[viper2pt0]

Hey guys, Im new to the forums here, I was shown this site by a friend of mine....anyway...I have a 2002 Santa Cruz Bullit, and while I was getting it ready today for the upcoming season, I noticed that my chainstay was cracked.........I emailed Santa Cruz, but they probably wont do anything since the bike is 3 years old now, and since I really have no money to buy a new swingarm, unless I find one for fairly cheap, I was wondering if I could bring it to an aluminum welder and have the crack welded over?....I attached some pics to give you a better idea. The crack is on the bottom of the driveside chainstay right by the weld where the dropout is attached.

click for larger image:

 

[bigkonarider]

That's the first ever Bullet that i know of that's had a crack anywhere.
Interesting.
Call Santa Cruz & be cool about it,but tell them for some advice ! They might be in a good mood & hook you up cheap ?
OR, maybe get it welded-but i know nothing about that procedure !

 

[Discostu]

This might be an excuse to upgrade to a Tonic Fab Bad Mofo. www.tonicfab.com

 

[Bacardi]

You can have it welded, someone here will help out with that.

Good idea on the cstay upgrade though...

Is that discoloration in the second half of pics, glue from the stock chainstay wrap?

 

[Bacardi]

I did a search for "Welding Aluminum" thread on this is Here

Most people were saying to Contact an Aerospace welder/manufacturer nearby, as they use AL and Ti frequently. Also find out what type of Aluminum your 2002 Bullit Swingarm is....probably 6061, Santa Cruz Bullit owners confirm?

 

[viper2pt0]

yea that discoloration is from where i peeled the stock chainstay wrap away a little..i cant believe it cracked either....i only weight 125lbs and am not a hard ride by any means....as for the upgraded swingarm....1st....awesome..i couldnt find that link anywhere...2nd, i honestly dont have the money to buy a new swingarm at this point....3rd, i hadnt realized they actually put the upgraded swingarms into production yet....i know there are a few places near me that weld, im not sure if any do alu, so i'll hafta call and find out.....im tempted to call Orange County Choppers (yes same one that has the show on discovery channel)...to see if they have anyone that does aluminum work...since they are only 5 min away from where i go to school.....thanks for the replies