109jb

Fred,
I absolutely love your videos and tend to watch each of them many times. They are very inspiring and you do a great job with everything from camera angles to editing and even the music selections. 
Thanks,
John Brannen

Thanks. That helped.  How about cabin width? Did it change across those models?

Fed here. 20 year NTSB investigator. Taking the approach of not telling anything is up to you but it makes you look like your hiding something, and is basically you giving up your opportunity to tell your side. There have been those that tried to hide accidents, and I'm sure many have succeeded, but I have been involved in several where someone somewhere knew and reported it. At that point the simple accident investigation becomes an adversarial enforcement investigation for not following what is essentially federal law (49 CFR 830).
NTSB regional investigators are just regular folks like myself, many of us homebuilders, owners of classic airplanes, etc. Our goal is to find out what happened to promote accident prevention, not to nail you to the wall if you are involved in an accident.
Do what you want but I wouldn't recommend trying to hide an accident.

Clearance isn't an issue as long as it is checked and the cylinders then honed to yield proper clearance. If you just want to throw new pIstons in without checking then you are better off letting someone else do your engine.

Yeah, I'm not too worried about preheating for the sake of the engine, but rather for my own comfort. I want to be able to fly in very cold weather and since my airplane has hot-water heat, I figured the lower hose heater would warm up the coolant so I'd get cabin heat faster, and wouldn't have to wait so long to reach takeoff temp. I have a long enough taxi from my hangar to either end of the runway that I would think the gearbox would be loosened up enough.  I guess we'll see on that.  The other reason I'm thinking about something like this is because I have an internet hotspot we use with our RV that I could put at the hangar in the winter, and with a smart outlet I could turn a lower hose heater on from home a few hours before flying. 
All that said, I'm glad to hear your options and definitely considering all options.

Once you have your tail dragger endorsement and feel comfortable in your kitfox, you can get your BFR's in any airplane you are rated in and it will be good for your KF. The BFR simply has to be in an aircraft in which you are rated. So for example,  if you have both airplane single-engine and  multiengine land ratings you could take your BFR in a 150 and it would cover you for flying a twin or a Cub. For many years I owned a single seat Sonerai, and a Piper Twin Comanche, and I usually got my BFR's in the rental Cessna 172 because doing in the Sonerai wasn't possible and I didn't like torturing the engines I payed to maintain on PA-30. 

Right now I'm just enjoying flying again, but I have thought about flipping the 582 on my KF IV and putting a flatter top cowl like the newer KF's have. I kind of do like the looks of the round cowl, but I like the looks of the other cowls just as well.  Who knows if I ever will do it, because there are some drawbacks to an inverted engine, but I think visibility would benefit a lot from the change.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I just transitioned to the Kitfox with the round cowl and "finding straight" was the biggest problem I had. For me I had a tendency to have the nose pointed left (sitting left seat). It was totally a sight picture thing. One thing that helped me was I mounted a go-pro on centerline by the rear spar carry through tube, recorded some landings on grass and later watching them on replay on my computer and I could see just how crooked I was. Centerline seating airplanes are always going to be easier for this aspect.

So I've been thinking more and more about what to do and I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. Did some more examination and now see how the things work.  I'm still contemplating putting on the Holtzmann ATACC system to have an automatic system, but I will probably start off with a DIY Hacman system. That brings up a couple questions.
1. I've read that there is a need to rejet to about 180 mains.  It seems to me that this is because the reference pressure is from inside the air cleaner whereas the stock carbs are vented (referenced) just within the cowl. Has anyone just referenced within the cowl with their Hacman setups?
2. For those that referenced to the air cleaner and the rejetted, did you only have to change the main? What about the needle, needle jet, and clip position? Any change there?
 
Thanks,
 
John B.

If I were going to use a 2-stroke off of a sled other that a provision 8 Ski-Doo, I would be looking at an Arctic Cat 800 fuelie.  There is always a way to mount a gearbox on any motor. I have a 2013 AC 800 High country and the engine is very powerful and with the fuel injection it automatically compensates for altitude, temperature, etc.  It has dual plug heads too.

The cost is only a very small part of the consideration for me. If it was only cost then it wouldn't even be a consideration and I would just buy the OEM pistons. However, I have been a sledder for many years and have had the best luck with coated skirts and crowns.  I feel that the coatings are a big plus for longer engine life and better resistance to seizure. What I am looking for is a hypereutectic cast aluminum piston with moly coated skirts and a hard anodized crown. For sleds I like the SPI pistons and have had good fortune with them. I haven't had time to look but I'm hoping SPI has a compatible piston. 
As for the size, There are plenty of shops near me that can hone the cylinders to achieve proper clearance.

Finally had some time to look.  Does this look like Sea Doo pistons that are compatible with a gray head 582?
https://www.wsmparts.com/Item/010-815PK/Piston_Kit_Sea_Doo_580_89_96_Standard_Platinum?iCartID=67780&sSessionID=ed8be7df-99c8-4821-ba6c-c8b63c2757f4#start_view

When it comes time I can probably just order an engine mount from Kitfox, or else just fire up the tig and make one. I have an airplane available to measure off of and use for a "template" for installation. I'm going to fly it with the 582 until I find a good deal near enough on a 912.  

Thanks.  I have a few tablets, but most are older and are pretty worthless in the sun. I'll check into the nexus 7

For a radio I use a handheld with an intercom that has a plug  and PTT made to go right into the handheld. It is kind of permanently installed in that all the wiring is tucked away and power wire are run to the intercom and handheld. It turns on and off with the master switch. That said, I am on the lookout for a good deal on a panel mount radio.
For engine instrument my airplane came with round dial instruments and they work OK.  I think I'm going to be replacing those with a engine monitor, either home brew or a GRT EIS for my 582.
For flight instruments I have standard round dials that include ASI, Altimeter, VSI, Skid-slip ball, compass.  If you go new prices for just that you will be around $800. At that price I think I would go with the Garmin G5 for experimentals for $`1250. You can get used instruments a little cheaper, which is what I did on my Sonerai, but you take a risk.  My Sonerai altimeter had problems and I wound up buying a new one.
ADS-B OUT - here is a good graphic of where ADS-B out is needed: https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/research/airspace/media/airspaceRequirements.jpg
ADS-B IN - cheapest route here is a Stratux ADS-B receiver and a tablet. This will give you moving map with traffic and weather.  There are apps that are free and subscription based with varying amounts of features. Most all give you moving map navigation, in-flight weather, and traffic.
I'm actually thinking about re-vamping my panel in the long run and imagine doing the Garmin G5, The GRT EIS, the stratux/tablet, a panel mount radio, and an ADS-B OUT transponder. I live right near the Chicago mode-c veil so it would be nice to have the ADS-B OUT so I can go into some of the Chicago suburb airports, or fly up the lake shore some time. 

Thanks.  I'm actually just looking toward the future for my 1050. I have access to a Kitfox IV 1200 that has an 80 hp 912 up front, and have actually flown it a couple times. I know that the performance isn't an issue. It is really a matter of weight gain because with my current useful load I can take 2 guys my size (a little too fat), 1/2 fuel, and no baggage, and I wanted to know how much a 912 conversion would eat into that. 
With that said, from what I have read, there were only a few modifications that were done to the airframe to raise the gross weight to 1200 lbs. I am considering one of 2 routes toward raising my airplane's max gross weight to 1200 lbs legally. If I do it then the weight gain would not be a big issue at all. 

So I'm still planning on trying the pump setup but remembered something from my carbureted snowmobiling days which got me wondering.
Holtzman Engineering makes temperature and temperature/altitude compensators for snowmobiles. The basic operating principal is the same as the Hacman. A friend of mine had a Tempa Flow on his Polaris years ago and he never worried about temperature and I remember on a trip out west he just adjusted the manual altitude adjustment and rode. The ATACC unit does the temperature and altitude compensating and has a 6-8000 ft range from wherever it is set up., so it sounds like this would fit the bill very well for my use.
This got me wondering if anyone had ever tried this system on any of the Rotax 2-stroke flight engines. 
http://www.holtzmaneng.com/carburetion-products
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOmTh46ff30

If it was polyfiber MEK will loosen up any of the coating and the poly tack

Sure the system works, but does it work how I want it to work? If I have 2 systems to chose from and one may be preferred for whatever reason I am going to take the time to understand them so I can make an informed decision.  It is also a system that if used or installed improperly could cause engine damage and failure.
That is what I'm trying to avoid.  The following is straight from the instructions for the commercial version of the Hacman and it says:
"ALWAYS return the HACman to full rich (clockwise all the way) before adjusting engine throttle settings." 
and 
"NEVER adjust the power / throttle settings of the engine with the HACman in a lean condition. Doing so may make the engine STOP. See ALWAYS DO."
They are pretty emphatic about that and what I am looking for is a system that will allow me to operate in warmer/higher conditions when the base jetting is set up for colder/lower conditions. So if I do want to do circuits on an unusually warm winter day I want to be able to adjust once and then just fly. Based on what the commercial Hacman instructions say that isn't how it works.
I think I found part of my confusion. I was under the impression that the port used for vacuum on the Hacman system was a "manifold pressure" port. I now see that it isn't. the 4-strokes use a manifold pressure port but the 2-strokes use a venturi port that is just about smack in the middle of the slide bore. So now what you have been saying is making more sense.
Regardless, I still think that the pump system won't cause a problem because using adjustments like I'm talking about (just enough to not foul plugs) the vacuum would be very low. At closed throttle it is operating off the pilot jet port which is behind the slide and will have very low pressure there (manifold pressure). Once the throttle comes off idle the pressure in the venturi will drop. Sure I could probably crank up the voltage to the pump and create enough vacuum to do like you are talking, but I don't think normal operation would yield bowl pressures that low. Maybe I'm wrong but 
What I think I will do is I'll plumb up the pump system since it requires absolutely no jetting change from stock and disabling is simply turning the pump off. If testing doesn't work the way I want it to it still got me most of the plumbing needed for the DIY Hacman system anyway.

I understand that. That is basic to the operation of both systems. Essentially both systems are the same except for the source of vacuum. The pump is a constant vacuum source whereas engine vacuum is not.
The vacuum source of the hackman produces more vacuum at low throttle and therefore it seems it would have a better chance of reducing bowl pressure enough to cause starvation with a throttle reduction. I think that is not likely with either system.

I have been thinking about your post but I disagree that you need to control the throat to bowl pressure ratio with the pump system. In a stock setup with no leaning system the bowls are vented to atmosphere and the calibrated needles, and jets take care of the variable fuel delivery. There is no controlling of bowl pressure relative to throat pressure. with the stock system. Therefore I see no reason the leaning system needs to reference the throat pressure as long as a constant pressure in the bowl can be achieved. The pump system reference pressure is ambient, not from within the air cleaner or carb throat. Adding the pump system only changes the atmospheric pressure by the tiny amount of vacuum. So if ambient pressure is 30 inches and you pull 1 inch vacuum you will be at 29 inches in the bowl. Climb up to where the pressure is 29 inches and you will be at 28 because the pump will pull a pretty darn constant 1 inch of vacuum. so essentially the pump system will work just like stock but with the ability to adjust for density altitude. Granted it will still get rich as you climb, but in this way it works very familiar to those used to flying production airplanes with Continentals and Lycomings. Lean as you climb, enrichen as you descend.