OzFab
Well-known member
Dan hit the nail square on the head, if you have the necessary skills & the tools to do it, do it; if not either gain the necessary skills & tools or take it to someone who already has them.
As for
my answer is when the expense outweighs the need.
There are lots of parts on my kart that were bought as opposed to made & then there are some parts that were better to make. The difference was price over necessity. Let me explain:
-The rear axle came as part of a package; technically, I got it for nothing.
-The front spindles I bought for $40. I would've cost around half that for the materials, then the other half for the bearings so, without all the cutting, welding & machining, I'm already behind the eight ball...
-The air filter adaptor I turned from a solid aluminium slug 1. because I could & 2. because it was easier than searching for a compatible premade part.
-I even outsourced the bending of the frame because it was half the price of buying the necessary equipment to do it myself.
About a year ago, one of our members local to was having trouble finding a set of hubs that would fit both her wheels & her axles. I made a pair of fronts for her & she had the rears made elsewhere for a reasonable price (the rear axle was tapered & had a keyway, which made them more difficult to make).
Parts like brakes, wheels, sprockets, engine, clutch are no brainers, those you buy!
See my second sig line... I'd rather spent time than money unless the time spent is simply not worth it... If I can make something worth $100 in an hour or two, I will; if it'll take me 6 hours to make something worth $10, I'm parting with my money...
...a lot of money needs to be spent on a 40 series TC, around $300. If the terrain is mostly flat, I would suggest the much cheaper (around $100) centrufugal clutch...
That big ol' Honda is gonna have some beef to it so, you're between a rock & a hard place. Given that the kart is on the heavy side makes it a bit easier (balancing out to a smaller kart with a smaller engine). Really, you have two choices: gear it down & deal with excess torque on take off (spinning wheels, neck snapping accleeration) or gear it average & have a high top speed (which could be scary for the kids
With 22" wheels in mind, I hope not...
As for
my answer is when the expense outweighs the need.
There are lots of parts on my kart that were bought as opposed to made & then there are some parts that were better to make. The difference was price over necessity. Let me explain:
-The rear axle came as part of a package; technically, I got it for nothing.
-The front spindles I bought for $40. I would've cost around half that for the materials, then the other half for the bearings so, without all the cutting, welding & machining, I'm already behind the eight ball...
-The air filter adaptor I turned from a solid aluminium slug 1. because I could & 2. because it was easier than searching for a compatible premade part.
-I even outsourced the bending of the frame because it was half the price of buying the necessary equipment to do it myself.
About a year ago, one of our members local to was having trouble finding a set of hubs that would fit both her wheels & her axles. I made a pair of fronts for her & she had the rears made elsewhere for a reasonable price (the rear axle was tapered & had a keyway, which made them more difficult to make).
Parts like brakes, wheels, sprockets, engine, clutch are no brainers, those you buy!
See my second sig line... I'd rather spent time than money unless the time spent is simply not worth it... If I can make something worth $100 in an hour or two, I will; if it'll take me 6 hours to make something worth $10, I'm parting with my money...
...a lot of money needs to be spent on a 40 series TC, around $300. If the terrain is mostly flat, I would suggest the much cheaper (around $100) centrufugal clutch...
That big ol' Honda is gonna have some beef to it so, you're between a rock & a hard place. Given that the kart is on the heavy side makes it a bit easier (balancing out to a smaller kart with a smaller engine). Really, you have two choices: gear it down & deal with excess torque on take off (spinning wheels, neck snapping accleeration) or gear it average & have a high top speed (which could be scary for the kids
With 22" wheels in mind, I hope not...
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), and engine parts(internal). Other than those 'things'... and 'oil'... there really isnt any other part that 'cant' be refashioned/refurbished/upgraded w/ 'used' parts(other than w/ parts of lesser usage... usually due to rust/deterioration).
