Who needs to wait for a 2013? Let's build a 2012

[whittaker727]

So, this all started with a back injury that has left me sidelined for this riding season. I sold my last build to another forum member and thought that even though I'm out for this year, I'm not done sledding by a long shot. So, I figured since I can't ride, why not build. I went back and forth for a while trying to figure out which platform to start with. The final decision came down to building a Polaris. I got a hold of Kinzer off of SW and of Guys Outdoor Equipment in Lewiston, Id. I picked up a 2012 Polaris Pro 163 and brought it home for a test drive. 20 miles later after I figured out that all the necessary parts worked as planned, the tear down began. This tread will be like many others you've seen, a journey through a tear down of a brand new sled to the test ride of a purpose built sled.

This one looks just like everyone else's Pro on the mountain.

This is my version of lite weight

 

[Visi]

Awesome, how long did that take?

 

[Jonce]

Very nice start to a project. I'm admiring the garage and equipment as well. Is that a Factory 5 Cobra?

 

[whittaker727]

Very nice start to a project. I'm admiring the garage and equipment as well. Is that a Factory 5 Cobra?

The tear down took a good six hours, but there's still more to do before it goes back the other way. Making my own set of "Air Frame" style boards, going to see about addressing the height of the tail light in favor of something a little lower profile and I don't like the factory foot pockets, so I'm going to see what I can do about that as well.

Good eye on the Factory 5 Cobra. You can only see a front wheel, but the other bay has one of their 33 roadsters that's about 25% done.

 

[smokindave]

I can't wait to see this build as you do it,if it is anything like your last two builds this will be very NICE.

 

[Vfrtrader]

So, what's on the things to do list?

 

[whittaker727]

Thanks Dave. I have damn near as much fun building as I do riding.
Today I tackled a few more things to get the chassis ready. 1st the chain case had to come off and I tell you what, that glue that Polaris uses is some bad azz stuff. A propane torch and a couple of pry bars and one big POP! Off it comes.

The next thing was to prep for my home made running boards, so out came the die grinder. I don't know what the rivets that Polaris uses on the outer extrusion are made of, but my guess would be stainless. They were a complete pain in the butt to try and drill, so I used the die grinder on them as well I left a lip that will allow 5/8" tubing to sit perfectly in the grove for an exact fit.

 

[RIDECATS]

i just jig sawed of my running board of my 12-pro it was kind of a funny feeling but super stoked with the results.

 

[kbl6z]

Looking good. Thats gunna sick.

 

[Jkinzer]

if you get it put back together before all the snows gone i'll be the first volunteer to test it out for ya! can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[SpokaneRMK]

I will be watching this thread for some ideas from a great builder.

 

[Motleyone]

Looks like you may be able to squeeze an Impluse Nytro motor in there buddy. Whatcha gonna do with those pristine stock a-arms? ; )

 

[skibreeze]

Rivets, what makes them hard to remove? It's the mandrel that makes them impossible to drill. Really simple solution, use a small punch and hammer the mandrel to the bottom of the rivet and now they are super easy to drill out.

 

[whittaker727]

Well that will help for sure. Thanks for the info!

 

[snownman]

Power options...

800 or maybe 1100 t big bore?

 

[whittaker727]

800 or maybe 1100 t big bore?

Yeah, if I had gold coin falling out of my butt

 

[whittaker727]

I got all 14 of my vents taped off and ready to cut out. These XXXModRods vents are sweet and should allow all unwanted under hood heat to escape. If you haven't seen their stuff, check em out. http://xxxmodrods.com/

 

[INDEEP]

And then?

 

[whittaker727]

Patience Grasshopper. I got some more goodies in the mail and more showing up this week.
First off, I got my GP Engineering titanium rear bumper in the mail and holy crap this thing is waaaay lighter than what I was expecting and much stronger than the stock carbon bumper

The next thing to sow up was my tail/brake light. I wanted a lower profile high visibility light that didn't stick up so far and have as much risk of breaking off during a roll over or getting broken by trees. 45 LED's should be plenty bright enough.

The coolest thing that came this week is my new KMOD/Raptor suspension. After working with Kevin from KMOD on my skid for my TM1000, I was super happy with the customer service and over the top impressed with the performance of the suspension. My last skid had the standard coil over Raptor shocks, but after riding a skid with the remote 20 position clickers on the rear as well as on the front suspension, I knew that's the direction I would go with my next build. So, I placed a call to talk about what I was wanting to do and Kevin got me set up with exactly what I had been thinking about since I first rode this skid last spring. I can't wait to get everything back from coating and put it on the hill to test it out. Thanks again KMOD!

 

[Sixat38]

Looking good Whit. It appears from the KMOD pic you are keeping it a 163. But will it be 2 1/2 or 3" ?