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frame swap = fun

9K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  jeepwm69 
#1 ·
so couple weeks ago i pulled my old 95 foreman 400 out of the garage to get it ready for a camping trip and noticed that a bit of my frame was missing by where my front differential is mounted (well supposed to be wasent installed in bike) as i cleaned the bike up and got it running good i decided to check out the frame a bit. well photos suck but quite litterly every place i hit my frame on the bottem caved in.








so i ordered a new frame and decided what the **** and ordered new ball joints and decieded to take care of basic maintance well everything is out.


anyone know of common issues with these older foremans that i could take care of now well i have the pretty much every bit of this bike torn apart
 
#2 ·
How about buying a skid plate that runs the length of the atv ?,

Just a thought :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
yes that is on the todo list iv got a pretty big sheet of stainless steel i had planed to use for that on the previous frame.


but i just ran into a wonerfull problem that has roaly erked me the wrong way. i got everything into the new frame last night and in position went out this morning and torqued everything down and litterly as i got any pressure on the rear mounts for the rear suspesion the studs sheared off... iv contacted the company who sold me the frame but in the mean time im stuck with my garage full of atv parts and i cant help but wonder if i could drill though the mounts and just run a new stud. anyone done this? anyone think it would be safe to do?
 
#4 ·
yes that is on the todo list iv got a pretty big sheet of stainless steel i had planed to use for that on the previous frame.


but i just ran into a wonerfull problem that has roaly erked me the wrong way. i got everything into the new frame last night and in position went out this morning and torqued everything down and litterly as i got any pressure on the rear mounts for the rear suspesion the studs sheared off... iv contacted the company who sold me the frame but in the mean time im stuck with my garage full of atv parts and i cant help but wonder if i could drill though the mounts and just run a new stud. anyone done this? anyone think it would be safe to do?
I had to do a frame swap on the wreck after my sister smoked a tree and bent the crap out of mine.

Where did you get your frame? I got one from Powersportsnation and it was in great shape. Not cheap with shipping, but couldn't find one locally.
 
#5 ·
Which studs shock mounting , rear diff housing , pivot bolts ? Good time to check all your bearings and seals in the rear axle.
 
#6 · (Edited)
sorry for the delay. jeepwm69 i ordered my frame from powersportnation as well the first frame honestly looked pretty darn good keeping in mind it was from 1996 and on a atv. when i called them and sent them some photos they where very quick to send a second frame.


oldugleyforeman the stud that broke is the one for the bolt that holds the strut for the rear swing arm in place it sheared almost flush with the frame.


now the second frame PSN sent me was a complete and total POS rusty as all get out bent and dented all over and to top it off not a single welded bolt on the frame useable and the mounts for the rear rack had the bolts sheared flush in them. and to top it off it looked like they tried to drill out the rack mounts and eneded up hitting the threads on the one side.


so i called them and may have used a line "did you even look at this frame" and they sent me a third frame - I just got the frame like 30min ago and HOLY CRAP is all i can say. no rust or marks on the frame except where it looks like it had a skid plate on it that vibrated the powder coat off in a few key places on it. but i have to say as far as looks go this frame doesnt seem like a frame off of a 1997 atv its super clean


all and all i HIGHLY recamend them there customer support is just simply awsome.


unfortunatly i dont have time till next weekend to work on this atv till next weekend.


also olduglyforeman last year i did a COMPLETE rebuild of the rear end down to shipping the differental off to be profesionaly rebuild. next time i have this atv running it will be as close to new that a 97 foreman can be... i think...


within the last three rides iv done all this


new regulator
rebuilt top-end new rings and gaskets
new spark plug
every seal bearing replaced in the rear
new drive axle in rear
new rear swing arm that i also had fun with check out my other post
new brakes all the way around
new ball joints in front
new hub bearing in front
new front tires
hard wired fan to kick on with the key
and a oil change just beacuse


so with that fun list of new anyone got anything i havent replaced it may be time for? besides struts i know mine need replaced just havent gotten around to that yet
 
#7 ·
sorry for the delay. jeepwm69 i ordered my frame from powersportnation as well the first frame honestly looked pretty darn good keeping in mind it was from 1996 and on a atv. when i called them and sent them some photos they where very quick to send a second frame.


oldugleyforeman the stud that broke is the one for the bolt that holds the strut for the rear swing arm in place it sheared almost flush with the frame.


now the second frame PSN sent me was a complete and total POS rusty as all get out bent and dented all over and to top it off not a single welded bolt on the frame useable and the mounts for the rear rack had the bolts sheared flush in them. and to top it off it looked like they tried to drill out the rack mounts and eneded up hitting the threads on the one side.


so i called them and may have used a line "did you even look at this frame" and they sent me a third frame - I just got the frame like 30min ago and HOLY CRAP is all i can say. no rust or marks on the frame except where it looks like it had a skid plate on it that vibrated the powder coat off in a few key places on it. but i have to say as far as looks go this frame doesnt seem like a frame off of a 1997 atv its super clean


all and all i HIGHLY recamend them there customer support is just simply awsome.


unfortunatly i dont have time till next weekend to work on this atv till next weekend.


also olduglyforeman last year i did a COMPLETE rebuild of the rear end down to shipping the differental off to be profesionaly rebuild. next time i have this atv running it will be as close to new that a 97 foreman can be... i think...


within the last three rides iv done all this


new regulator
rebuilt top-end new rings and gaskets
new spark plug
every seal bearing replaced in the rear
new drive axle in rear
new rear swing arm that i also had fun with check out my other post
new brakes all the way around
new ball joints in front
new hub bearing in front
new front tires
hard wired fan to kick on with the key
and a oil change just beacuse


so with that fun list of new anyone got anything i havent replaced it may be time for? besides struts i know mine need replaced just havent gotten around to that yet
They have very good customer service. I have noticed that some of their prices are great, and some of their prices for used parts are more than new parts are from Honda East Toledo or Partzilla, so be sure and check!

I'm tinkering a little bit at a time on the 420AT, and got tired of ordering this bolt and that bolt so I ordered what was advertised as being bolts and misc stuff from a disassembled 420FM. Paid $25 shipped for it Got it earlier this week and not only did it have all the bolts from the bike, but had the main shaft with the secondary gears (I needed the FM gears for the 15% gear reduction, and they're $50 used or new separately) along with foot pegs and some other stuff that I needed but hadn't bought yet.

Again, check new before you buy used, but PSN can be a great source for odds and ends and their customer service is great.

So the first frame wasn't too bad, but you weren't happy with it? You didn't delve too much into why you requested a 2nd frame.
 
#9 ·
alright 90% done just need to thow the the front rack/plastic air box and exhaust back on... also desided that because i have no working brakes im going to swap in some rotor brakes but only willing to pay for fronts or back any sudgestions. also side note does anyone know if they changed the dimentions on the 97 frame compared to the 95 frame? i know theres an extra electrical mount for what i can only assume is for a 4x4 4x2 selector. as for why im asking that on the radiator i had to enlarge a mount hole to get it to align up to the frame and on the front rack despite however i try i can only get 4 of the 6 bolts in... it is also a good probablity that the front rack is bent as i said since iv owned it its had no brakes and the previous owner is the size of Ralphie May and admited to crashing the atv so hard he put a golf ball size hole in the front diffrental.

for eveyone who reads this. This atv somes up every reason as to why not help a good family friends family... i payed $900 for this atv and a 90 cc honda dirt bike... the dirt bike ended up in a trash can and so far on this atv iv replaced pretty much all but the crank case
 
#10 ·
I'd do front brakes if you're going to do discs. Your best bet would probably be brakes off of a 500 Foreman. I know I sent some to Rich that he was going to try to put on his 450, but don't know if he ever did the swap or not. Supposedly 420 front brakes will work on a 300, and 500 front brakes will work on the 400/450, but I've never actually done either swap. Got a cheap set of 420 discs for Basfnb to put on his 300, but he won't get off his lazy ass and do the swap.
 
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