It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who has had a project vehicle, but this rebuild did not go as expected. I continued to discover hidden damage, and any hope of getting an SxS on a budget went out the window. If you take a look at the cost breakdown below, you’ll see the list of parts grew considerably from what was originally identified as damaged in part 1.
For example, there were no visible signs of the electronic power steering being damaged, but after attempting to drive the vehicle, it became apparent it wasn’t functioning. I discovered internally that the OEM torque sensor was broken, and I spent over $600 replacing the power steering as a result. Overall, it cost me about $4,500 to rebuild the SxS, and then I spent another $1,000 on upgrades I wanted for a mix of safety, comfort, and making it street legal (in some states).
Below you will find a detailed breakdown of the costs and the reasoning behind the decisions I made while bringing this SxS back to life.
Aftermarket vs OEM
Price & performance were the two determining factors when I looked at replacing any part. Often, higher quality and better performing parts come at a higher cost, but I was surprised to find that OEM parts were often inferior and more expensive than aftermarket options. As an example, a set of four OEM front control arms costs $950 from Polaris. A set of four SuperATV control arms cost me $517. That’s a difference of $433, and the strength and quality of the aftermarket arms are substantially better than stock. The aftermarket arms had more cross-bracing, larger diameter tubing, and thicker metal, resulting in arms that weighed between four and seven pounds per arm more than stock. The aftermarket control arms were also available with various forward offset options to allow for a better approach angle and the use of larger tires without lifting the vehicle.
New vs Used
Prince and performance were still the main factors when it came to determining whether I got new or used parts. I think everyone’s preference is to get new parts, but this was supposed to be a budget build, and I was already spending more money than I wanted to. With this in mind, I kept an eye on used parts from salvage yards. In some cases, there were limited (or no) aftermarket options. There were also instances where I couldn’t justify the price of new OEM parts, such as the front half of the main frame. An OEM front frame half costs over $2,800 new, while used, I was able to get an OEM one for $300. The OEM roll cage (also called the cab frame) could have been replaced with an OEM one for $1,400 new. This OEM price is actually lower than most welded aftermarket roll cages, but there was a significant disparity in the performance. Wanting both the strength and safety provided by an aftermarket roll cage without paying thousands, I opted to get a used roll cage for $450.
Initial Test Drives
The first spin around the neighborhood, I discovered the stock power steering was non-functional, and I had to make minor adjustments to the alignment, but otherwise, I was very happy with the way it drove and handled. At this point, I decided to make it street legal. Unfortunately, SxSs cannot be registered for street use in Maryland, so I had to find a state that would provide license plates for non-residents. It was surprisingly easy to get it titled, registered, and plated in another state. I chose South Dakota, but Montana is another popular option. I took it out for a few short trips around town, cruising up to 50 miles per hour, before I decided it was ready to handle an off-road trip. I was surprised how well it handled on asphalt. Aside from the noise, it drove better on the road than some of the Jeeps I have had.
The Shakedown Run and a Final Surprise
I trailered this SxS out to an off-road park in West Virginia along with some family members who also had SxSs of their own. We decided to start off with a short 1–2-mile loop that was labeled as a green trail. It conquered the trail with ease, and after feeling confident that the SxS was ready to handle some harder trails, we opted to try an intermediate trail that had some rock obstacle sections. About a mile in I heard a loud “pop”, my engine cut off, and the SxS came to a stop. After getting out of the driver’s seat, I could see oil under the vehicle, and my heart sank. On the skid plate, I found chunks of metal, and it became apparent that there was now a hole in my engine. It was not the trip I wanted, but these things happen.
What’s Next?
An engine swap, of course! At this point, the better financial option may have been to part the SxS and cut my losses, but where is the fun in that? In part 3, I’ll talk about the various engine replacement options I found, the cost, and the effort required to complete the swap.
