Blaster build up part 4!

[bradley300]

SECOND PLACE IN GEORGIA! by bradley300

As we head into the Georgia round of the GNCC's and the 4th article of out build up, we are starting to see some serious mods that will help your Blaster stand apart from a weekend trail quad. In this article we will stray from the suspension and look at another vital componet on any endurance racer. This article is a full review and how to install a IMS gas tank on a Blaster. Because the IMS tank does not use the stock tank cover, we will also look at some sweet gaphics from Thequadshop.

In bone stock form, (including the pipe) the Blaster gets great gas mileage. A 3 lap GNCC would be no problem on a stock tank and a 4 lap race shouldnt pose a problm either. We are thinking ahead though. Once you start modding a Blaster, they will suck feul and you will find your self wondering just how long you can actually go.

The new tank takes all of your cares away. At a massive 4 gallons (stock is 2.2) it's nearly double the size of a stock tank. It will also do away with the tank cover and graphics. The tank retails for 225 dollars according to www.imsproducts.com . You have a few different color options and make sure you pick the right color, beacuse the entire tank is exposed. Your choices are Black, Blue, Purple, Natural and White. For my quad, i chose the black one to match the rest of my quad.

[bradley300]

INSTALLATION: If you start out with an empty or nearly empty stock tank this is much easier! 1.
Turn you feul petcock off and remove the rubber hose that goes from the petcock to the carb.
2.You will also have to take off the front nose peice on 2003 and newer Blasters. While it was off, i ground down the top of the nose piece until I could access the gas tank bolts with out removing the nose.
3.Unbolt the four bolts, one at each corner on the stock tank and pull the tank off the frame.
4. Remove the two bolts on the bottom of the stock tank that hold the petcock on. Then pull the petcock out of the stock tank along with the gasket. (this may be a good time to replace your feul filter)
5. Hold the IMS tank upside down and use an airhose to blow any plastic remnants out of the tank. You dont want those getting into the carb.
6.Install the petcock into the new tank (i had to drill the IMS holes out just a tad for the feul filter to fit properly.)
7. Once the petcock is installed, drop the new tank down into the frame and check to make sure the tank is not touching any other parts. This tank rubbed against my stock pipe as well as my LRD pipe. No big deal though, all you need to do is add a few washers to that side to raise the tank up just a hair.
8.Now that you have checked all the clearances, bolt the tank down and check your clearances one more time. I had to drill out the front mounting holes just a tad for the holes on the frame to line up. Now your done! so lets get some graphics!

[bradley300]

Remeber that the exterior of the tank is exposed, so you will need graphics with the slits or holes in them to let the tank breath. The tank will actually let the gas vapors escape, and if you use stickers with no holes, the vapors will push the graphics right off. I call up Jeff at thequadshop for some of his sweet looking chrome flame graphics ( www.quadshopatv.com ). They are perforated so they should not fall off the new tank which was my biggest concern. They are easy to install, just line them up and stick them on. Just make sure the area is clean, i use carb cleaner and a rag anywhere that i am putting stickers. The graphics retail for 89 dollars and are blaster specific. They come in any color you can ask for and also they are meade for almost every quad you have ever seen. Here is the finished job with the new tank and graphics.

[bradley300]

TIME TO GO RACING:
Sadly, there were only two racers in the sport class for the georgia race, so this should be short this time. The track was great, with a very nice mx portion right off the start. I got the holeshot over Steven Mitchell and we battled wheel to wheel for the first 3 miles. At the 3 mile marker I gave in to the pressure Steven was putting on me and made my first mistake of many that day. I clipped a tree and he got by me. It took a while to get back on the track and I knew i had quite a deficit to overcome already. The harder i pushed, the worse i did. I was constantly clipping trees and missing turns. I really understand now what people mean when they say if i would slow down, i would be alot faster. By the begining of the third lap, i was about 12 minutes down and knew there was no way i was catching up with one lap to go. So I slowed down, and what do ya' know, i sted getting a little better. I was breathing more, arm pump went away and i was feeling great. To bad it was so late in the race. I ended up losing big time but still got 2nd place an the points that go along with it, so I geuss it was still a worth while trip. Theres always another race, so all i can do is train before than and try better next time. see you then-Brad