JustRandy

There is probably an optimal amount of flex to add before the loss of adhesion outweighs the benefits of more flex. But the thicker the coat the more it must flex to prevent cracking. I don't know how thick the layers are, but the top layer would be flexing the most since it's at the end of the radius of curvature. I think the bore and stroke are 68.5 x 76. The stroke is monster. Everyone thought the 67mm stroke of the quadsport was a lot. With a 76mm stroke every little hair of diameter you can gain makes a big difference to the overall displacement. I don't know how I remember these numbers... maybe I'm not lol I think the 230 is 66 x 67 and the stroke is longer than the bore. The 250 is 68.5 x 67. The 300 flips the 6 and 7 for 76mm and uses same piston as 250. So if you can remember the 230 then you can figure out the rest. 68 is +2 over on the 230, so 68.5 is the next bigger sleeve used in the 250. I'd find someone to do a good job boring it. You want the bore to be tight so the piston doesn't flop around. The problem with wiseco is the pin goes all the way across the diameter which makes both the piston and pin really heavy. I don't know why they do that.

I probably wouldn't clear it either. Seems like a lot of paint to me. I've seen bumpers crack the paint and flake off so I don't know what is gained by thick piles of paint. I thought stock was 68.5, I have a 69.5 Arias piston. I'd try to avoid wiseco if I could because it's a lot of weight that can't be shaved off since the pin is too long. Honestly I'd like to find a 70mm stock compression piston then mill the jug down to boost the compression. There's a good 1/4 inch of dead space above the piston.

The best things come to those who wait, they say. You could also be on the lookout for a 70mm ish piston with a 17mm pin. Did you talk to the paint guy? What did you find out?

Can you make an offer? I know shipping costs are going up with the labor shortage.

I'm starting to wonder if I should get another cam for a spare before they're gone or the price goes up. A mint CR80 for mending fences? Yeah I'd take that deal! Those little things are fun for a couple days.

It's still a good deal. If you desperately need a head it would be $200 or so. I should buy another, but I'll wait until you're done raping ebay No man, the 250S and 300 have 17mm wrist pins. Everything smaller has 16mm. That's why the 250S engine is worth its weight in gold. The head will fit, but not the piston.

Looks good!

A lot of RTV makes me think some was squished into the cam bearings. Go light on the goop man. People tighten those caps too much so they end up rounding them off. Inspection caps and oil pan plugs don't need to be torqued commensurate with their size, but that's what people do. The intake inspection cap is where I pour the oil in. A long skinny funnel fits right through the frame into the inspection hole making it real convenient. I knew a guy with a SP370. It was a torque monster! The head on ebay looks ok to me. I'd buy it. The bearings are a little rough but I've ran worse. Buffing wheels for dremels would shine those up in no time. Put new valves and cut the seats and it should be a good head. Oh yeah other questions will have to wait til tomorrow. Hopefully it won't hold you up much

The 300 cam has a D on it so that's the same grind as you have now. I don't know about 160 heads. I suspect it would have smaller valves and that angled exhaust. Also I think the heads and valve covers are matched sets.

I was about to recommend a spare head anyway just because if you spin a cam bearing you will need one. I think 250S and 300 are the same head. LT4WD is the same except the exhaust flange mount is at an angle. Fill the intake port with JB weld then machine it out with a dremel to match the carb boot so it's all one diameter. If I had it to do over I would have bought a valve seat cutter much sooner. The ozark cam looks like a lot of duration, but does it fit? Is there a letter stamped on the end?

I just looked in the building. I have a A, D, E, G cam. A is the LT4WD. D is the 300. E is the 230S. G is the 250S (but it's fried so don't ask lol). So something is not right about the part numbers. There are 4 distinct cams.

I can't remember for sure, but it seemed like there were two 4x4 cams. I thought the 300 4x4 was the better one. There are letters stamped on the end: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. I think G or H is the 250 cam. A and B are the crappy low duration cams.

The one on the left has got to be the 250 cam. Look at that duration! The other two are so similar that I can't tell which is the 230 or 4x4 cam. I'm guessing the one in the middle is the 230.

230S cam is an improvement but not that much different to justify the work. Maybe if it's all you had. I have some comparison pics somewhere.

Oh I could tell immediately that you've done your research. You must have spent hours and days reading. I was kinda the same but there wasn't much to read back then, but I did spend some time on the phone with some guys who knew some things. Doubt they're around anymore. Apart from that most of what I know came from experimentation, like the cams and chains. A 12/36 will put more power to the ground than a 13/39 even though they're both 1/3 ratio, a result that confounds physicists to this day. The whole point of a 230/250 is the light weight, so all that heavy crap that dude had on was an insult to its purpose. Even the wiseco piston is like a lead brick. Rockymtnatv used to have chains with windows carved out of the links. Awesome chain! And I think I cut about 10lbs of lugs off my tires which is weight right where it counts at the outer edge. That dude may as well have been dragging a boat anchor in comparison. Never heard of such a thing. I knew some guys merged the KQ with the arctic cat version for the suspension. KQ has a lower center of gravity necessitating a fuel pump while the cat was gravity fed and sat higher because of it, but the cat had better control arms in the back.

Wiseco piston - eh, I guess Jardine exhaust - sounds like a tin can. Uni filter - plain ole foam new EK chain - looks like heavy o-ring chain Sunstar sprockets - yeah so what Kevlar belted tires - too heavy OEM Enkei wheels - yeah ok. None of that stuff really adds anything imo. You put so much work into your post and the restoration that I figured I'd do what I could to help. And you're a few SDs out there on the verbal acumen and usually those types aren't so mechanically gifted. A rare breed indeed! I can't wait to see what wit you come up with next.

Wow that's nice, but doubt he gets $1500. He probably shaved the plastic because they crack to sh!t on those models. It's better to put the engine and shocks on a 85 or 86 230S.

I googled the model number $140 ish https://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/oemparts/p/suzuki/12711-25c00/cam-shaft https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/1990-suzuki-lt250s-quadsport/o/m147887?a=1#sch238034 You could wait but there weren't many of those quads made. But I'd snag an engine if one were to come about.

Looks like they only sell bike parts now. Did you try ebay?

I wanted to add that just because you can rev that high doesn't mean you should. If you do, be sure it's under good load and you ease out of it or hit the next tallest gear before letting off. If you drop the throttle closed it will pull the rod apart and punch through the case. I've seen it happen twice on 230s. The rod is under compression on 3 of the 4 strokes, so it's the intake stroke that wrecks the rods and that's usually from slamming the throttle shut which creates a hard vacuum. Valve float usually limits how far it can rev so if you eliminate the float then there is no limit until something breaks. Maybe that's why suzuki went with softer springs. Yeah I saw it was the last two. Good deal! Thumpertalk didn't have the cam?

Let me know what you find out. Getting paint to stick to plastic is a challenge. I don't know how much elastomers will help since it could be more prone to peeling off in chunks instead of merely dings. With plastics I've always kinda thought thinner coats are better. The thicker the coat the more likely de-lamination will occur. Try Thumpertalk. I bought one there a long time ago for $100 brand new. The pic you posted shows it. #26 replaced #27. 27 is what you want (the single spring). 26 is the dual spring. I searched my email and found instructions to my buddy to be sure the part number is 12921-19B00. He knows the guy who owns the suzuki dealership so I had him order straight from them to be sure I got the right thing. This pic on amazon looks like it https://www.amazon.com/Suzuki-12921-19B00-Spring-LT-F250-LT-F4WD/dp/B079K715L5 The cross section is oval, hence ovate. It makes the spring crazy strong. The one spring is stiffer than the dual springs that replaced it. I'd probably get the ones on amazon since the pic looks right. It says the pic could be generic, but that's not a generic looking spring. I'd hate to lead you wrong, but all the info seems consistent with the springs I have. I got them in 2012 and that's a long time for my memory.

That rustoleum is good stuff. I shoulda done that. A buddy painted his truck bed cap with rustoleum bed liner and I must say it looks pretty good. I did some experimenting with cams back in the day and the 250S is the way to go regardless what the application. 250S cam will spin the tires in donuts in higher gears than any other stock cam (implying more torque, not less). I forgot the specifics, but it's a vast departure in terms of duration than the 230s, LT4WD, and 300 which are all pretty close to each other. The 250S was Suzuki's answer to the Honda 250X. They added decent shocks, a 7th clutch plate, 17mm piston wrist pin. +1mm intake valve, nice straight exhaust from the head, and just about anything you could think to do to the 230 aside from high comp piston. The cam was no exception. If you really want to get carried away, the first year of the LT4WD had ovate springs which are stiffer than both springs together in the 300. I don't know why they did it since stiffer springs are really only needed for rpms, which the LT4WD was not. But I've had my 300 well over 11k rpms so it's perfectly capable if the valves can be closed fast enough. I thought briefly about returning to the original springs when I re-rebuilt the engine in 2019, but decided that they survived 7 years and didn't hurt anything so I may as well keep them. If you really want to go hog wild, KZ1000 pistons will fit. Then the problem will be finding studs strong enough to hold the head on. That's where I stopped with my 250S build. ARP didn't call me back and I lost interest. Actually, the 69.5 piston (10.5 CR) I have in my 300 now will lift the head sometimes when lugging. I can hear the gasket squeak. Looking good man! And I like your hilarious narration of the progression. Looking forward to more posts!

A friend found one for me on facebook marketplace and I gave him a bottle of scotch as finders fee. It was about the same price, same condition, same color and might even be the same year. I tore it all down and rebuilt it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Another thing I could recommend is a 6 inch fan on the brake-lever side blowing sideways across the engine. It keeps my left leg warm in winter lol, but more importantly it keeps the engine cool so the ring gaps don't close and start burning oil.

Nice post! You may as well start sourcing a regulator. I recommend Ricks https://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/ Get the biggest one they offer. I think mine is for a Triumph and will handle 50 amps. And a 250S cam will bring out the HP without sacrificing the low end too much. With those low gears it doesn't really matter.

Watch it before it's banned: Life in prison would be far too good for those inhuman animals pushing that clot shot. That includes Trump. Maybe a fitting punishment would be to lock all the vax pushers in the same cell as Trump and throw away the key.