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Area51 Project - Adam's Slammed Summit:
Machine Specs:
2002 Bombardier Summit 144 ZX Chassis Rotax 700cc Twin Cylinder with RAVE valves Front: ADSA Arm Suspension, HPG Shocks Rear: SC10 Skid, HPG Shocks 144"x15"x1.25" Camoplast Rip Saw Track 21/43 Gearing, Mechanical Reverse Custom Low Windshield MBRP Trail Can Pro Taper FAT Bars, Pivot Adaptor, 4" Riser block Powermad Hand Guards Custom Painted lower plastics V-Force 3 Reeds
Life can sometimes be a gamble and the same is true when purchasing a used snowmobile. You can save a lot of money over buying new at the risk of buying someone else’s troubles. The key is to do your research and know what to look for and what to test before you buy and if you don’t know, bring someone along that does. About two years ago in the Fall of 2005, Adam was in the market for a newer used sled and found a promising candidate at BennettATV. The sled was only a few years old but had seen many hard miles and not enough upkeep. In short it would be a project sled but after a thorough inspection an appropriate offer was made, accepted, and the sled loaded into the truck.
The machine was a 2002 Bombardier 700 Summit built on the venerable ZX chassis with a 144" track. It was the perfect match for the new owner both in style and because he had both the time, tools and parts to revive this tired beast. In short the lower plastics had faded pink and were cracked in many places; both of the ADSA suspension arms and lower control arms were bent; the motor was showing low compression; the track was worn out with a lot of missing lugs; the rear suspension was in serious need of a rebuild; and yellow enamel paint adorned many parts as an "accent" colour.
The project began in November and the first item on the list was to remove the motor for a rebuild, a straight forward affair of detaching everything that connected it to the sled and removing the mounting bolts. Once removed the actual rebuild was left to an experienced mechanic. The motor was refreshed with a honing of the cylinders, treated to new pistons, rings, seals and a set of performance V-Force 3 reeds.
While the motor was out being rebuilt we tackled the rear suspension. Despite some frozen bolts, the discovery of a missing bolt, and a small fire, the skid came out unscathed. (Note: don't let Sooley use a cigarette lighter as a light source when parts are soaked in penetrating oil!)
Once unbolted and removed from the sled we discovered that the Hyfax had worn clean through to the aluminum skid frame. Many of the wheels were worn or had worn bearings and there was some general damage from neglect. The skid was cleaned, all worn parts replaced and we creatively fabricated some bushings to get everything back together properly.
While the rear skid was removed the torn up mountain track was discarded and a new 144x15x1.25" Camoplast Rip Saw track was installed. This also provided opportunity to inspect everything in the chain case and to replace the bearing on the opposite end of the drive shaft.
Before the engine was reinstalled, some worn out steering tie rod ends were replaced, the lower body cleaned of oil and debris, and many of the cracks plastic welded to seal the tub from water and snow. Although it’s not a permanent fix it will serve the purpose in the interim until a replacement tub can be secured. At this time we replaced both ADSA arms, ski leg bushings, and the lower radius rods with new parts and realigned the skies. A new skid plate was also installed to protect the body from trail obstacles.
With the Rear suspension bolted up and the engine reinstalled, it was on to handle bars, controls and personalizing the sled for its new owner. Adam chose a set of Pro Taper Fat Bars with 2" rise, a 4" Riser block and a pivot adaptor.
This extra height necessitated the installation of a longer brake line, a throttle cable extension and the lengthening of all wiring for the handle bar controls.
The plastic surrounding the controls required minor trimming to fit and look right, new hand warmers were installed along with a new Mountain Strap for a secure grip and control. Lessons learned were that Sooley (who is already blacklisted from Carburetor cleaning) should not be allowed near Brake Handles when there is no brake line attached. After cleaning up a mess of brake fluid and bench bleeding the Master Cylinder, the brakes were as good as new with the extended braided line installed.
The installation was finished with a set of Powermad Hand guards and matching mounts.
The stock low smoked windshield had a strange shaped piece broke out of it on one side. Not able to find a suitable replacement, we chose to modify the one we had. Marking out a design with masking tape I used a Dremel tool to re-cut the sides of the windshield so that both sides were even and no longer jagged. The finished product actually looked pretty good!
Next, was figure what to do with the god awful pink plastic body tub. We researched a few ideas and read that a lot of people had good success painting plastic with Krylon Fusion paint. Since it was more economical to paint then replace we picked up two cans of Gloss Black and a can of brake cleaner to de-grease the plastic. Once de-greased the whole tub was sanded with 100 grit sand paper to promote paint adhesion, and cleaned with soapy water to remove all residue. Paint was installed in multiple light coats allowing about 10-15 minuets drying time in between as per directions on the product.
Once dry the tub looked fantastic, especially compared to before. To finish the tub, two additional hood tie downs from a newer summit were installed in the middle of the hood to keep it in place during rough riding. Finally the sled was nearing completion with only the exhaust waiting to be mounted up. The previous owner obviously did not appreciate good hearing and had installed a straight pipe in place of the stock muffler. To say it was loud and annoying is an understatement! Graciously Adam installed a nice MBRP trail can which is louder then stock but still friendly to the rider and most people in the immediate area.
Luckily (read: Skilfully) the sled fired up with relative ease and after minor carburetor, clutch and track tension adjustments it was ready for its maiden voyage. All the repairs and modifications lead to a ride that pleased the owner immensely. Once a wreck, this sled is now a sensible, reliable trail cruiser and boondocker that makes many people green with envy as it simply tractors through deep powder passing stuck sleds left and right, even stopping, reversing and turning around! I’m also pleased to say that the Krylon paint has held up well with very few scratches despite a lot of abuse from snow and alders. Like most Area 51 projects, this one posed many challenges and took a lot of time but was worth it in the end. Hard work prevailed and fed a breath of new life into this not so old but well used sled, on time and under budget.
Cheers, MIKE
Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith
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