Tucker Sno-Cat 1959 Model 222 "Kitten"

Description

This Kitten was recently purchased by me. I live in Connecticut and as anyone from here will tell you, our winters are anything but spectacular when it comes to snow. My wife and I are also considering becoming snowbirds in our RV. So, it just doesn't make sense for me to keep her. "I'm referring to the Snowcat, not the wife. She's a keeper!"
So, here is the story, I have known the previous owner since the late 80's. I knew he had this Kitten, and I would always admire it and wish it was mine. But there was just no way he would part with it. Then sometime in the 90's I didn't see it around anymore. I inquired about it. And he said his health has taken a turn for the worst and he had decided to park it in the barn for the time being. So, ever since then, I made it a point to ask him to sell it to me every time I saw him. And to my surprise, this past fall, he agreed. Yea Me! LOL.
So far, this is what I can tell you. After getting it home, I knew I had my work cut out for me. First things I did were to replace the spark plugs, fan belt, and the fuel lines and filter from the tank to the engine. To my pleasant surprise, there was no sign of old fuel anywhere. Then I installed a healthy battery. I then went to the small airport I used to fly at and purchased 5 gallons of 100LL, low lead gasoline. And no ethanol. You know where I'm going next. I can tell by the look on your faces. Thats right! Try to start the engine. As soon as I connected the battery, I heard the fuel pump running. Great sign! But no fuel coming out of the end at the carb. Ugh! Well, let me check for spark. I asked a friend to hold the end of the plug wire for me. Turns out, he's smarter than I thought. My friends are no fun. LOL! Anyway, NO SPARK! Ugh again. Off to the auto parts store. Figured I would try a new coil next. Well, that didn't help. So, moving forward, I am going to replace the plug wires, condenser, and clean the points. Then see if I can get another friend to hold the wire. LOL!
So, here is where everything stands at this point. I am feeling pretty good after yesterday's chemo treatment. So, my plan is to continue forward on trying to get her started. However, having said that, I can't make any promises. Whether or not I can get the Kitten to start will not affect the sale. But here is what I am willing to do for the purchaser, once it is paid for and before picking it up, I would be willing to take it to a better mechanic than myself to get it running and split the cost of this with the purchaser. This would make picking up this machine a lot easier. Another option would be to sell my trailer that the snow cat sits on to the new owner for the replacement value of the same trailer.
Lastly, I need to mention the wooden sled in the pictures. It is included in the selling price. It is still at the previous owner's residence. I didn't have enough time or a big enough trailer to pick it up when I got the Kitten. So, my plan is to pick it up as soon as possible. I can tell you this much, it is 14' long and it has pulled up to 18 people at once. A mix of adults and children. Unfortunately, the previous owner could not fit it into the barn with the Kitten. And due to his age and health wasn't able to replace the tarp that covered it often enough to keep it in top condition. The good news is that the metal frame is all in excellent condition and the wood is mostly salvageable. As in, "take it off, sanding, resealing etc."