[Alatalo]

Great find and thank you for sharing...!

 

[Alatalo]

I got a Plus X in kit form that had been powder coated. Done as seperate pieces:

The topic "powder coated before or after assembly" comes back once in a while...I was trying to dig deeper into this the other year, without really finding a satisfying answer...

I have got information from an old guy over here - that was once BRP's main technical rep in Europe - saying them parts were definitely powder coated separately before assembly. His reason for "definitely" is because he visited the Valcourt plant just ahead of the first ever PRS model...He is dead sure there were separate front frames and tunnels going through the powder coating line...On top of this, he refers to some year's spare front frames which were available powder coated, black as well as red.

On the other hand, guys on here like Brad460 has seen they were not powder coated before assembly.

Is this old geezer wrong, or did they change this somewhere down the line...?

 

[Alatalo]

Yup, judging by the second picture of post #34, the OEM tunnel has obviously not been powder coated before assembly.

What do the mating surfaces of the front frame look like…? Coated, painted or bare (rusty…?) steel…?

 

[Alatalo]

To answer post 36, the front frame is bare and somewhat rusty on the mating surfaces. Definitely coated after assembly at BRP.

Thank you Sir...!

 

[Alatalo]

Seeing your fuel tank and then the fuel pump…what the heck did they put into the fuel tank…?

 

[Alatalo]

Lots of 85s (my MX included) had the decals lifting around the edges and were replaced with 86 stripes

Thank you for remembering and clarifying this. I don’t remember how many pictures of 85’s I have seen, always confused when half of them had 86’ decals…

 

[Alatalo]

$550 for the cleaning, blasting, and the powdercoat. He even welded the small hole in the frame.

Dang, that would be the powder coating alone around here...

Merry Christmas...!

 

[Alatalo]

Another 34 rivets and the tunnel is attached. I used bolts and nuts in a few locations to ensure everything is seated and aligned. Then all the rivets are installed but not deformed. Finally, I start in the middle and work my way out to the sides. More rivets tomorrow. I have Rosey the Riveter (wife) help me out holding things tight while I install the rivets

Nice...!

Any issues with the previously discussed worries about having front frame and tunnel powder coated BEFORE assembly...? Does it all seem to fit nicely...?

Maybe you have already mentioned it, but which rivets did you decide to use...?

For positioning purposes, unless you plan to wear the wife out, I can recommend Cleco fasteners.

 

[Alatalo]

Hmm...I considered bidding on a pair of those skis on ebay the other week...After seeing your pictures, I am happy I did not...

 

[Alatalo]

Really, what happened to the good old Kimpex company...? Chasing too much cost reductions, ending up with poor quality...? I have noticed there is almost no aftermarket parts branded Kimpex anymore, at least not over here...

 

[Alatalo]

After seeing that piston and combustion chamber, please don’t hold back on checking anything…That looks like it’s been through some serious detonation, indicating that cylinder is running super lean.

 

[Alatalo]

Looks very good...!

Regarding the PRS boots, which way did you decide to go in the end...?