m also a native Vermonter,so in that time we would get crazy amounts of snow, once my cousin was big enough to drive it my grandfather would start it ,make sure we had enough gas and my cousin would tow the rest of us kids around for hours . Those old 303 engines just kept going. I do remember going down the lake one winter at top speed 😁 and a cleat ripped out of the track , that scared the shit out my cousin and I, but it didn’t really hurt anything, so we kept riding. It’s really cool to see you bring that old rig back to life.👍🏻👍🏻
Another great video..thanks for sharing! Love the test rides. Looking forward to more videos in 2025! Happy New Year!
Thanks, Glad you enjoyed it! More videos to come soon. Happy New Year!
Nice informative video. Love to see them barn restores. Keep up the good work.
Merry Christmas, HAPPY NEW year from Ontario Canada
Thank you! Merry Christmas and Happy new year to you as well.
Wow man this brings back memories for sure... I had one when I was a kid, we bought it fir 100 dollars, mine was a 399 , identical sled, it was my most favorite machine.. wish I had it sill
Really cool, absolutely awesome content. Thanks 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome find! Sounds really good! I know nothing about snowmobiles and had no idea they made a rotary one. Very cool!
hey rock, i’ve got one of these engines i’m putting on a mini bike currently. was given to me by the old guy i help with his rx7 rotary engine race car. i’ve got two rx7’s myself one race car and one street car! these are cool little engines im stoked to see you save it!
Those rotary engines are pretty cool, I’ll be tearing this one down to give it a good inspection and replace crank seals.
So cool you saved this old babe! Awesome! Subscribed.
What a machine, great video again!
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Merry xmas Rock! What a beauty! Got my first sled a 72 440 panther with original walbro carb given to me about 12 years ago off of facebook. Kinda looks like a mad max version but has taken me many miles and taught me alot about snowmobiles due to all the repairs! My favorite of the 4 I have now but its turning radius is quite humorous compared to the others (93 prowler 2up/2001 mtn cat/78 lynx with a 73 440 b version transplant.
That was a cool video. I love rotarys. I need a motor like that in my life. When she popped for the first time was nice. Sounds great.
Pretty neat engine for sure. The first signs of the engines coming to life are the best!
Great piece of history.
Absolutely!
Wow that brings back memories. My father had the same machine, right down to the key chain. Watching you pull on that rope made me laugh! If i remember correctly the kill switch was a two position switch, so you had to make sure it was in the right up position for it to start.
Good luck finding parts
Love the rotary sleds. Hope to see more videos of this one!
Glad to hear it! There will be more videos of this beast for sure!
My buddy had one when we were kids, back in the mid 80s, we worked on that sled all winter trying to get it to run right, only worked good once, but it really worked when it did.
I’ve heard they can be pretty finicky engines..
@rockspowersports just finished watching, yours is running better than ours did but it's got a lot more in it , I'd put it up there with the 440s of the day, 40 ish hp
It was running decent but l ordered some parts for it, so hopefully I can get it going real good.
You can tell it was kept inside it's in really nice shape for the year that's one hell of a find
Absolutely, I knew it was in pretty good shape but man after washing all the dirt/dust off of it.. I was shocked with how good of shape it’s still in.
Nice. Built in my hometown, the Puma and Lynx were fun sleds to back in the day.
I had that exact machine grown up . I /A mouse built a nest in next to the fins on the heads and I cooked the pistons running about 50 mph down a side road ! Backfired two foot flames and melted my down jacket to my chest !! But my El Tigre 440 was the true BEAST !! Only downfall on that one was instead of a Rubber track mine was carbide metal for Ice Racing !! That one ran 72!mph and it was in the late 70 s
Good video I don't think I have ever seen one of these actually running.
First sled I ever rode was my Grandfather’s Panther.Awesome trail cutters back in the 70s
There is something about those old two stroke sleds, they weren't fast but they went through everything. They'd ride atop the snow and just motor along. Really sweet sled, time machine.
Definitely not fast but still plenty of fun to be had!
Go through everything ya ok that thing is just waiting to get stuck 😂
I always get my best deals if the listing has terrible photos awesome video so far man
Thaats so cool what aa story as well, Sachs engines are very good ,we had Sachs engines on our Mopeds in Germany
Happy for yaa
Great video... not much into snowmobiles but I'll take it! Lol thanks rock
I appreciate you watching! I’ll have some wheeler content coming soon as well.
We bought a 1974 Arctic Cat Cheetah 340 back in the mid 1990's and it is in beautiful condition, but we never were able to get it running back then, but we didn't have TH-cam back then either. Sadly you can't buy a new cylinder for them anymore if it is a compression issue. Arctic Cat manufacturing went out of business in Minnesota 2 weeks ago and are hoping that someone buys the company, since everyone was fired. I guess Polaris will have a monopoly on the new sled market and can charge $20,000 for a sled now.
My dad had a 1969 Polaris Colt with a 500 in it. I would love to have today. It was a blast
Way cool ,slash was a very nice machine for its time ,our family had one brandnew Back then same year, terrace b.c ,had a 340 tnt ski doo ,as our other machine 👍😀
My Father came home one day with two of those when I was around 14 or so,All they needed was some cleaning a tune up and new windshields. That was 41 years ago. Those things are Tanks and when your a kid they are heavy to move if you get stuck in deep snow. A lot of memories.
I had one of these it was a 1970 Panther 303 wankel. The top speed is probably 40 mph they have lots of torque out of the hole but level off quick. I would recommend checking and changing the chain case lube before running any more. The fuel mileage is really bad on these things and no reserve tank so don't go to far from home without a full tank.
Love getting a new machine sometimes it's fun to learn as you go and you feel good after getting it going. Other times it's frustrating. Never knew they made a rotary sled
It’s a good feeling to get something that old and get it going! But yes sometime can certainly be frustrating
Man that was a great find you'll have fun with it there strong sleds
I have a 71 Lynx with the 305 4 stroke Kohler that my father bought brand new. I restored it a few years ago to mint condition. Cool piece of history.
That was fun to watch! I watched a repair on one of these a few years back and you made much quicker work of it for sure. Maybe a Scorpion next? Hehe.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I’ve never owned one but My neighbor had a scorpion not sure the model but he said back in the day those sleds were hard to beat in a race.
Back in the day they had an optional cargo sled. It was great for firewood and sleigh rides for the kids. I bet you I can find my old owners manual for thee one I had. I know I have it ...its just where. If I find it I'll give it to you. I love thee older sleds. They were more for utility back in the day. I'm working on an old John deer currently.
We need more getting old snowmobiles running vids like this
Hoping to get some more out.
Own an old 71 panther thats been sitting up in the loft of my garage for the last 30+ years. Its missing the engine but has an excellent hood, body, track and a ton of other good parts. It was given to me back in the late 80's and we just dont get enough snow here in Virginia to warrant even having a sled. Sadly, i'm moving soon and the old panther will just end up going to the recycling yard for scrap metal. I'd gladly give the thing to anybody who wanted to dig it out just to save an old piece of history from the scrap pile. But, here in Va there is no demand for snowmobiles and nobody from a northern state would ever come all this way just to pick it up. People have told me to sell the parts off of it on e-bay but thats just way more trouble than its worth to me. Anyway, it was nice to see another one running and riding again. My old panther though is sadly near the end of its life on this earth....great vid!
Cool video!, our neighbors had that same sled, ours was a 73, had the Kawasaki 340 engine…you need to keep your eyes open for a 640 panther, or a VIP panther
I’ll certainly keep an eye out, those 640’s seem to bring pretty good money though.
Great sled.....my Dad had one when I was growing up ..... I bought one about 10 years ago.....have rebuilt 2 motors.... Very easy to work on. Best upgrade is eliminating the recoil with the aluminum starter cup and converting to a Kawasaki set up.
What a find!
Man this thing is so cool! i wish we got snow like you got here in the Netherlands so i could ride something like this Panther:) also i really like your way of making this video ! I subbed :D
That’s a really cool cat.
Well 48 mins in. I'll give credit where it's due. You got her going.
Sounds sweet good work
Thanks!
We had a 72 Panther just like that, but with a Kawi 292 Single kicking around when I was a kid. Never did see it run.
Cool find.just as cool adventure.
Had one I modded and showed for years. Got in a bind and had to sell it. I’m still bitter. The thing about the Sachs 303 is they don’t like setting. Once you finally fix the usual problems and do a few mods the little sled comes alive. I’ll never forget doing hot laps At Coudersport oval on snow for a vintage track day after I got mine done. The locals thought I had an airplane engine in it. lol.
Need to get that white pull start cable bushing off there and get it 3d scanned so spares can be printed. I’m sure more people need it. I’d love to see the top speed of this rig.
That is so awesome!
My grampa bought three of those new from factory. Gave two to his oldest sons and kept one for himself. My dad now owns the only one left which was my gramps. It’s now in his shop and still runs.
ATF transmission fluid is your best friend when it comes to rotaries
One of the best sounding Wankels i have heard. My grandfather had, I believe, a '72...gotta pull out the old pics to verify.
They were great when they started. If they didn't want to, they just plain wouldn't
Had a 71 Exciter with the 396 love that sled