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Greetings fellow forum-goers!
I'm Travis, I'm 16 and live south of San Antonio, Texas. I've been following AATVs with interest for the last few years, ever since Nick O. introduced me to them through a game called Rigs of Rods. I even ended up modelling an Attex and putting it in the game. There's a thread for it somewhere on this forum.
Fast forward to last week, Nick messaged me on Skype with a link to a craigslist ad, it was listed as an Argo, and his asking price was $500. But Nick and I quickly determined that it was in fact a Hustler. The seller said it ran when he bought it and that he disassembled it and began a restoration of sorts and finished the entire lower half, he believed it was complete, and from what I could tell in the pictures, that seemed to be the case. All it really seemed to need was tires, and of course whatever work the engine may need to get running again. The seller said it would need new tires, but Nick said if there weren't any holes all the way through the tires, tubes should make them usable. So I contacted the seller and after a few messages asking various questions, I offered $300 and he came back with $330, which I had no problem accepting. So I made the 3.5 hour drive with my parents to take a look at it.
As usual pictures can only tell you so much, as it turns out it's not entirely there. But I ended up buying it. The biggest thing that's missing is the engine cover/rear seat. But the rest of what's missing seems to be small bits and pieces. It did come with a box of wiring, the fuel pump, headlight seals, one headlight bulb, an extra axle flange, and a few other small things. Mechanically everything seems to be in working order, the chains have very little rust, good tension and when you turn the axle there's little to no resistance. The passenger side drive chain is missing, but the seller gave me a small roll of chain to cut down and use. I also shifted the tranny a few times and moved the sticks around, everything was smooth as butter. Though the right stick moves farther forward than the left, I've traced that to the bolt that acts as its pivot point, the welds seem to have broken free. It also has what looks to be a nearly brand new drive belt. Also, as far as I can tell, someone replaced the axle pins with nuts and bolts, so I see that as a big plus. The condition of the body is fair, there's only three minor cracks on the lower tub, but the upper is where the problems exist. It has cracks all around it, though only four or five that I would consider major issues.
The tires are also a point of interest, they're in worse condition than I hoped, but they don't appear to have any holes going all the way through. So I'm on the fence on whether to attempt to use them or not. My fear is that something like a stick or sharp rock could punch through the week-points on the tires and puncture my tubes.
Now on to identifying what exactly I have, from the data plate on the engine I found that it's a Kohler 440 (exact model K4402AX). And the carb appears to be a Walbro WF17-043655, but the F and 0 are partially worn off. As far as condition of the engine, it has a broken spark plug boot, the fan belt and recoil are missing, and the exhaust manifold has a small crack where it looks like it broke completely and someone tried to repair it. Other than that it looks to be in pretty decent shape, and it still has compression. It also has the flex pipe for the exhaust, but the muffler is rusted out and filled with dirt and various critter nests, so I doubt it will be much use to me.
As far as the machine itself goes, it doesn't have the plate that would usually be to the left of the driver, and I can't find any kind of identification on the chassis. But with the help of a couple threads here, Nick and I are pretty sure it's a 1976 900HK model.
Here's a list of what I think I need, so far, along with some things I'd like to get done for cosmetics/future proofing:
- Tires (maybe)
- New wiring (maybe)
- Headlight bulb/lexan light shields (maybe)
- Various hardware/mounting equipment
- Throttle/choke cables/choke lever
- Fan belt
- Recoil starter
- Carb rebuilt kit
- Fuel line
- Spark plug boot
- Air filter
- Muffler
- Rubber bushing for motor mount
- Lots and lots of epoxy. Possibly sheet metal for bracing
- Paint to go over epoxy, maybe bedliner for the tub. Debating spray bombing the rims
- New handle grips
- Floor boards
If anyone has pointers on repairing cracks, getting anything else done, places to find deals on parts, or even things to add to my list of things to buy, that would be greatly appreciated. After all, my reason for posting here wasn't only to share my excitement with the community, but also to get any advice I can. Because as a first time owner I need all I can get!
Thanks for taking a look, here's a link to the pictures I've taken so far: 1976 Hustler 900HK - Album on Imgur
I'm Travis, I'm 16 and live south of San Antonio, Texas. I've been following AATVs with interest for the last few years, ever since Nick O. introduced me to them through a game called Rigs of Rods. I even ended up modelling an Attex and putting it in the game. There's a thread for it somewhere on this forum.
Fast forward to last week, Nick messaged me on Skype with a link to a craigslist ad, it was listed as an Argo, and his asking price was $500. But Nick and I quickly determined that it was in fact a Hustler. The seller said it ran when he bought it and that he disassembled it and began a restoration of sorts and finished the entire lower half, he believed it was complete, and from what I could tell in the pictures, that seemed to be the case. All it really seemed to need was tires, and of course whatever work the engine may need to get running again. The seller said it would need new tires, but Nick said if there weren't any holes all the way through the tires, tubes should make them usable. So I contacted the seller and after a few messages asking various questions, I offered $300 and he came back with $330, which I had no problem accepting. So I made the 3.5 hour drive with my parents to take a look at it.
As usual pictures can only tell you so much, as it turns out it's not entirely there. But I ended up buying it. The biggest thing that's missing is the engine cover/rear seat. But the rest of what's missing seems to be small bits and pieces. It did come with a box of wiring, the fuel pump, headlight seals, one headlight bulb, an extra axle flange, and a few other small things. Mechanically everything seems to be in working order, the chains have very little rust, good tension and when you turn the axle there's little to no resistance. The passenger side drive chain is missing, but the seller gave me a small roll of chain to cut down and use. I also shifted the tranny a few times and moved the sticks around, everything was smooth as butter. Though the right stick moves farther forward than the left, I've traced that to the bolt that acts as its pivot point, the welds seem to have broken free. It also has what looks to be a nearly brand new drive belt. Also, as far as I can tell, someone replaced the axle pins with nuts and bolts, so I see that as a big plus. The condition of the body is fair, there's only three minor cracks on the lower tub, but the upper is where the problems exist. It has cracks all around it, though only four or five that I would consider major issues.
The tires are also a point of interest, they're in worse condition than I hoped, but they don't appear to have any holes going all the way through. So I'm on the fence on whether to attempt to use them or not. My fear is that something like a stick or sharp rock could punch through the week-points on the tires and puncture my tubes.
Now on to identifying what exactly I have, from the data plate on the engine I found that it's a Kohler 440 (exact model K4402AX). And the carb appears to be a Walbro WF17-043655, but the F and 0 are partially worn off. As far as condition of the engine, it has a broken spark plug boot, the fan belt and recoil are missing, and the exhaust manifold has a small crack where it looks like it broke completely and someone tried to repair it. Other than that it looks to be in pretty decent shape, and it still has compression. It also has the flex pipe for the exhaust, but the muffler is rusted out and filled with dirt and various critter nests, so I doubt it will be much use to me.
As far as the machine itself goes, it doesn't have the plate that would usually be to the left of the driver, and I can't find any kind of identification on the chassis. But with the help of a couple threads here, Nick and I are pretty sure it's a 1976 900HK model.
Here's a list of what I think I need, so far, along with some things I'd like to get done for cosmetics/future proofing:
- Tires (maybe)
- New wiring (maybe)
- Headlight bulb/lexan light shields (maybe)
- Various hardware/mounting equipment
- Throttle/choke cables/choke lever
- Fan belt
- Recoil starter
- Carb rebuilt kit
- Fuel line
- Spark plug boot
- Air filter
- Muffler
- Rubber bushing for motor mount
- Lots and lots of epoxy. Possibly sheet metal for bracing
- Paint to go over epoxy, maybe bedliner for the tub. Debating spray bombing the rims
- New handle grips
- Floor boards
If anyone has pointers on repairing cracks, getting anything else done, places to find deals on parts, or even things to add to my list of things to buy, that would be greatly appreciated. After all, my reason for posting here wasn't only to share my excitement with the community, but also to get any advice I can. Because as a first time owner I need all I can get!
Thanks for taking a look, here's a link to the pictures I've taken so far: 1976 Hustler 900HK - Album on Imgur
), along with other odds and ends. Oh yeah... and a 440cc Honda Clone lol.
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