[Bcnugz]

Hello, I recently purchased a 2004 sportsman 600. I bought it wrecked, the frame is bent/ broken, plus a broken balljoint and some broken off motor mounts in the back of the block. I’ve located a new frame and everything I need and am about to begin my swap. I thought some others may be interested in this while I do it, and also any input would be much appreciated.

Here’s the bend and crack in the frame, the frames also bent up into the prop shaft.

beat up bumper and front , sitting on a home- made balljoint in this pic(was waiting for new one in the mail, wanted to be able to move it around my yard) i had also removed the prop shaft at this time.

Here’s my home-made balljoint (pretty much spec)..... did the trick until my new ones came in though. I did try welding the old one for a temp fix. But it failed almost immediately haha.

 

[stave7119]

Since you wanted to be able to move it around, I would guess you have been able to confirm that the engine and trans are in decent shape. Betting you may find more broken stuff as you disassemble it. Appears to have been quite a wreck! Looks to be quite a project.

 

[Bcnugz]

Yes it runs great, and seems to be in alright shape other than the obvious. It’s a little bit hard to shift at times , but I’m assuming that has something to do with the broken motor mounts. I was wondering if anyone else has any other ideas of other things too look for, that may have been affected by the impact.

 

[Bcnugz]

I have the new ball joints installed now, and a bunch of used parts in the mail. I have a frame, rad mount and front bumper assembly, a cv joint, plastics and running boards, and a bag full of random bolts... probably more I’m forgetting. Hopefully it will all make it here by the weekend and I then I’ll begin the swap.
I was able to link up with a guy through hotlineparts.ca that had all the used parts I needed.

 

[Bcnugz]

Here’s the balljoint that I ordered. Easy enough to change. I didn’t take the shocks off the quad. Just pushed the old ones out with a grease gun. And would highly recommend putting the new ball joints in the freezer before installing. Made a big difference for me.

 

[stave7119]

Yes it runs great, and seems to be in alright shape other than the obvious. It’s a little bit hard to shift at times , but I’m assuming that has something to do with the broken motor mounts. I was wondering if anyone else has any other ideas of other things too look for, that may have been affected by the impact.

More likely the hard shifting is due to the twisted frame. Engine and transmission are not connected to each other aside from the belt. Transmission is connected to the frame as is the shifter so it should solve itself with the frame change. But that linkage would be something needing inspection when you put it back on.

 

[polman500]

Yeah, check the steering shaft and all five arms for straightness/cracks. I'd also closely inspect/repair and maybe reinforce/paint the "new" frame's a-arm attachment brackets since you're gonna have everything apart already anyway. They are pretty thin and prone to wear and the holes wallow out with age. You might also want to look into converting the arm bolts and pivots to the more modern one-long-bolt as I described in a recent thread... Much safer and more durable than the original short bolts which are known to work loose and fall out on the trail.