My oldschool 350RX project

[Slinky]

Last January i picked up this 350RX conversion off a guy. It was really clean and ran really well. This summer i started really pounding on it and was having trouble keeping the chain on. Well with further inspection i found the motor to be in the frame crooked and sitting too high. I wanted to have my frame fixed but the cost was too much. so i've been searching for an alternative route and came across this frame on ebay. now all i have to do is make up 2 motor mounts and i'm ready to start putting back together.

[wishmasstir]

good luck with the build, keep us updated with pics

[Slinky]

i'll definately be keeping this posted...i'm hoping to have it all back up and running in about 2 months.

[JIMFROMTEXCO]

I was wondering who was goingto scoupe this up!! i was tempted but shorton cash at the moment... keep this up to date

[Slinky]

i watched it for a while and tried talking them down more. I think it was posted like 4 times on there.


just picked up a gibson +1 stem with mounts yesterday...i cant wait to start putting this thing together!

[rustyATV]

Are the nerf bars welded right to the rear brake lever post like it appears from this angle?

[wishmasstir]

no thats just how the pro-peg mounts are on 86-87 frames

[Slinky]

glad you answered that because i had no clue..i havent even seen the frame yet lol

[SWIGIN]

anything new?

[Slinky]

Originally posted by SWIGIN
anything new?
frame should be getting finished up soon and off to powdercoating

here's what i have lined up for it...
houser +2 a-arms coming soon
Gibson +1 stem
Renthal Fat bars
Probably TCS fronts and TCS conversion for my rear shock
Picking up an exhaust off of Brian350rx (who also is making the mounts for my frame!..thanks brian)
Ummm....gonna have my swingarm powdercoated its an 86 thats been shortened 3"

I'm debating on what to do for plastic..i'm thinking about going with white and putting my blue N-style alltrac 2 graphics on it.

Frame i'm thinking about either white or gloss black but havent decided on that yet.

thats where i'm at so far...

[SWIGIN]

-3 swingarm?

one question.....why?

[cbr]

do you have a motor mt. for your headstay and back-top of motor on your frame, thats where (frame rail going up and down above the s.arm pivot bolt) mine cracked and i even had it reinforced.

[brian350rx]

cbr - you can just barely notice the headstaty motor mount in the pic.
The other mount you're talking about has been cut out of this frame ( I guess someone wanted to put a 250r motor back into it), but it will be put back in.

[Slinky]

Originally posted by SWIGIN
-3 swingarm?

one question.....why?
they run them that short for ice racing....i'm actually in the process of getting houser 88-89 length swingarm.

[Slinky]

well getting a Houser 88-89 swingarm now along with the Houser +2 A-arms (thanks flip2spin23)....now i've gotta keep an eye out for some shocks.

[brian350rx]

Just wanted to post some pics for Slinky's "old school" 350rx rebuild. He sent me his frame to make motor mounts and gusset.
Everything is coming together and hopefully he'll be up and running soon!

[brian350rx]

Front motor mount for 350x motor in 250r frame

[brian350rx]

Seat latch area gussets
Slinky - I did find 2 cracks here, but they have been repaired.

[brian350rx]

Frame was in decent shape - just needed some TLC - broken bolts, bad welds,........

[brian350rx]

I just want to make one thing clear - the welds in this pic are not my work - the "bubble gum" has been removed and a real weld was put back. This is the pro peg mount

[brian350rx]

All the welds have been done with a Miller TIG welder
I'll post some more pics as progress continues...........

[brian350rx]

This is what we're after....350RX!

[Slinky]

Frame is looking good brian! i cant wait to get this thing back up and running.... bought some TCS front shocks off a member here last night...this bike if anything is atleast going to handle good.

[Slinky]

little update...

picked up my gibson +1 stem, ProTaper fat bars, scott grips, and maier white plastic this weekend!!!

i cant wait to start putting this thing together!

[Slinky]

these came in the mail today :D

http://i17.tinypic.com/44pytyf.jpg

[Slinky]

and a few other things i've picked up along the way
http://i15.tinypic.com/29fxzk4.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/2rqcavr.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/2a77hgh.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/2u4momw.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/2h3ad7s.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/43ojnn6.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/485418z.jpg

[wishmasstir]

what bend are those bars?

i think theres something wrong with your rear number plates :devil:

[Slinky]

Originally posted by wishmasstir
what bend are those bars?

i think theres something wrong with your rear number plates :devil:
CR High....and yeah..definately something wrong..they arent stuck on there yet :blah:

[Creech52]

looks sick, but can I thread jack for a moment, Brian, how did you get that broken bolt out of the bumper mount, I have the same issue, but mine looks a lil worse. Ive tried the chisel method, and I tried drilling, but couldnt get the hole to start centered. It almost looks like someone hammered on it cuz you can barely tell where the bolt ends and the frame starts.

[wishmasstir]

Originally posted by Creech52
looks sick, but can I thread jack for a moment, Brian, how did you get that broken bolt out of the bumper mount, I have the same issue, but mine looks a lil worse. Ive tried the chisel method, and I tried drilling, but couldnt get the hole to start centered. It almost looks like someone hammered on it cuz you can barely tell where the bolt ends and the frame starts.

i'm sure brian will chime in on this but if you cant get the hole to start centered just do your best and get it close then use an ez-out bit. if that doesnt work i've had to get a nut welded to the old bolt before and the heat was added too. sometimes they can be stubborn...

[brian350rx]

Creech52 - a little secret that I picked up from working in a fab shop - we never fooled with the ez-outs and all that.

Get a nut that is just a little bigger than the bolt that you're trying to remove.
Center it over the bolt and weld it (MIG works perfect for this).
Let the weld/nut cool. Then use a wrench to turn the broken bolt out.

Hope this helps!

[Slinky]

good little tid bit of info there...i gotta keep that in mind..i had the bolt problem on my 400ex frame where the bumper mounts...i got pissed and just drilled the thing out on both sides and ran a long both through the whole thing lol...i dont have much patience some times

[wishmasstir]

Originally posted by Slinky
good little tid bit of info there...i gotta keep that in mind..i had the bolt problem on my 400ex frame where the bumper mounts...i got pissed and just drilled the thing out on both sides and ran a long both through the whole thing lol...i dont have much patience some times

and to think i'll be stayin in the same hotel as you in august ...

[Slinky]

Originally posted by wishmasstir
and to think i'll be stayin in the same hotel as you in august ...
thats it..i'm changing hotels asap! LOL...i should bring the quads with me that weekend and ride them around the parking lot...that TC shorty should make the hotel guests real happy:D

[pb_paulie_b]

Everything looks great so far. The oldschool was my school :) good job

[Slinky]

Originally posted by pb_paulie_b
Everything looks great so far. The oldschool was my school :) good job
so does that mean you used to run one of these? or run against?:D

[pb_paulie_b]

Nothing against the 4 strokes, just love the old 2 strokes.

[Creech52]

thanks for the info, but I dunno if that will work without welding into the frame or not hitting the bolt at all, its such a mess, it looks like the bolt broke off just a hair deeper then the hole, and then someone sledgehammered the hole down into the bolt, its almost like one peice...grr last thing I have to do before I can start blasting and welding gussets. But thanks for the info, I was actually thinking of doing that before I read the post. Anyway your work is awesome and slinky's bike is gonna be really nice.

[Slinky]

got my custom axis rear shock...gonna be getting rebuilt and new powder put on the spring...:D
http://i14.tinypic.com/49fz4oh.jpg

also have an anti fade with wave rotor
and working on some white powermadds

[Slinky]

man in brown dropped off a few more goodies today :)

http://i9.tinypic.com/4hx7acw.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/49hn2g0.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/2yopaat.jpg

[rustyATV]

I'm curious: What kind of Tig welder do you have, how much does a setup cost, and how much of a pain is it to set up in your house?

[Slinky]

Originally posted by rustyATV
I'm curious: What kind of Tig welder do you have, how much does a setup cost, and how much of a pain is it to set up in your house?
who are you asking this question to? i dont have a tig, brian350rx does, and i have a buddy here that has a tig. Tig welding takes quite a bit to get used to and i dont think its very cheap to get setup.

[czrider263]

Looks sick so far!

[Slinky]

thanks i cant wait to start putting it together!

[Slinky]

frame came in yesterday...Brian350rx does some awsome work...the motor mounts he fabbed up and the gusset job are top notch! If anyone is looking for some fabrication work get ahold of him!

now i need to put my motor in the frame, mount it up. Get my rear motor mount lined up and tacked in....then have that all welded up and off to powder coating. It looks like my project will be coming together...hopefully within the month!:D

[2muchquad]

heres a pic of my 385rx in progress

[Slinky]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
heres a pic of my 385rx in progress
nice...the only thing is keep an eye on your pivot point...if your motor is droped far enough in the frame every time your suspension compresses, your chain will losen up. Did you have to do much cutting on that frame? it doesnt look like you widened the lower frame rales.

[2muchquad]

no i didnt cut the lower frame rails,pivot point alignment is perfect.
The biggest thing now is carb clearance,i heated the bottom of the tank a bit to gain some clearance but im still not happy.i can get the 400ex carb to work but i insist on using my fcr because it runs better with it.I figured im doing a lot of modding anyway so whats one more thing.Its a pain though because if i extend the tank mounts,the plastic wont line up on the tank sides,so i may end up extending the metal tabs that the plastic snaps onto in the frame.decisions decisions...i could still wind up running my 350x motor later on once i get my 94mm piston kit installed.But with the 350x motor not cutting the lower frame isnt an option,its a must because the head is so much wider:(

[Slinky]

oh so your running a 300ex motor? am i right?

[2muchquad]

yes,i have the pro fab 385 kit.

[Slinky]

nice, maybe another motor i can look into putting in my other frame.

[KingpinsEx]

A modded 350x motor would be bad, those suckers run pretty darn good....

[Slinky]

Originally posted by KingpinsEx
A modded 350x motor would be bad, those suckers run pretty darn good....
i'm hoping to bump my motor up to around 425 by the end of summer. I guess thats the biggest you can go without boring the cases.

[2muchquad]

i'm hoping to bump my motor up to around 425 by the end of summer. I guess thats the biggest you can go without boring the cases.

It depends on the kit.Kustom Krafts kit requires case mods for the 425(89mm piston),then they have a 91 and a 92mm(452kit) which is just a over bore on the std 89mm sleeve.If your really serious about 350x performance,they love high compression.They will run hot but so does my yz426.People seem to think just because its air cooled it must be a slug.This isnt the case when they are PROPERLY built.Theres oil coolers and aux fans like i had on my 385 to help keep temps down.Sorry for rumbling but i get misty eyed talking about the venerable air cooled hondas.I have been tinkering wit'dem things for probably 20 yrs,i just love'em:D

[Slinky]

How do i get in touch with Kustom Krafts? The 425 kit from Four Stroke Tech you can put in without modifying the cases. I'd love to go up to a 452...i was considering mounting up an automotive tranny cooler (i did this on my buddys 600 grizzly) and figuring out some sort of an aux fan. In order to run a fan though i'd have to probably install a battery and rectifier and all that electical crap? I think just installing the larger oil cooler would help a lot with the heat. I dont wanna go too high on the compression because i still wanna run on pump gas (93 tops!)

[JIMFROMTEXCO]

cant wait to see this done!! 350x motors were way ahead of there time when they were introduced.. IT IS THE ORGINAL THUMPER!!!


Here is my swap
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/IMG_2507.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/IMG_2508.jpg

[2muchquad]

here it is http://kustom-kraft.com/hondakits.html
Yeah i ran a a small tranny cooler for a light duty pick up on mine,it cost me about $25 with shipping.Better than paying $100 or so for the same thing from one of those aftermarket deals.

i could possibly end up doing that as well Jim,i have a 350x motor at idle for now and a 300ex chassis that i raped the motor from,hmmm... i think i'll do one thing at a time though;)

[rustyATV]

Originally posted by Slinky
who are you asking this question to? i dont have a tig, brian350rx does, and i have a buddy here that has a tig. Tig welding takes quite a bit to get used to and i dont think its very cheap to get setup.

Whoever had the tig setup, then, I guess. I've done tig welding in the past and just poked around for prices, but was never sure what I'd need for projects like this one. I was also curious of what it costs to start being able to weld, rather than just the welder cost, since it takes a lot of accessories to get going.

[2muchquad]

My mig does a pretty good job,they can be had for a pretty good price.:)

[rustyATV]

Can you keep the welds pretty light with a Mig?

One thing I can't decide is if I want the ability to do aluminum which, unfortunately, seems to really ramp up the price of a Tig welder.

[2muchquad]

tank clearance is tight with the height of the fcr:(

[2muchquad]

heres another of the carb boot,it has been changed though since

[Slinky]

your definately going to have problems with getting the tankon...i wanna do an FCR on mine but i'm worried about my tank not fitting right....hopefully i'll be putting my motor in this week.

[2muchquad]

Yeah i had to raise the rear tank mounts a bit using 2 peices of aluminum on either side.the plastic doesnt fit perfect but all in all im happy with the results considering what i was working with.the steel collar that threads into the 400ex carb was almost as tall as the fcr so i didnt run it.The fcr makes a huge difference in how the motor runs so i was determined to make it work,you know how it is...:D

[JIMFROMTEXCO]

im having problems getting my to run :eek2: . check my post in 300ex forum

[Slinky]

ok back on the topic of my bike....
i have all my parts and i'm headed to teh garage tonight to weld in my last motor mount....then its time to send the frame off to powder! I'll get some pics of the motor sitting in the frame tonight :)

[JIMFROMTEXCO]

awesome.. i got mine running now get ready to take a spin

[2muchquad]

Sorry Slinky we didnt mean to highjack your thread:D

[Ripitupfilms]

shoulda bought my frame

[Slinky]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
Sorry Slinky we didnt mean to highjack your thread:D
its all good i like hearing about your guys projects:D

[Slinky]

Originally posted by atvracer9m
shoulda bought my frame
should have told me about a month before i bought mine! do you still have that thing?

[Ripitupfilms]

yup

[elementryder]

hey gloop what do you want for that frame?

[2muchquad]

heres some updated pics,cheapo camera though..

[2muchquad]

front

[Slinky]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
front
NICE!! Hopefully i'll be rolling by the end of the month...frame went to get powdercoated at the begining of the week

[2muchquad]

Once you get your frame back,you'll have it together in no time.Its funny how we are,we could work 12hrs a day 7 days a week at a job but still find time to finish our "projects".Once we get started its all tunnel vision until its completed:D

[2muchquad]

heres some updated pics,cheapo camera though..

[Slinky]

i got my frame back on friday....i still need to have my motor mount powdercoated ( i forgot to send it with the frame) and i need to get the springs for my suspension powdercoated.

[Slinky]

http://i8.tinypic.com/4xpwoeu.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/6biyfc4.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/62ohzxk.jpg
http://i6.tinypic.com/4ldc7ip.jpg


little bit of progress!

[sandthrower]

looks good :D

:eek2: nice gibson stem

[Slinky]

hmmm i wonder where that came from LOL

[Slinky]

fitted up my plastic, put my seat cover on, mounted my 400ex oil cooler and ran my wiring....
http://i13.tinypic.com/4z2lqwi.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/4th74ma.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/4y67xno.jpg

oil cooler and bracket
http://i11.tinypic.com/5yvavko.jpg
http://i16.tinypic.com/52cr58m.jpg

[sandthrower]

I like it:D

in 1 of the pics the warning stickers look like there stuck on the side of the tank:eek:
there that set of whtie fenders I have been looking 4:eek2: JK

[Slinky]

maier seems to be sending all their new plastics with factory warning stickers now! dont know what is up with that...i gotta get them off so i can put my graphics on.

[Mxjunkie]

Can't wait to see it done, I love these old hybrids!!

[Slinky]

springs for my shocks are powder coated

http://i18.tinypic.com/6gnr420.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/68jnjfq.jpg

[2muchquad]

You building a trailor queen or a rider?Powder coated springs:D

[Slinky]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
You building a trailor queen or a rider?Powder coated springs:D
get it right...its a garage queen :p lol...i'll ride the thing....only if it hasnt rained in like a week or more! lol

[Slinky]

suspension is on, just waiting on the linkage to swingarm bolt...got the axle in last night....need to mount up my tires and get the motor in...its coming along

http://i14.tinypic.com/643stqq.jpg
http://i16.tinypic.com/6c33i46.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/5x7t1s2.jpg
http://i16.tinypic.com/6btf2bm.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6ce1ymv.jpg

[Slinky]

some updated pics...finished up my rear suspension, rear brakes are on and working
http://i19.tinypic.com/6afibdj.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/5x7phmx.jpg
http://i8.tinypic.com/5xz9w1z.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/4ysjlms.jpg

and my exhaust
http://i7.tinypic.com/6cq4aqg.jpg

[SWIGIN]

looking good man!

ware can i find a seat cover like that?

[Slinky]

i have another one...i'll sell it to ya...i was going to hang onto as a spare, but i dont think i will need it.

[800screws]

hmmm, i can't place it, but it looks like something is missing?

J/K, looks good so far.

[Slinky]

its the new gas saving version.....it only goes down hill!

[SWIGIN]

pm sent

[Slinky]

Its alive!!!!!:D

[emrtrx450r]

what kind of swing arm is that? i see it s a houser, but what is it made for?

[TWISTED DINLI]

its lookin real good.

[Slinky]

Originally posted by emrtrx450r
what kind of swing arm is that? i see it s a houser, but what is it made for?
88/89 TRX250R

there are finished pics of the bike here
http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=304685

[2muchquad]

Keep the ol'skoolers alive..ttt:D

[Slinky]

thanks for digging this back up...makes me not wanna sell it after i look at all the work i put into it!

[atvmxr]

ohh, nice! I have a 350RX I have never finished. got stuck on the oil cooler mounting and exhaust.

have a 400ex cooler, but didnt know what to do with the lines. is it ok to cut them and use some high rubber plastic hose or??

supposedly bought an modified cobra exhuast, but it didnt fit right...


i think the guy I bought the frame frome didnt know what he was doing either. havent seen another conversion like this one. the bottom frame rails are cut out and moved an inch or so on each side to let the motor sit lower..

[SWIGIN]

i had napa crimp my ends on....they are 350x ends at the motor and i made the other end for my 450r cooler

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328289

[Slinky]

I'll have to look how i ran mine..i forget now...i used the 400ex oilcooler and just had a bracket made.