# 4 Wheeler Restoration



## h-meier (Jun 22, 2010)

Restored my 2004 polaris sportsman 500 4-wheeler. I bought it new in 2004 and let it set outside and neglected it for years. I finally decided to restore it before it was beyond the point of no return. This was the first project I attempted of this magnitude and I am very pleased with the outcome. Needless to say it is now in my garage and out of the weather. I will not abuse this machine anymore after the amount of labor I put into it.


----------



## h-meier (Jun 22, 2010)

more pics


----------



## dabossgonzo (Mar 5, 2010)

*nice*

I followed your restoration project on the hunting board.... very very nice work!!!!


----------



## Tail'in around (Oct 12, 2006)

Nice!!! Doesn't even look like the same bike.


----------



## Gulfcoastin (Feb 9, 2011)

Great job, looks good!


----------



## cfaas416 (Jun 7, 2011)

GREAT JOB. I actually am about do the same thing to my sportsman. What was that you soaked them in? Any other "things you wish you knew." or "things you would have done differently."??:headknock


----------



## h-meier (Jun 22, 2010)

cfaas416 said:


> GREAT JOB. I actually am about do the same thing to my sportsman. What was that you soaked them in? Any other "things you wish you knew." or "things you would have done differently."??:headknock


Here are a few things I did:

!) Bought paint from AJ Foyt Paint (automotive paint and primer), I sanded all plastic and metal down. I primed the metal and fiberglass parts before painting and used an adhesive spray for the plastic (which I bought from AJ Foyt Paint). The paint on the plastic does not crack when you flex it.

2) Had the bike serviced while all the plastic was off. Mine needed it very bad.

3) pressure washed the bike after service was done.

4) I used cheapcycleparts.com to obtain manufacturer part numbers and then found them cheaper on ebay.

5) Patience, Patience, Patience,&#8230;. I probably have over 70 hours in this project, mainly b/c it was the first time attempted something of this magnitude and used a professional air gun to spray the paint (harbor freight $14.99) instead of spray paint.

6) With all that, do not cheap out on spray paint! It will not last. After all the hours and labor I put into prepping everything, I did not want my work to go to waste. So, I spent about $180.00 on professional automotive grade paint. I am very pleased with it!

The picture of the metal in water was a process called "electrolysis or electrolytic de-rusting". This is a definition from the web:

" Electrolysis is a technique for returning surface rust to iron. It uses the effect of a small low voltage electric current and a suitable electrolyte (solution). It has advantages over the old standbys like vinegar, Coke, muriatic acid, naval jelly, wire brushing, sand blasting, etc. Those methods all remove material to remove the rust, including un-rusted surfaces. With many, the metal is left with a "pickled" look or a characteristic color and texture. The electrolytic method removes nothing: by returning surface rust to metallic iron, rust scale is loosened and can be easily removed. Un-rusted metal is not affected in any way."

You take the item to be "de-rusted" and hook the negative side of a dc charger to it and a piece of steel (not stainless steel) and hook the positive side to it. Submerge it in a water solution with Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (I just added it until it looked cloudy) and turn the charger on. Place the anode as close to the other piece as possible without touching. Touching the metal pieces together in the water as this will cause arching marks on the metal. When it is on there will be bubbles that start to come from the piece of metal to de-rust. It may take an hour or so to many hours depending on the level of rust.

Do some research on it, as it is pretty cool. It does not remove the rust, it converts it back into metal.

I also attached a picture of how I painted all the nuts and bolts.


----------



## Tennif Shoe (Aug 11, 2011)

OK, that looks awesome! one thing that jumped out at me. pull the front tires off and repaint the hubs. I know it is a small thing, but my eyes keep going back to it. Congrats on the restore you did great!


----------



## fattyflattie (May 20, 2008)

*Awesome Job*

That looks great.

My eyes kept catching the front hubs as well.


----------

