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Well these pictures have been lost for a while now, but I just found them, so I figured I would post them up to show how I chopped the front of the frame off my 85/86 lt250r chassis and grafted on new technology yfz450 front suspension. I did this with a cheap harbor freight tubing bender and a lot of patience. I coped the tubing with a 1" roughing end mill in a Bridgeport mill so that the lengths would be precise. Sorry for the crappy picture quality. They were all taken on my old ghetto cell phone, and I just found it digging through some junk, and realized that these pictures were on it.
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As you can see in some of the pictures I had my yfz setting close by to go take reference measurements off of. I had to go back and redo a couple things here and there to get everything to come out right, but it's all pretty close to perfect now.
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Man I wish I could afford to do this to one of mine...
That looks sweet homie. -
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Man I wish I could afford to do this to one of mine...
Thanks for the compliment, but this wasn't expensive. That harbor freight bender was a cheap pos. You need 8 pieces coped to an exact length. Two across the bottom to keep them straight, 4 to set the distance from the bottom rails to the top rails where the a arms hook in (you could get by with two maybe, and reuse them from one side to the other), and two more to separate the top rail the exact distance you want.
That looks sweet homie.
I used cheap tubing. Some would argue that chromoly is the way to go, but the welded areas of chromoly aren't much, if any stronger, than mild steel, unless you re-heat treat the welds and use the proper rod. I beefed stuff up in a better way than the factory did anyway.
If you can weld, and have access to a welder, then this is feasible for anyone that can be very thorough. Don't overlook important details. Take your time to evaluate the thing you are duplicating, and make changes that make it fit your chassis, but don't compromise strength, handling, safety, or physics. Too many times I see skilled people doubting their ability because someone says they are not an expert, and they should leave something alone. IMHO that is a problem with Americans these days. The education system doesn't teach you how to do it. Yet common sense and survival instinct say not to try. Skilled trades and mechanical innovations are dying as a result of this.
I realize that this is a bit of a rant, but it is something that I feel strongly about. Don't take it negatively.....I don't know you at all, and I am not casting accusations. I'm just saying don't let fear and common sense hold you back.......that isn't the American way!
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Nice fab work, thinking way outside the norm. Seeing stuff like this is what I dig the most
Thanks for showing your pics -
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I have to agree... When I was building my drag frame I was concerned about the subframe. Then one day I just cut it off so that i had to build the new one. Once I started building it I realized it was actually not as hard as I was thinking. And like u all I used was a harbor freight tubing roller.
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All I have for a welding machine is a tractor supply $100 flux core mig piece,, I don't trust my life on that thing lol the expensive part comes from getting someone else to weld it for me,, and since there's no shops or anyone down here that I trust, I would be sending it to Arizona. So then there's shipping it both ways too ya know? I dunno, it'll happen eventually lol
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http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender-32888.html Is this the pipe bender yall used ? If not could you post the link to it please?
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I gotta ask, why dont you run a more honda 250r style front end geometry? More caster is what i am referring to. In my opinion the honda type front ends float a bit better and are easier to flick into a corner, no bump steer, carries a lot lighter I am saying "stock vs stock". I have rode the new yfz-s (pre-09) and they feel heavy in the front, my ltr450 has a bit more caster and has a better ride, the trx 250r seems best out of them all for turning, sliding etc. I am referring to a stock setup, I know aftermarket arms, and shocks, and stabilizers drastically changes everything on all the machines i just mentioned. But In my opinion having some caster to start with makes all the other performance parts work even better.
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I went yfz for three reasons. One I have a yfz. That made it easy to duplicate, and keeping spare parts fits more 4 wheelers. Two, is that the a arms, spindles and hubs are cheap and easy to get. There is probably more of those parts out there than there are for any other quad, considering they are the same for a yfz and a 700 raptor. Three is that I'm really not that big of a fan of 250r honda feel. My brother has one, and it's fine, but I don't see what the big fuss is all about. The yfz has more travel, and feels better to me.
The caster has a little bit of adjustment the way I set this up. I have shims between the upper a arm, and the mount so I can shift the top a arm front to back for some caster adjustment to get the feel right. I don't want it too twitchy.
I think you may be referring to the angle that the arms are attached to the frame. I know on the 250r they have that upward angle to them. I don't know what that angle is called specifically, but it's not caster. Caster is how much tilt there is in the knuckle itself. I can see where that angle (whatever it's called) would help to smooth out the ride........but so do Elka triple rates
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http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender-32888.html Is this the pipe bender yall used ? If not could you post the link to it please?
I can't find one like I used on their website. It is a hand powered bender, and you change the mandrel and roller for different size tubing. I think 1" is probably as big as it can do. It has a fold up stand, and a pretty long handle to pull on. It works pretty good, but it a pain in the butt to get the bends to come out the same angle.
I haven't used a bender like the one you posted, but I would say that is better than the one I used. I borrowed the one I used, so I can't complain. -
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All I have for a welding machine is a tractor supply $100 flux core mig piece,, I don't trust my life on that thing lol the expensive part comes from getting someone else to weld it for me,, and since there's no shops or anyone down here that I trust, I would be sending it to Arizona. So then there's shipping it both ways too ya know? I dunno, it'll happen eventually lol
You could always sell like 20 or 30 of your project bikes and go buy yourself a good welder. LOL
I am pretty happy with my tig-plasma combo I bought. I wasn't real sure about it, but it works great. It is a 250 amp ac/dc tig welder with a 60 amp plasma built in. I bought the everlast brand, because I found a bunch of videos reviewing it on weldingtipsandtricks.com. I don't remember exactly what it cost, but I think it was around $1600 for it and the water cooler, which is like half of what a 200 amp miller dynasty costs. We have several miller dynasties at work, and I feel like this is just as good of a welder for the most part. -
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That is what I've been telling him for months
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Very nice fab work powerstrokin👍🏻 I cut off the front of my frame, and bent all new tubing and made new mounts and gussets. I'm using 2016 YFZ450R suspension. It was more expensive, but has more travel than regular 450 shocks.
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