Hi all, I bought this as a project it's been lowered and modified. I'm in the process of putting it back to original or at least as original as I can. Not sure on the model. I included a few pictures of what it looked like when I got it and some of the slow progress.
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A screamer should have a big vertical motor plate standing up to mount the 820 motor. So people did remove the mount that was welded to the bottom plate to add tecumseh or briggs. There also was always a head badge that would tell you the model as well. These are two things that could have been removed in the past so the final tale is the exhaust hanger under the seat pan. Looking at the front of the bike the exhaust hanger would be mounted on the right side of the seat pan for a " screamer" on the left for a " Climber". hope this helps.
Unfortunately your picture with the tank on it is too small to make out any details. Here are a few more things to look for.
Climbers all had lighting as far as I know, so there might be evidence of the rear tail light bracket being ground off. It will be very hard to tell because they were stamped and bent with very little material holding them on in the crease. but you may see the large hole there that was used to route the wiring harness to the tail light. This might be your best clue to differentiate between Climbers and Screamers, but I have not seen a verified original Screamer frame without a seat to see if they had a hole. I don't see a hole on yours, so it could be a Screamer. At one point, a 1/4" cross rod was added for support. Note the differences in corner bevels on the seat plate from the 1970 (yellow) SSSCAT frame with no lighting compared to the 1971-72 Climber frame with taillight bracket.
Your frame has the cylindrical tank mounts so that means it was at least made in the later half of 1971 after the recall, or 1972. Early Screamers and Climbers used tab mounting, later ones used the cylindrical mounts. You also want to look for a reinforcing strap at the bottom of the down tube where it meets the horseshoe. Most Arctic frames broke either at the bottom or the top of the down tube. That was added in 1971.
Look for evidence of the 3-hole + 2 bolt pattern the Climber used on the engine plate. See pics for reference. The tough thing is that there was variance and cross-usage with these frames. The same frames could have been used on both the Climber and Screamer and modifications made at the factory accordingly. They were putting them out as fast as they could build them and substitutions were made. Slywilliez made a good point about looking for evidence of the exhaust mount, but might be impossible to tell depending on what the previous owner might have done.
One thing is for sure - if you want to return it to as close-to-original condition as possible, it will be a LOT easier and cheaper to make it into a Climber than a Screamer, but you'd need bars, clamps, lighting, brackets, engine and clutch. To make it a screamer, no lighting, but one very expensive engine and impossible to find exhaust, and a perfect tank suitable for chrome.
Climbers all had lighting as far as I know, so there might be evidence of the rear tail light bracket being ground off. It will be very hard to tell because they were stamped and bent with very little material holding them on in the crease. but you may see the large hole there that was used to route the wiring harness to the tail light. This might be your best clue to differentiate between Climbers and Screamers, but I have not seen a verified original Screamer frame without a seat to see if they had a hole. I don't see a hole on yours, so it could be a Screamer. At one point, a 1/4" cross rod was added for support. Note the differences in corner bevels on the seat plate from the 1970 (yellow) SSSCAT frame with no lighting compared to the 1971-72 Climber frame with taillight bracket.
Your frame has the cylindrical tank mounts so that means it was at least made in the later half of 1971 after the recall, or 1972. Early Screamers and Climbers used tab mounting, later ones used the cylindrical mounts. You also want to look for a reinforcing strap at the bottom of the down tube where it meets the horseshoe. Most Arctic frames broke either at the bottom or the top of the down tube. That was added in 1971.
Look for evidence of the 3-hole + 2 bolt pattern the Climber used on the engine plate. See pics for reference. The tough thing is that there was variance and cross-usage with these frames. The same frames could have been used on both the Climber and Screamer and modifications made at the factory accordingly. They were putting them out as fast as they could build them and substitutions were made. Slywilliez made a good point about looking for evidence of the exhaust mount, but might be impossible to tell depending on what the previous owner might have done.
One thing is for sure - if you want to return it to as close-to-original condition as possible, it will be a LOT easier and cheaper to make it into a Climber than a Screamer, but you'd need bars, clamps, lighting, brackets, engine and clutch. To make it a screamer, no lighting, but one very expensive engine and impossible to find exhaust, and a perfect tank suitable for chrome.
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