building a off road/on road go kart

[jrjulien1]

i decided to build a go kart with a motorcycle engine 55hp or so and trans im using angle iron for the frame but im not sure what im going to do for the brakes and steering if anyone has any ideas that are simple to build and can be made cheeply as i have a very small budget {under $300 for the whole kart but i have alot of the stuff allready} also i am new to welding so not to complicated thx

[frank]

visite http://makeagokart.elwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page
still pretty info lacking but should have enough to help you

[imported_robertdjung]

Sounds like a heck of a project! Do you have any pics of the engine/clutch/drive assembly you want to use?

For brakes, I'd probably go with some discs... Since you're talking about a lot of power. There are various setups available based on your axle type. So I'd start there -- thinking about the drivetrain, and then let's brainstorm some more after that.

[jrjulien1]

i dont have the motor or trans yet but im going to be picking one up soon from either a junk yard or a person selling one whichever shows up first

[jrjulien1]

also dose anyone know what type of tires i should use to get enough traction on road without sacrificing off road grip i was thinking about lawn tractor tires but i thought they might not be able to handle the speed {probably over 70km/ph} although i might use wheelbarrow tires for the front and upgrade the berings to needle berings

[imported_robertdjung]

hmm. well, you've got a lot of uknown right now.

1) 300 is a pretty low budget if you want to have some heavy-duty mods. If you want off road, you'll probably want a solid (live) axle. but if you want on-road, you either need a single axle, or a differential. I write about this stuff on the site here.

2) Tires: Big tires in the back would be good for your traction. Yes, wheel barrow will probably work up front with some better bearings, and they'll be a little bigger for your clearance.

[jrjulien1]

i figured out what im going to do with the sterring and brakes for sterring im going to order the spindles and king pins from northern tool as they are fairly priced and build a sterring shaft and pitman arm and for rear tires im thinking lawn tractor tires and for brakes i might get a motorcycle set of disk brakes and use them or buy a go kart set i was thinking about a brake band type system but that might not have enough stopping power

[jrjulien1]

im getting an axle from a shop near my house its 1 inch solid steel its going to be a live axle

[frank]

i am sorry, but can you please use a few commas in your writing?

ok, if you think you can fit it into your buget, get disk brakes, and try atv wheels

[imported_robertdjung]

If you're going with a huge engine, and especially on a live axle, discs would work really well and probably be a similar cost. I ran a drum on a kart when i was a kit (not a band, a an expanding drum) and it worked pretty well, too. That might be only for single wheel drive, though.

Anyway, read up on the live axle on the road thing, and keep posting updates!

I'd say that if you decide to do "mostly" off road, you're probably not going to hit 75 kmh, even if you could theoretically. I dunno. That's fast offroad. Maybe on a track I guess.

[jrjulien1]

i was looking at mfg supply and they have some pretty cheap disk brake setups the only problem is that i would have to send american funds to them as i am in canada even though the exchange rate isnt too bad {around 80 cents to the dollar} right now i am in the process of buying and finding the materials for the go kart i havent built anything yet buy im buying a 80 dollar stick welder friday and starting work on the frame and ill see haw much money i have from there to see how much i can spend on the motor {im hoping to get it for cheap from a wrecked motorcylce or maby big quad if nothing else is available} ill keep you updated

[jrjulien1]

how do you post pics i got some of the brakes and other stuff im using

[imported_robertdjung]

hmm, there should be a thing that says "image upload". I just verified, and it works for new topics, so i guess start a new one until i can contact the software people and figure it out. How odd.

[jrjulien1]

im having another problem posting the pics it says that i cant upload it

[jrjulien1]

anyone got any ideas on which way is best to brace up a frame while not using alot if material i was thinking of putting horizantal braces and then putting braces in diagonaly between each horizantal brace but that might require too much metal to be feesable on my budget

[imported_robertdjung]

try starting a new topic.

[jrjulien1]

i might have a motor for my project im going to see how much the guy wants for it tomorrow he has both a 250cc engine from a dirtbike i think not sure of brand yet and a 500cc engine from a 1991 kawasaki ninja im hoping for the ninja motor if its not too expensive

[jrjulien1]

no dice on either one he wants 1000 for the ninja and wiring harness and a few hundred for the 250