What was today's Sling project-Mods , goodies....?

Quote from airoutlaw

Kinda like a Jerry Reed song...

While she's livin' like a queen on alimony,
I'm workin' two shifts eatin' baloney,
Askin' myself, "Why didn't you just learn how to cook?!?!"

Why didn't you just learn how to drive a stick?

Good question! I actually knew how to drive a stick but that wasn't what got my Ya-Ya's out. Punishing my equipment was what I was all about back then. My LeMans had a bad case of wheel hop that I never completely eliminated. So did I back off? Yeah, right! I remember stuff like blowing the front U-joint and having the driveline enter the cockpit through the floor on my way to the body shop. (Man that was loud!) Made a nice little tear to drop your roaches through (yeah, we had a pest problem back then).

I actually grew up in an awesome period where the late 60s muscle cars were around 10 years old and cheap. I paid $800 for my Lemans, $800 for a '69 Chevelle SS (minus the 396) and $800 for my '66 VW Baja (see a theme here?) I had no respect for the cars that these would become in a few short years and I'll bet my high school alone destroyed a few million dollars in future collectors value.

How many of you bought junkyard tires and poured bleach on the road in front of them to make the most acrid smoke possible? I bet someone did...

Quote from SlingLow

I could do a VW clutch in about the same time but I couldn't lift the motor by hand of course. I wonder how many clutches I scattered in that decade?

A 2x6 and a concrete block does the job of getting the engine in and out by yourself in a pinch. My first car was a 58 VW and after a couple of engines and several clutches I had it down to having the engine on the ground in 15 minutes but usually needed to make repairs before replacing. Leaving out that one top bolt made it a lot easier.

I regard Polaris' decision to require the entire engine/transmission assembly to be removed so the clutch could be replaced reflects an extremely poor attitude towards their consumers. After all, why should Polaris care if they markedly increase consumer repair costs when they can save a few Dollars using a welded support?

Quote from BKL

I regard Polaris' decision to require the entire engine/transmission assembly to be removed so the clutch could be replaced reflects an extremely poor attitude towards their consumers. After all, why should Polaris care if they markedly increase consumer repair costs when they can save a few Dollars using a welded support?

I am no engineer, but is it possible that with the Slingshots frame they only way to get the needed structural integrity and strength without adding unwanted weight was by welding?

also as a side note I highly suspect that the average Slingshot buyer will never even need to replace the clutch or have the skills or desire to do it themselves if needed - -

Quote from Edward Neal

I am no engineer, but is it possible that with the Slingshots frame they only way to get the needed structural integrity and strength without adding unwanted weight was by welding?

also as a side note I highly suspect that the average Slingshot buyer will never even need to replace the clutch or have the skills or desire to do it themselves if needed - -

I work with engineers in designing product all the time - mostly all they care about is production - very rarely do they consider servicing unless the project coordinator insists on the changes. Then the bean counters step in and make it worse.

Just food for thought

I studied Engineering for 1 year before volunteering for the Draft. We had a retired US Navy officer as our instructor for an engineering design project and his main concerns were the legibility of our notations on the engineering diagrams we submitted, followed by questions about how easy it would be to produce with cost a distant third. As a Navy officer, his main focus was on making sure things worked properly with cost having far less importance, but then proper functioning of the equipment can be a life or death difference in combat. As far as I'm concerned, bean-counters have too much influence on design decisions, especially when one alternative is significantly cheaper. I feel a good engineer should try to achieve production efficiencies whenever possible, but long-term maintenance issues should also be a consideration. Admittedly, the Slingshot is a toy for most purchasers and the average purchaser will probably never need to replace his clutch, much less even worry about doing it him/herself, but as an enthusiast and wannabe engineer, I tend to be overly critical of what I view as poor, cost-driven design decisions that may bite the customer where it hurts. An example is my Ford Edge. Instead of using a simple door switch mounted in the frame ahead of the door to determine if a door is closed securely, Ford incorporated the door switch into a multi-function unit mounted at the door latch. They saved a few pennies, maybe even a couple Dollars by making only component to be installed with a single wiring harness connection compared to using two switches and connectors, but the new switch seems to have a reputation for failing once the warranty is over and also has a repair cost of around $4-500! So what if the customer decides to never purchase another Ford product? I had the brake power booster develop a slow leak that gradually worsened over time. The brakes still worked, but required increasing amount of pedal pressure. Known problem that resulted in a recall for a limited number of vehicles, but the problem is commonly reported on Ford forums, yet Ford basically says FU to the customers and charges over $1100 for the replacement. Naturally, I doubt I'll ever buy another Ford, even thought I love my Edge overall and have owned 4 Fords up to this point. Considering maintenance as part of a design reflects a commitment to customer satisfaction, not a loss of future sales to replace the junk the customer already bought.

OK. Rant over!

Quote from Funinthesun

It also helps to have the proper incentives to get it done quickly

Proper incentives are important indeed

Quote from Funinthesun

Hold the sprinkles.... but great project...

Hope you all notice that one is missing. I guess Dave beat me to the donut shop this morning

Installed the DDM Lowering shocks and man let me tell you the ride is like night and day. So much smoother and comfy than the orignal shocks. Best 150.00 I spent. Added some clover lights for driving , just waiting on my 2020 conversion parts to come it now.

Got a super deal from Slingshot Only today On the canvas roof system (B stock).Great bunch of guys, I showed up unexpectedly and they stoped their lunch to help me out. Was going to take it to my paint guy and have It shot pearl black along with some other parts I’ve been wanting to do, but itchy fingers put it on. And I’m kind of feeling the color splash, might need to expand on it?

Quote from BKL

I studied Engineering for 1 year before volunteering for the Draft. We had a retired US Navy officer as our instructor for an engineering design project and his main concerns were the legibility of our notations on the engineering diagrams we submitted, followed by questions about how easy it would be to produce with cost a distant third. As a Navy officer, his main focus was on making sure things worked properly with cost having far less importance, but then proper functioning of the equipment can be a life or death difference in combat. As far as I'm concerned, bean-counters have too much influence on design decisions, especially when one alternative is significantly cheaper. I feel a good engineer should try to achieve production efficiencies whenever possible, but long-term maintenance issues should also be a consideration. Admittedly, the Slingshot is a toy for most purchasers and the average purchaser will probably never need to replace his clutch, much less even worry about doing it him/herself, but as an enthusiast and wannabe engineer, I tend to be overly critical of what I view as poor, cost-driven design decisions that may bite the customer where it hurts. An example is my Ford Edge. Instead of using a simple door switch mounted in the frame ahead of the door to determine if a door is closed securely, Ford incorporated the door switch into a multi-function unit mounted at the door latch. They saved a few pennies, maybe even a couple Dollars by making only component to be installed with a single wiring harness connection compared to using two switches and connectors, but the new switch seems to have a reputation for failing once the warranty is over and also has a repair cost of around $4-500! So what if the customer decides to never purchase another Ford product? I had the brake power booster develop a slow leak that gradually worsened over time. The brakes still worked, but required increasing amount of pedal pressure. Known problem that resulted in a recall for a limited number of vehicles, but the problem is commonly reported on Ford forums, yet Ford basically says FU to the customers and charges over $1100 for the replacement. Naturally, I doubt I'll ever buy another Ford, even thought I love my Edge overall and have owned 4 Fords up to this point. Considering maintenance as part of a design reflects a commitment to customer satisfaction, not a loss of future sales to replace the junk the customer already bought.

OK. Rant over!

they do consider the repairs.....that’s how the dealers make all their money.....the shop time is built into the manufacturing.....the average person can never do the job.....so you take it to a dealer at $159 an hour...the dealer makes a killing and he’s there to keep selling you cars.

so why doesn’t somebody make a new brace that Bolts on To eliminate the welded one so the tranny could be dropped.

Quote from BKL

I regard Polaris' decision to require the entire engine/transmission assembly to be removed so the clutch could be replaced reflects an extremely poor attitude towards their consumers. After all, why should Polaris care if they markedly increase consumer repair costs when they can save a few Dollars using a welded support?

Quote from Bigdog

so why doesn’t somebody make a new brace that Bolts on To eliminate the welded one so the tranny could be dropped.

As much as folks complain about the relatively high cost of aftermarket accessories for the Slingshot, I'd imagine the market for such a crossmember would be pretty low given how few miles many Slingshot owners seem to put on their Slingshots. When I rode 2 wheels, I averaged over 15,000 miles/year and when I haven't had my Slingshot torn apart for extended periods, have averaged the same on my Slingshot, typically riding 3 nights/week. I don't understand how people can buy a fun vehicle, yet only ride it occasionally.

Quote from BKL

As much as folks complain about the relatively high cost of aftermarket accessories for the Slingshot, I'd imagine the market for such a crossmember would be pretty low given how few miles many Slingshot owners seem to put on their Slingshots. When I rode 2 wheels, I averaged over 15,000 miles/year and when I haven't had my Slingshot torn apart for extended periods, have averaged the same on my Slingshot, typically riding 3 nights/week. I don't understand how people can buy a fun vehicle, yet only ride it occasionally.

most people that buy motorcycles or campers or boats are impulse buys....they think they will have a ton of time to use them...but then it rains, they have to work, can’t get the right vacation weeks...Suddenly they find out there isn’t time to ride or boat or vacation....next thing you know they sell the low mileage toy at a big loss....and don’t forget about the wife bytching...

Quote from BKL

As much as folks complain about the relatively high cost of aftermarket accessories for the Slingshot, I'd imagine the market for such a crossmember would be pretty low given how few miles many Slingshot owners seem to put on their Slingshots. When I rode 2 wheels, I averaged over 15,000 miles/year and when I haven't had my Slingshot torn apart for extended periods, have averaged the same on my Slingshot, typically riding 3 nights/week. I don't understand how people can buy a fun vehicle, yet only ride it occasionally.

Some of us have very busy lives that have us away from home sometimes for weeks if not months, not everyone has a 9 to 5, 5 days a week with a free weekend.... and then you have to factor that some of us also have multiple toys.

I have 1 maybe 2 days a month that I can ride and then I need to decide between ~7 different toys to see which will get the miles(that is assuming GF hasn't made plans.........).

I know.....First world problems but problems none the less.

Quote from BKL

As much as folks complain about the relatively high cost of aftermarket accessories for the Slingshot, I'd imagine the market for such a crossmember would be pretty low given how few miles many Slingshot owners seem to put on their Slingshots. When I rode 2 wheels, I averaged over 15,000 miles/year and when I haven't had my Slingshot torn apart for extended periods, have averaged the same on my Slingshot, typically riding 3 nights/week. I don't understand how people can buy a fun vehicle, yet only ride it occasionally.

Kinda like having a beautiful wife and only having sex once a month. Hmmm

Quote from Ghost

Kinda like having a beautiful wife and only having sex once a month. Hmmm

Oh man...

The comics generated from that statement.

Your count or hers?

I'm going to hell...

TRIPOD!!!!