frame swap

travisblaster

New Member
Jul 11, 2014
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How hard would it be for a novice mechanic to swap frames on my 2001 blaster. I bought a parts blaster and the frame is much better.
 
realize that you are swapping everything. just look at it and size it up yourself
it can be done alone, but i suggest a friend to help you align the heavy stuff, or where you need to lift the frame
 
it's the best way to learn every nut and bolt on your blaster, the first one i did was with the bent frame bike sitting right beside the new frame......"take this off and mount over there".... very easy.
 
i did it by myself it took me 4 days,but i was also very carefull,painted new frame and labeled everything,put into baggies and marked them as well,hardest part is getting the swingarm bolt out :)Make sure the frame is the correct year or your parts will not fit...click on image if you want to read it.
year calculater pic plus ex1 1 1.jpg
 
Ive done it 4 times now. I can do it now in 5-6 hours. Hardest part for me is aligning the swingarm and engine.
 
i did it by myself it took me 4 days,but i was also very carefull,painted new frame and labeled everything,put into baggies and marked them as well,hardest part is getting the swingarm bolt out :)Make sure the frame is the correct year or your parts will not fit...click on image if you want to read it.
View attachment 11133
most of the parts on blasters are interchangeable the 03+ have hydros and a different cdi and tros and a different hood but every thing else should be the same
 
thanks guys.
how hard is running the wireing harness? and whats the best but cheapest paint to use on the frame and swing arm?
 
I wouldn't even mess with paint. I spent so many hours on mine trying to do it the best I could. By the time I got it assembled I already had chips and scratches all over. And the bolts... forget it, can't paint them til after assembly. I tried to cheap out, but still followed all the steps. Next time I'll just pay some extra and get it powder coated. It will be well worth it in my opinion
 
Hardest part for me is aligning the swingarm and engine.

I put the swingarm on first with 2 swingarm bolts. Push 1 in part way from each side, leaving the space in the middle open. Be sure to hold the swingarm pivot tubes from sliding inward while you're pushing in the bolts. Then drop the motor in, slide through the front motor mount bolt. Then put in the small lower rear motor mount bolt. After that, with a jack under the frame, it's easy to push the pivot bolt through, pull out the extra pivot bolt, and raise or lower the jack till the swingarm lines up perfectly with the frame, and push the bolt the rest of the way through. The 2nd swingarm bolt deal works great when you're just planning on taking the motor out and you still want to keep it a roller.
 
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When it comes to painting I like the ceramic engine paint. very durable.

Whenever I disassemble anything take loads of pictures. Great reference for reassembly. Also as speedyslyder said, labeled baggies are a great help.

Biggest thing I can see as being overlooked is getting all the bolts torqued properly.

Take your time it'll be a cake walk.