400ex a arms on 250ex

[SYKO]

made 400ex a arms work on my daughters 250ex, and now I may plan on putting 450R but for right now the 400ex stuff wil work just fine.



http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0009.jpg

it only widens it about 1.5 per side but its alot better then stock



lower controle arm bolts in with no mods, upper has to be modded and a new mount plate made to widen the front to the correct width same as the 400ex

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0010.jpg


also note everything is loose and I have spaceer cut for the upper mounts that still have to be installed, you could however possible order a diamond J kit but only get the upper controle arm brakets

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0011.jpg


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0012.jpg



I have a templet f the brackets I made so If anyone is interested all you have to do is make the top brakets and get someone to reweld the upper controle arms. Ill post more how to if people chime in and ask for more info:bandit:

[SYKO]

tough crowd in here, figured more would be interested in this... anyway Ill post the process


things you will need

welder (prefer mig or tig)

cutting torch, plasma, water jet or cnc (i used a cutting torch with a good clean tip)

grinders and cutoff wheels

drill press prefered or if your just awesome with a handheld drill go to it then!

a good measuring tape or ruler

patience and about 4-8 hours of your time


400ex parts needed

upper and lower a arms (durr both sides)
400ex spindles (can be bare spindles)
complete tie rods 400ex



materials needed

3/8x3 flat bar or you can just cut the parts from 3/8 plate

3/8x 3 1/2 grade 8 bolts x8

3/8 nylon spacers 1/4 thick

nuts and washers (I used stainless)

ok here we go.

:macho




now first off the top 400ex arms are to wide at the mounts they need to be cut and rewelded to the width of the 250ex also to keep the correct geometry they need to be welded so the mounts have more toward the inside then the outside (you can plainly see in photos what im talking about)


first remove the seals and bushings from teh 400ex arm mounts, then take your cut off wheel and cut the weld off of the mount

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1069.jpg

clean everything up so make a good welding surface

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1070.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1071.jpg


now here you need to be kinda precise I dint post the measurements becouse every machine may have a few variables but take the width of the stock 250ex top a arm mounts from the inside of the outer mount full width and thats how wide you want to make your 400ex arms, also take into consideration the bushings stick out another 1/8 inch but dont make yourself to concerned with that Ill show you why later.

I made a jig of some 1/2 flat bar stock and 1x1 box clamped togetther this made sure the a arm mounts stay flat and measured right, alittle masking take helped out

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1072.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1073.jpg

now with the mounts secure and in the correct measurement tack the a arms on top (this is no problem and they stay lever unless you got some bent arms) also give them a bit of space between the arms and the mount to take the palce of the weld you previously cut off and give enough room for a good penatrating weld

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1074.jpg

now easy rotate the mounts and tack the bottom


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1076.jpg



remove and finish weld them up

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1077.jpg


of course some may need to be grinded off the ends to make everyhting smooth and flat and within the measurements

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1078.jpg



:D


now onto the top arm mounts


the top mounts on the machine are to far inboard on the 250ex compared to the 400ex so a widening plate needs to be made, once again I dont have the measurements on hand but I will get them for this.

it is rougly 2 inches wider on both sides then the 250ex

I made a cardboard template wich I cut and transferd to the 3/8 metal I had on hand
I used a cutting torch and then cleaned them up with a grinder

also notice one mount is differnt then the rest its cut out to fit around the stock brake line mount the other 3 are all the same, you could in fact make all 4 the same and just gut the brake line mount off and weld it to the mount or do something differnt its up to you

(also note diamond J top widening mounts may work in the place of making your own mounts, but I havnt confrimed this or know their measurments, could take a shot in the dark and not have to do much work but dunno.)


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1081.jpg

you may not be able to notice in the pics but where the mounts go under and around the stock frame they need to be cut for the stock frame weld clearence. 45 degree angle worked fine for this.


also to drill all the mounting holes I used a drill press with a 3/8 bit, I tacked every mount together and drilled through them all to make sure they all have even straight holes. The two inside holes match the stock 250ex arms and are used to bolt the mounts and the outside of course are 400ex arm bolt holes


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG1080.jpg



now you can mock up everything to make sure you havnt royaly screwed up your or your kids ride


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0012.jpg

everything is loose in these photos

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0010.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0011.jpg



now if everything fits and looks like it will work take it all apart and at least spray paint I prefer high end paint no rattle can here


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0019.jpg


ok now when I started putting the front end back together I found out a few things

first, you have to continue to use the inside 250ex rod end as they are a larger mount bolt then the 400ex rod end

also the 250ex spindle wont work with the 400ex arms unless you get some spacers and washers as the ball joint on the 400ex is quite a bit larger then the 250ex ball joint. Thankfully I had a extra set of 400ex spindles laying around to use, the hubs and brakes off the 250ex will bolt on with no problem.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0020.jpg


now you can see here how the top arms mount and where the nylon spacers need to be put, later I may get some aluminum spacers


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0021.jpg

up close

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0022.jpg



notice the stearing is realy tight on the 250ex it may be the 250ex stock stem difference then the 400ex or the roll design stem on this 250ex dunno but it turns way tighter then a stock 400ex


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0023.jpg


now sit back and look at your great feat of weekend enginearing!!
also note the stock 400ex bottom arms bolt right on with no modifications at the exact same measurement as a 400ex


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/Katie%20and%20her%20250ex/IMAG0024.jpg



this only adds about 1 3/4 inches per side but its suprisenly feels wider then that, later I may try 450R arms as they will add another inch to each side.

all in all I got about $80 tied up in this (a arms- tie rods- hardware) you may spend less you may spend more but whatever it is its a cheaper allternative then aftermarket arms.


:eek2:

[finsteratv]

awesome man!

[headache]

great job. thats the way a 250 should look!

[SHIFTx450]

Nice write up!!

Did you ever get around to doing the 450r setup?

In my dads shed is my first quad, 98 recon.

Been sitting for years. I'm looking to bring her back to life with some spare 450r takeoffs I have laying around.

[SHIFTx450]

And did you do anything with the rear end to match the width?

[SYKO]

no the 450r stuff is way different, I actually picked up some long travel 250r arms cheap that are getting modded by HRE to fit since it shares the same geometry as the 400ex. As for the rear it just has some three inch spacers until I can get a durablue axle for it.

[SHIFTx450]

What are you gonna use for rear suspension setup?

[SYKO]

I'm actually trying to get a high end suspension company sponsorship for my daughter. hopefully fox. In the meantime it has a banshee front shock for the rear as its its a no mod direct bolt in and works well for her right now.