Yes, we once again made it up to Walden for Memorial Day weekend.

Visit the Photo Gallery for some pictures.

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Ever wonder what exactly your bike is? Want to know what all those VIN numbers mean? Now you can. Motoverse.com has a Yamaha VIN Decoder tool on their website. Just stick your bike’s numbers in and find out everything you ever wanted to know about it.

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This Ford powered buggy with chain drive wheels and hydraulic articulation is AWESOME! Check it out.

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Our annual Memorial day trip to the Walden Sand Hills is coming up quickly, and everyone still has some work to do. Between now and then watch for updates on how things are going, what we are getting done and what isn’t going to happen. Here’s a quick rundown of where we are at.

Jason
As usual he is better prepared than any of us. The Dana 60 swap on the Blazer is pretty much done, the LT250 doesn’t ever need anything and the new Brute Force is in great shape. Of course, he will probably be busy helping the rest of us.

Rob
Rob is wrapping up the 8.1 swap in his Silver Truck. Sounds like he is getting close. Lots of late nights for him.

Jeff
Jeff bought him a new dirt bike, but it’s been sitting for a while. He’s working on getting it running and I’m sure there is plenty to do on the Cherokee.

Bob
Yeah, that’s me. We did the torque converter and tranny rebuild on the Scout last weekend (more about that later). I’ve also got a new steering stabilizer and new mirrors on order for it, plus I’m doing a few things to the Warrior, so I should be busy for the next month.

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As a car guy I love strange vehicles. Anything that is a concept, has been custom built or is modified from what the manufacturer originally intended peaks my interest. That’s why I was excited when I saw this page of Strange and Unusual Vehicles.

This is a huge list of unusual cars, trucks, boats, airplanes and motorcycles from around the world. It ranges from the latest concept cars to the Alaskan Land Train custom built by LaTourneau in the 1950s.

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We were working on the Binder Monday night and a Redline customer stopped by to visit. He told me that he knows a guy that works on Scouts and this guy recommends taking the 345 out and replacing it with a 383 or 440 Chrysler engine since they already have a 727 Torqueflite transmission and IH engines are so expensive to rebuild.

I want to set a couple facts straight right here.

First off, the 727 in my Scout is not the same as a Dodge and will not bolt up to a 440 or 383. IH had their own distinctive bolt pattern for the bellhousing.

Second, the 345 is not more expensive to build than the 440. Currently on Northern Auto Parts’ website a 345 engine kit is $717 while a 440 kit is $843.

A 440 or 383 might be more powerful, but they are not cheaper and they won’t just drop in to a Scout II.

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When I first purchased Bob’s Bad Binder it was supposed to be a running Scout II that just had some problems passing emissions.  Once it was home we discovered there were more problems, there was one cylinder that had no compression and as we later learned, a hole in the piston.  The engine was rebuilt, and while we were at it we decided to rebuild the transmission (I can’t recall now if the tranny was actually broken, or if we just decided to do it at the same time).  I had rebuilt a few transmissions before, mostly TH350s and 400s, but figured we could build the 727 too.  Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I put that transmission in and about a half a dozen times before finally taking it to a shop and having it fixed.  Since then it has worked fine, but on the trail it’s always had a strange issue.  The truck has a very difficult time starting off from a dead stop.  If you stop right before an obstacle, it can be very difficult to get up and over it, the engine just won’t be able to get any rpm and it won’t move.

My theory about this problem has long been that it was a torque converter issue.  I have read comments that said the 727 transmissions typically used a very low stall converter (I have no idea if this is actually true).  The Binder’s 345 has the biggest cam Isky makes for an IHC engine (which isn’t really all that big), so the power curve has moved up some.  If the converter is set to stall extremely low it’s possible the engine can’t build any power before the stall, and won’t move the truck.

So the question is, what kind of converter is needed?  What is the best stall speed?  Fortunately, there is an article that answers that question over at Binder Planet

Damian from D and C Extreme writes:

But in my experience, 1800-2000 RPM stalls are a good middle-road stall that gives noticable benifets and few drawbacks. Which is why I use that speed almost exclusively.

He has good reasoning and I encourage you to read the whole article and leave a comment if you agree, disagree or have other ideas.

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There was some discussion this weekend about 1st gear ratios in a 4L80E transmission. I just wanted to make sure everyone noticed the transmission gear ratio chart for offroad and performance vehicles available on Bob’s Bad Binder.com.

Also, if anyone sees any additions that should be made to the list, please feel free to post them in the comments.

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Jason’s got him a new ride.

• 90-degree V-twin engine displaces 749cc – the largest, most powerful engine in its class
• Limited-slip front differential
• Dual A-arm front suspension feature adjustable shocks and 6.7 inches of travel
• Independent rear suspension provides the best balance of rider comfort and handling at low to medium speeds, and provides 7.9 inches of travel

For more specs visit the Kawasaki Brute Force article on ATV Source

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So Jason found a great deal on new axles. Tired of blowing up Dana 44s, he’s decided to make the conversion to a Dana 60. Fortunately there was a 1978 Chevy 1 Ton single wheel pickup for sale in town. Pretty decent truck, so for $1500 he picked up a Dana 60 for the front and a Corporate 14 bolt for the rear with the 4.56 gear ratio he wants. He also found a great deal on a set of 37×17 Good Year MTRs – his old 15″ wheels aren’t going to work on the Dana 60. All this, plus a set of new wheels. The Blazer should be a sweet ride at the Dunes this year!!

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