Hello Everyone! Last year in October my wife and I bought a house and moved. It has been crazy since then and while I have been continuing to work on and enjoy the Murray, I haven't been able to keep this build thread up to date. Any way, there is a whole lot to get caught up on and I will try to keep it as short and sweet as possible.
Since the last update a lot has changed, or I should say improved with the Murray....so much in fact, that I am sure I will miss a few things.
Electrical system improvements, including: marine ignition switch, fuse panel, with all accessories utilizing relays where need, LED brake light, LED light bar, LED hazzard flasher.
Doc Locker 2.0 live axle swap for the MST-203 transaxle.
4 on 4, 8 x 7 rear wheels mated to the 3/4 live axle with keyed 4 on 4 hubs.
4 on 4, 8 x 4.5 front wheels with 18 x 6.5 x 8 Snow Hog tires mated to the front spindles with high speed 4 on 4 hubs.
improvements and changes to the 1 into dual exhaust to accommodate the wheel and tire changes.
custom snorkel air intake setup
"built not bought" VIN/ID plate
new Murray Select, 17.5hp and MUDDER decals
MANY other misc repairs, tweaks as needed!
Overall, we are incredibly happy and proud of this build. We have about 45 hours on the build since the "new" engine at this point. The brakes work well, it goes 30mph, sounds great, and it goes through trails and mud like you wouldn't believe! We have taken it to a local mud bog locally, went through the pit, and was even a fan favorite!
So what is next for the Murray? Honestly, not too much. We are going to be improving/beefing up the front axle and suspension a bit, as I recently broke a spindle and have been putting off improving the otherwise stock front axle since I started the build.
We are going to add some skid plates, some brush guards/foot guards. We will also be adding some mufflers to the dual exhaust. Will be adding some reinforcements to the hood and hood supports also as they are currently a bit weak.
I am also considering removing the governor and doing a Minuki ATV carb swap one of these days.
Lastly, I really would like to disassemble the entire machine, paint the body and frame, replace low grade nuts and bolts with nice hard ware, clean up the wiring and then finally "be done" with it....but I guess only time will tell if I have the opportunity to do everything.
Anyway, below are a few pictures of the Murray in it's current state, a link to an album with many more pictures and a few videos!