# Big bear 350 custom lift



## Cal3bCart3r

A buddy of mine, in my riding group, and me is gonna start on a custom 6" lift for his 96 big bear 350 tomorrow ....lol were starting from knowing barely anything (searched "the other site" for a while and found little).... I got a question tho, since it has a SRA, how much would i extend the rear swing arm? 6" or a lil more so the rear driveshaft wont have a binding angle...

And any other helpful pointers tht will be handy to kno would help too, thanks fellow MIMBer's... Hopefully someone can come to my rescue *cough* JP, Tonka, and anyone help familiar with custom lifts*


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Mine with 7" lift we stretched the swing arm 10 3/4 over stock. Keeps u joint out bind a lil. Brutelaw29.5 I think his is 8" over stock. Also make sure to put an hd ujoint in there to will save u ALOT of headache


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Gotcha !! Preciate the info


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## Cal3bCart3r

Got all this done today



































Everything is only tacked up ...i have a crappy welder, gotta let my dad finish welding the final welds when were done ....but for the most part i think we got carried away and its a 7 1/2" lift lol ...

Btw, its just me and my buddy doing this!


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## Clint Mo'

Looks legit to me! 

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## lilbigtonka

If your lifting it 7.5 def stretch it 10 or so and you will need to make a new shock bracket also on the rear axle....progress is looking good......looks like the lovebirds like it too lol


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## Cal3bCart3r

Haha i appreciate it tonka! I figured we'd stretch it 10 3/4 just to be safe and yea we havin to ghetto rig some shock mounts on the front too!! This aint gonna be no pretty lift to show in a atv contest, but more of a "get the job done" ... Thanks for the feedback!


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Run ya shock half way to 3/4 of the way down ya top aarm. Less body sag. Then make bars to go from stock mount to the top aarm bolt to stop them from wanting to give. 


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## sloboy

Are yall going yo sleeve the axles for the front? If so I would not do just a butt weld but have about four inches extra on each end (or as much as possible) with holes drilled in it for spot welds then weld the end of the tube to the shaft. I would opt for after market axles but this will get ya by.


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## Cal3bCart3r

CRAZYCRACKAZ71 said:


> Run ya shock half way to 3/4 of the way down ya top aarm. Less body sag. Then make bars to go from stock mount to the top aarm bolt to stop them from wanting to give.
> 
> 
> Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


Yea thts what we planned to do on the half to 3/4 of the way down on a arm for the shoc but ill keep the other in mind!


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## Cal3bCart3r

sloboy said:


> Are yall going yo sleeve the axles for the front? If so I would not do just a butt weld but have about four inches extra on each end (or as much as possible) with holes drilled in it for spot welds then weld the end of the tube to the shaft. I would opt for after market axles but this will get ya by.


Yea at first were gonna sleeve the axles and yea i was gonna cut the dead in the center so i can have some shaft to slide inside the pipe we have ...but i kno its gonna be in a bad angle so he already has aftermarket in mind haha its just a pretty price tag


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## JPs300

How much extra required out back depends largely on how much angle you run everything at. - Rough numbers wise I tend to add 1.25" of stretch per 1" of lift height. 


On my big 300 - I sleeved my front bars and have had no problems out of them, but they are sleeve with .134 wall DOM tubing, 4 rosette("plug") welds per bar + re-heat treated to a "c" rockwell. That's with a max of 34-35* bar angle & ride angle of around 30-32*. Stock cups won't handle any more than that, many won't even handle that. 





Looking good so far man.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks bud i forgot wat DOM tubing he got but we usin it


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## Cal3bCart3r

Got the top and bottom a arms done ... Just had to make temporary shock mounts to get it moved from my house to my buddies since im goin outta town this week and he can do some work on it ...thanks for all the help you guys, will prolly have some other questions wen we get to the back!










(The brick is to keep the tack welds fro breakin on temp. shock mounts ...but it can clear a 5 gallon bucket plus a few more inches)

Things left to do:
Extend stock axles for now
Make new tie rods
Make shock mounts
Re weld the front end up full
Start on rear swing arm
Make axle paddle

P.S. Does anyone have any tips on how to do the tie rods? Its got a pretty steep angle to go under top a arm, i guess we just curve the pipe at the angle huh?!


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

I can post u a pic of how my tierods are done


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Tht might help a lil lol


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Cal3bCart3r said:


> Tht might help a lil lol


Ight give me a few mins and ill take some pics of them for u


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Aight


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

So does it go from the top tie rod end piece and go a lil then curve straight down and back out straight to the tie rod end hole in the hub?


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## Cal3bCart3r

We got the rear end extended ....cut it in half and extended 9" (we miscalculated wen we was cuttin so the rear swinga drops a pretty steep angle but whatever hopefully it wont bind up!) anyways, i would have pictures but after gettin every thing situated and welded up, we bolted the rear swingarm up and put rear tires on and the left side was cocked back a good bit further than the right.... So we took back off and ran out of daytime and since im leaving for another week i gave it to my dad to break the weld and bump the part the driveshaft goes in in a little bit more so itll straighten the rear end up.... 

My buddy tht this is his wheeler signed up here so maybe he can chime in and say hey lol but yea he might get it from my dad and put pics up but if not ill be back home this comin weekend and ill have pics!


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

If it does they make hd ujoints for this steep angle on the yoke


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Oh ok yea i member u sayin somethin bout tht... Do u have a link or if not ill dig in google


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## Cal3bCart3r

Bump.... Do u kno how much to extend the rear driveshaft if possible or do we just need the hd ujoint?


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## Cal3bCart3r

Well ive been in greenville so i had to get my dad to finish welding up the front a arms and me and my buddy messed up on gettin the rear swing arm straight so before i left last week i gave it to my dad to straighten it up also so he welded all tht up ...and my buddy got it from my dad today and test fit it on his wheeler, i think it looks pretty good! 
Hopefully we can finish this weekend wen i get home... We gotta extend tie rods, front axles, rear driveshaft, and make shock mounts on front and rear


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## Cal3bCart3r




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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Sweet


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks


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## Cal3bCart3r

Got some more done today.... Got the rear shock mounted so it can stand on its own.... The front we got the lower shock mount done and i tacked the top, but tomorrow we gotta make a brace on each side of the upper shock mount and try to drill a hole through the upper mount to mount shock **Shock mounts prolly look like crap but we dont have much to work with...this is a mud bike, not a show bike lol**


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## Cal3bCart3r

Got it almost finished today, extended axles (they are at a crazy 45* angle, can gorilla axles even handle tht angle?), got front and rear springs finalized, rear driveshaft extended....

All left to do is tie rod ends, try to get axles made, put in HD u joint and driveshaft.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Some more pics.... It clears a 5 gallon bucket plus a lil more


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## Cal3bCart3r

My bros 29.5s vs my buddies 28s














4" wheel spacers on one side LOL







Tie rods are done and clear a arms fine with no bends








He will prolly stay with 28s since no one makes a gear reduction or clutch kit for his wheeler :/ its gettin bored over .20 from 350 ...thts bout it lol


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## Cal3bCart3r




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## Cal3bCart3r

Finished up the lift today... Painted it and put all back together, got rear driveshaft and swingarm all together and realized we forgot to put im the HD ujoint :/ itll have to be another day tho lol ...heres a couple pics of the stuff he painted 




























And a finished pic!


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## JPs300

Looking good man.


You can pick up a magnetic angle finder pretty cheap to verify the actual bar/axle angle, but I'm sure they're 35* or less as stock axles won't go beyond that(the bar will touch the cup & it physically can't/won't go beyond that).


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## Polaris425

Wooo! Double stacked spacers! That's gonna cause some havoc! lol


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## filthyredneck

^Lol. Bearings are gonna scream MERCY!

Its not a bad job though, credit is given where its due.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Yea man he just ordered aftermarket wheels so we prolly gonna take 2" off each side lol and yea his stock axles are broke and i put the angle finder on it and it was around 40*?


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## Cal3bCart3r

And its just a mud bike to him tht he bought for 60 bucks and he has a big bear 400 rear end but the bearings were already shot so i think he is gonna replace them soon too ...thanks for the feedback guys


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## Cal3bCart3r

Oh and question, we accidentally got the left side like a 1/4 or longer than the right side, is tht going to be a problem even if we get the right size axles to go on both sides? Thanks!


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Yes. Order one if then a 1/4" longer


Sippin cold beer and going deep!!!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks man!! He is redoing topend this week so hopefully i can get some vids of it drivin after tht!


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## filthyredneck

Could probably use a couple washers or something to "shim" that axle and makeup for your 1/4".


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## JPs300

Just order the axles to fit for each side. Unless you want to rework it to even it up, it simply "is what it is".


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## Cal3bCart3r

Yea reason i asked is cause a dude i kno tht rides wheelers said both sides have to even or the axles will mess up or something idk i didnt quite understand him lol


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## JPs300

Honda foremans are factory with one side around 1" longer than the other, as the diff is offset in the frame.


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## mikenick937

ID LIKE TO HAVE THAT TO RIDE IN THESE CREEKS AROUND HOME!! Good job on how quick you guys got it goin man. Can't wait to see some videos.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks JP makes me feel better lol and mike yea its came along way, we'e done it in like 6 or so days all together (only sundays for a few weeks then one weekend wen we started) ....im ready to see it in action too


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## Lifted97ranger

"Owner of the Big Bear" Lol
Just Seeing what everybody thinks of its progress. And what yal think needs to be done to it.
I cant even believe me and my buddy made it this far. But If we get our mind set to doing it, we'll do it as long as we got the money. haha We still gotta get it bored out and do the timing and I emailed both gorilla and turner for the axles. I was wondering which one yal prefer. Cause i have no idea. Thanks!


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## lilbigtonka

looks awesome minus the axles how much do you have into this lift money wise.....on axles either or turners are awesome but the turn around time if you have a problem is a bit slower then rilla but they will all be the same just personal preference....they all break just whichever you get a better price on


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## Lifted97ranger

So Far on the lift ive spent between $200-$300. Because I bought pipe we didnt even need. But most of the stuff to make the lift i had around the house. But with the axles its gonna be around $1300 all together. I almost bought a 2013 Polaris Scrambler, and my buddy talked me into fixin this one up instead. So I figured spending as much as I have was better than paying around $300 a month for a good while. So here we are. lol


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## Cal3bCart3r

Hah yea u had a wheeler tht had potential and look its higher than most wheelers ...


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## Cal3bCart3r

And i think his axles angles are around like 38 or something btw... Right paris?


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## Lifted97ranger

36 actually but somewhere in that general area. lol


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## Cal3bCart3r

Here is a before and after pic i threw together (this four wheeler has come A LONG way!)









I have a video of it drivin imma post, i just gotta upload it to youtube first lol


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## Lifted97ranger

Uh Ohhhh. Lol 1997 Ford Ranger Lifted 7 inches with 33's, And my 1996 Big Bear 350 Lifted 7 inches with 28's. lol


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## Cal3bCart3r

wheeler has almost the same ground clearance haha


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## Lifted97ranger

Its got more than the front chunk of my truck has. lol

---------- Post added at 09:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 PM ----------

Did you notice the TTB on the front? haha


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## Cal3bCart3r

na i didn't even see it ...ill look ....oh and for anyone else wanting a vid of it driving, here it is (top end still needs to be redone but we set timing to get it moving around)


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## filthyredneck

Its coming along nicely, especially for the money invested.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Heck yea!! Most expensive part, probably, is going to be axles ...but after tht we gonna test her out !


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Lifted97ranger said:


> So Far on the lift ive spent between $200-$300. Because I bought pipe we didnt even need. But most of the stuff to make the lift i had around the house. But with the axles its gonna be around $1300 all together. I almost bought a 2013 Polaris Scrambler, and my buddy talked me into fixin this one up instead. So I figured spending as much as I have was better than paying around $300 a month for a good while. So here we are. lol


 
1300 on axles where u buying axles?


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## Cal3bCart3r

No 1300 is what we wil have in the four wheeler (including the purchase of wheeler) after he buys axles .... So half of 1300 is what is being spent on axles cause he has about 700 in it right now with no axles ...question tho, do cobra only make rear axles for wheelers?


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## CRAZYCRACKAZ71

Cal3bCart3r said:


> No 1300 is what we wil have in the four wheeler (including the purchase of wheeler) after he buys axles .... So half of 1300 is what is being spent on axles cause he has about 700 in it right now with no axles ...question tho, do cobra only make rear axles for wheelers?


ahh ok i read it wrong....haha.....but man thats cheap not bad at all.


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## Cal3bCart3r

yea we "Team Too Broke" haha for real tho! we get it done on the cheap!


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## Cal3bCart3r

First time in mud since build...hopefully we can get it to red creek this weekend (even tho he still aint got his axles for front diff yet)





 
Me drivin it


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## lilbigtonka

Links no worky


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## Cal3bCart3r

Dang im on my phone ...lemme get on computer and change it

**edit, that should have got it now


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## JPs300

Cobra makes all kinds of axles, only a couple models that I know of where they don't make fronts. - They are hit/miss on doing custom extended lengths though.


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## Cal3bCart3r

lol yea i've learned that ....he is iffy on doing it tho ...he built us a custom axle but wen it got here it was 3" too long and the cup was an 1" more round in diameter than i wanted so wen we would put it in the front diff it would hit the diff. mounting bracket and the bolt to hold the bracket and he wanted us to cut the bracket and grind the bolt down but i told him to fix it cause i still need to send it back to get it shrunk by 3"! that was friday and he said he would send me a return shipping label Saturday morning but i haven't received nothing yet! ..so idk if he just gave up on us or what lol


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## Clint Mo'

That is a slick looking wheeler. I like the black and blue color scheme. Good job on the lift

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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks man! Lots of hours went into it! ...but yep we got it done ... Hes waiting on guy from cobra to fix the axle and ship him a set back ...were changing out the rear u joint and axle seals today so itll all be ready wen axles get here


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## bruteguy750

Lookin good


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks !


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## Cal3bCart3r

Update!! Finally our project is complete! Cobra got the axles perfect the second time round....





























Will be taking it to red creek july 6th and give her a real test!


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## brutemike

Looks good!!!


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## Cal3bCart3r

thanks thanks!


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## mud PRO 700*

Looking good!! Pretty impressed! Good work!


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## Cal3bCart3r

Thanks ...yea im ready to see what it can do in the mud


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## Clint Mo'

This makes me want to lift mine so bad. I should of never looked at this thread lol

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## Cal3bCart3r

Hahaha dont u got a polaris?


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## Clint Mo'

Yeah but I'm sure I can rig it up lol

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## Cal3bCart3r

If i got a magnum like i think i remember, then if u can wait til this winter mine is getting a custom 6" lift


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## Clint Mo'

Yeah I have a 95 magnum. It will be a while before I can do it to mine so I will be watching for yours to get done lol

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## Cal3bCart3r

yep yep!


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## JPs300

Nice job dude.


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## Cal3bCart3r

Yea man thank yall for yalls help on my questions too!!


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## nonamedfool

hey I got a 96 big bear I am looking to do a similar lift to just not as high I have been reading through can u give some measurements on the front swing arms so I can get a feel of how much tubing I am gonna need to get


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## Cal3bCart3r

nonamedfool said:


> hey I got a 96 big bear I am looking to do a similar lift to just not as high I have been reading through can u give some measurements on the front swing arms so I can get a feel of how much tubing I am gonna need to get



I cant remember too much on how long its extended but i believe its 6" over stock...the front a arms .... And somewhere in this thread i say how long rear swingarm is


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