From: dougr@meaddata.com (Doug Ritter)
Subject: Blizzard Suspension Rebuild
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 18:54:43 GMT
Distribution: na

Finally got around to working on my poor old Blizzard.  It's not really
as bad as I had at first imagined, although it's gonna take some work to
get it straightened out.  The worst part is that the front shaft of the
suspension is bent - when it bent it also slightly warped the tunnel,
but that will probably straighten out when I put the repaired suspension
back in.

I've got a bunch of suspension-related questions for y'all, but first a
couple of comments on my 'findings':

o I'm amazed at the simplicity of the Blizzard's suspension.  There's only
  one shock in it and it doesn't really seem to do all that much - it
  seems like all the work is done by the 4 coil springs.

o Once again, I'm impressed by how sturdily this sled was built!  It's
  13 model years old, and it looks like it could go another 13.

o After taking the thing apart, I'm *much* more inclined to agree with
  the assesment that it's "a 2x4 on skis".  It's not a whole lot more
  technical than the old bogie-wheel suspensions.

Anyway, here's what I'm wondering about:

o the first bunch of questions fall under the "I've got it apart, what
  should I replace while I'm in here?" catagory:

  - sliders?  They seem to be in good shape, but what do I know?

  - Coil springs?  Ditto, although they've been in the "sprung" position
    for 12 years.

  - Coil spring bushings?  Not much to these really, just a piece of
    some sort of plastic.  They're worn a little, is there anything to
    gain by replacing them?

  - The rear arm of the suspension has 2 points of attachment, 1 to the
    tunnel (shock attaches here) and one to the slide rails.  Where it
    attaches to the slide rails is not a "hard" attachment - it slides
    back and forth 3 or 4 inches.  There are short pieces of hyfax there.
    The whole rear arm seems real loose, a lot of that play is the shock
    (which I'm replacing for sure), but part of it is in this "hyfax" attach
    point.  Should I replace that stuff or is this play normal?

o Like I said, the front suspension arm is bent, which is going to restrict
  it's abillity to move.  I know I've got to fix that, but should I replace
  the whole section or just try to straighten the arm?

  This may be an easy one - if the parts are mega-bucks, I'll straighten the
  old one.

o Also, the limiter strap bar is broken off (this is the loud snap that I
  heard last winter) - looks like the weld on one side had been broken for
  a long time and when the other side went, it didn't come off cleanly.
  I haven't tried a welding shop yet, but I can probably find someone who
  will be willing to fix it for me, although around here I won't find anyone who
  knows snowmobiles who can fix it for me.  So here's my question on this
  one - how much stress is placed on the limiter strap?  Can I get by with
  a shoddy welding job here?  Should I buy the entire assembly from Ski Doo?
  (assuming of course that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg)

o I'd like to stud the track - what kind of studs can I safely use on this
  machine without ripping up the heat exchangers?

o Should the limiter strap be set at the stock setting or loosened up a
  notch? (there're only two settings - I left it at the stock setup because
  it's too hard to get at with the suspension inplace)

o The bearings of the upper idler arm wheels seem a little rough - should
  they be replaced?  They don't seem to be a key component of the drive
  train, but if they are and don't cost too much I want to replace them.

o In the "pearl earrings on a pig" dept., would it do any good to use a
  gas shock on the suspension, assuming of course that I can get a gas shock
  to fit it?

And just in general, are there any tricks I can do while I've got it apart
to improve the ride and/or performance?  (besides buying a new sled I
mean - I've already done that, this is my "standby" machine now ;-)

Also, the foam padding on the underside of the hood is all coming off -
is it worth replacing?

Comments/questions/suggestions welcomed.

THINK SNOW!
--
===============================================================================
Douglas N. Ritter                                  Bo don't know snowmobiles!
dougr@meaddata.com
..!uunet!meaddata!dougr                          No, I'm not speaking for MDC!
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