Martyj14

Hey folks,

I was able to aquire a '03 F7 that hooked a rail road tie and bent the left side A arm back pretty good. When it was in the back of my truck the left ski is pushed back about 5" compared to the right. My question is, is this worth trying to fix or should I try to find a different bulkhead and take everything off the old frame and put it on the new one? I'm trying to attach some pics.

Thanks in advance,

Martyj14

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Snowweasel

That's pretty extensive damage. I would pull the motor and carefully look over the frame. U will have to replace the pan, and the entire front suspension. (I bet the other side is tweaked too) if it were me, part out the sled and use money to buy a nicer one.


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-my ride
2003 arctic cat zl550 (looking to sell)

Martyj14

I hear what you're saying Snowweasel, I was just hoping maybe I could put a strap on the A arms and use a come-a-long to pull it back out some, maybe get it close enough to weld than put some gussets in there for added stiffness.

Snowweasel

Not a bad idea. I was thinking you could take off the old arms and get some nice condition used ones. Use those to relocate some new mounting locations and cut/weld frame accordingly. (if the a arms are bent, cuz I can't really tell) or... From what I understand, u dont need that connecting arm that goes through the belly. Just cut it off. The sled won't handle well in turns, but will still ride well enough.


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-my ride
2003 arctic cat zl550 (looking to sell)

Martyj14

Yeah new A arms on both sides are in order I think. Maybe this weekend me and my brother in law with see if we can't work a little magic. I'll take pics if we have any success.

JD8345RT

Looks like the damage extends far back enough to wreck the torsion bar and everything. If the bulkhead isn't junk, you might compair the angles of the left and right ski spindles from the side and front to determine if the A-arm assemblies are salvageable. In answer to the question of fixing or replacing, I think it would be a headache getting the alignment perfect and the sled would never quite be the same unless you replaced everything. But if you decide to attempt it, more power to you!

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1972 Arctic Cat Panther

BC_Dan

Insurance would total that sled. You have a machine that is capable of hitting triple digits. I would want it to be pretty near perfect. Bending metal is sketchy at best; sometimes it bends back, sometimes it fractures. Either way, the suspension parts of that are damaged and if you straighten them, the metal won't be the same as new. Do you really want something falling apart at speed?

The OEM makes things so light that there is no fudge factor or extra strength in their parts. If it were mine, I'd part it out or replace the bulkhead and all the bent parts.

JMHO

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2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

kccats

I did my Pantera! I got it perfect! It just took time!

BC_Dan

That's why the insurance totals 'em when they have that much damage. There must be a bazillion rivets that have to be removed to take the bulkhead off of the tunnel. There are a lot of guys that put in a claim for damage, get paid by the insurance company, and then buy the sled back from the insurance company. If you take the time to repair correctly, it will be like new, but will still have a "branded" title...

Not a single weekend project, huh KC!

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

Martyj14

Yeah we flipped it on it's side this weekend to get a really good look. No way I'd feel right trying to bend that back. The combination of tears and buckling really twisted the bulkhead up. It also broke a coolant line and the oil tank, motor is sitting on an angle too. I was able to get out of that deal luckily.

BC_Dan

If you can get a sled like that REALLY cheap and can find a bulkhead (OEMs don't sell bulkheads without the tunnel) it could be a good learning experience. But boy howdy, talk about a lot of time and patience required!

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php