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I just had to share a long time project my son and I have be working on that is hopefully nearing completion in the coming weeks…
Btw… I hope this is the correct place to post this
So we started off with two Chinese Kandi GKM model 150cc buggies we picked up shortly after the 2018 Campfire that leveled nearly our entire town of Paradise, Ca.
Buying these buggies was a way for my family to distract our thoughts from the hell we were living in for years after the fire. If I’m entirely honest we are only just now (5 years later) beginning to feel a little ounce of normalcy.
We started off by modifying the stock engines with porting, mikuni carbs, stainless intake, magna flow exhaust, aluminum fuel tank, upgrade ignition, and seats…
The end results were worth the effort but the time has run out on the performance limits of these machines…
So we bought some wheels and tires which tipped the scales into a whole new direction lol!
So after a test drive we realized this just wasn’t going to work.
I purchased a higher tooth rear sprocket however the power just wasn’t satisfactory…
Sooo, OFF with their heads!!
The roll cages which were cheap and all but useless in a rear accident had to go! If we were going to upgrade power we needed a chassis that could not only handle it but also keep my kids safe…
New custom fabricated roll cages and extended chassis’s using 1.25” DOM tubing.
So what about the heart transplant?
We found a couple of Polaris Sportsman 500 4wd aTV’s for a pretty good deal…
So the process was underway to pull the hearts!
Yes, the yellow Polaris is a 400 which is going in my Mom’s buggy
Time for a rebirth for a couple of nearly forgotten ATV’s
A facelift anyone?
After my son kissed a few trees it was time to give these buggies something to smile about.
The front suspension work will also be heavily built around the strength of this new front frame work so the cheap Chinese crap had to go!
In control!
While setting up the new front end I took some time to custom fit the height and length of the steering Colmn.
I had my son find the perfect positioning for his steering wheel and made it happen.
The old setup also had no gauge read outs and that is just not going to fly… The Polaris harness supports a factory gauge which includes a speedometer. A fuel tank sending unit is located in the tank so I will also be including a fuel gauge. Accessory ports and switches for various extra features will also be incorporated on the new dash
This thing is really turning out awesome!
I’d just like to add that if you are on Facebook I have a more complete photo archive on these buggy projects… Please be sure to stop by a follow
www.facebook.com
Working on the front end setup
Reconfigured the chassis to build a long travel suspension and 4wd diff…
Loving the results so far!
