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What is RSMark5 working on now!?

RSMark5

Go Kart Champion
Location
Jacksonville NC
Okay then, I'll keep posting then.


So we do maybe 5-6 engine swaps a year. I don't often take pictures because its usually boring stuff no one cares about. This one though! This one is an absolute bastard and I'm post these to talk whoevers reading this out of buying a 4.2 trailblazer 4wd.

This may be common on newer crossovers but it made my life a nightmare



Theres this hole that runs through the oil pan.



When its assembled you have this bracket on one side.



And the whole damn front differential bolts to the other with a small intermediate shaft running through the pan. Then the CV axles slip in.




Probably the best way to go about doing this would be to pull the body off the frame and replace the engine that way. But, we don't have a lift so we had to disassemble the whole car to get this damn engine out.




So rather than dropping the engine into the bay, we needed to slide the bay to the engine. So using jacks and what not we slid the engine into position and started working it back in there.



Takes some maneuvering to get the oil pan over the cross members. Got hung up on the oil drain plug for a solid 30 min




But eventually, it finally went back in. Now just have to put the whole car back together.




And heres my cute puppy

 

RSMark5

Go Kart Champion
Location
Jacksonville NC
Probably never. Our roof is only 9.5' tall so a 4 post is out of the question. We could probably pull off the drive over style which is great for brakes and suspensions and stuff like that but would totally be in our way for engine swaps and a lot of other things.

I'd buy a tire changer and balancer before I bought a lift.
 

RSMark5

Go Kart Champion
Location
Jacksonville NC
So sometime this summer we put a 5.4 in this Lincoln truck. That was an adventure.



Then we traded all the 5 lug swap stuff from that junked sn95 and a set of some mustang wheels for this 02 Honda XR100



It was much fun. Sure its just a little bike but that made it super easy to ride and do wheelies and let us take a random person with us 4 wheelin.

My buddy's dad who always helps us hadn't been on a motorcycle in 20+ years so we took him out and had some fun for once




Some time in August we all went out to Busco Beach this huge riding spot to do an overnight. I was exhausted and really just wanted to go home but we went for a ride at around 11 at night. I was following a giant lifted rzr on 34"s and I guess I forgot I was on a tiny honda or something but long story short but I finally sunk it. I had it to the handle bars. The air intake is just above the gas tank. So it was 8" under.



So I went home early, and pissed off. Got the honda running when I got back home but it was just running like crap, smoking a little bit again. I thought I blew it up. I was over it after all the work I'd put into it this summer and pretty much every time we went I broke something new.


So I went looking for a newer bigger bike like a Brute Force 750 or a King Quad 750. The prices are just crazy. They don't seem to depreciate. So thanks to some end of the year benefits I got a screaming deal on this brand new 2016 Polaris Sportsman 450 H.O.






Its kiind of a funky 1 year oddity. In 2015 it was called the Sportsman ETX and had a 335cc 32hp engine. In 2016 it has a 567cc "32"hp engine, and in 2017 it has a 500cc "32"hp engine. So the only difference between a 2016 450 and a 44hp sportsman 570 is the ECU tune, smaller tires, and a weaker spring on the CVT primary clutch.



First 'problem' easy enough to fix. Sent my ECU out, had it tuned to the 570 specs and beyond. I have a fairly mild tune but it is for 93oct and set more to my altitude. So its about 75% more hp over factory. Theres still more in the tank but I need to open up the intake some how and a slip on muffler. The biggest thing though was the ecu had all sorts of tq limiters at low rpms and would never open the throttle 100%. So that was the biggest gain.


Second 'problem' was the nasty 12" steel wheels and the stock 24" tires. I had power, now i needed the look. Got these stock 14" 850xp wheels and 26" tires. Tires suck but the price was right (free).




Testing




So, I still had that Honda Rancher to deal with. I had been trying to sell it since August. Was asking basically nothing, willing to practically give the thing away but even then no bites. So, I wanted the tires off it. Called around seeing how much it would cost to take the 24"s tires from my polaris and swap them with the 26" mud tires from the honda. I got quotes from $80-$160. Ridiculous, I wasn't about to pay that. So i went to harbor freight and bought this death machine for $38.






In less than 3 hours after swapping tires I finally got an offer that I couldn't refuse. I wanted cash but shit happens.

In comes 2006 Suzuki King quad 700. Its selectable 4x4 with front diff locker, and it was so much bigger and faster and better in every way than the rancher.



Next to the 93 fourtrax 300 its huge




So anyway, it needed work we knew that. We thought it just needed valve guide seals because it puffed a little smoke at start up but got better after it got hot.


Compression tester proved otherwise (supposed to be 120 psi +/- 3)




So yeah, now begins the restoration of that King Quad. We've sold the dirt bike sometime during the summer. I wasn't happy about it but some guy gave us full asking price on the spot.

So anyway, finally got the mud tires on the polaris. Hate the wheels, love the tires.




Went riding with the 850 again




He broke about 3 miles into our ride. We were crawling through swamp and he throttled out of a hole and those big angry tires grabbed a tree root, and then all that torque from the 850 bound it up so hard 2 of the 4 bolts hold the front diff to the frame sheered off. It happened in a second.




So he got so pissed off at it like I did my honda he just sold it. Hes waiting on delivery of a new badass machine.



Got both the saabs up and running again. Mike still drives his frequently but mines been sitting almost 2 years. I thought about selling it but one quick spin around the block nixed that idea.




Puppy had to have eye surgery. She was miserable in her cone of shame




So Sunday was Mike's daughters birthday. She'd been begging for months to go riding with us. So we said we'd take her out for a bit. Nothing too crazy. Probably won't get too muddy I said. We'll drive around everything.....













So anyway, those have been my adventures since July. Hoping for a fun winter.
 

avenali312

Autocross Champion
Location
Mableton, GA
Car(s)
2015 GTI
Quality update. I have a 98 XR100 with an exhaust on it that I used to use as my pit bike at the MX races. Still super fun to rip around on. My wife and I have a cavoodle puppy.
 
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