Adult 2 seater offroad restoration project - come and get involved!

[JTSpeedDemon]

Late to this thread as I've been on vacation, but if you want a 50-60 mph buggy with trail capabilities with THAT much weight, you need basically a full on motorcycle engine(think Harley, Honda CB550+).
In short you need a LOT of power, and gears.
You can try the 420, and you might get trail capabilities, but I doubt 50-60 mph.
And then with bike engines you get to wire up the bird's nest of wiring.
And trust me, 40 mph is flying in a go kart or mini buggy.

 

[Budget GoKart]

I got a 420cc subaru for 50$ gonna try to get it running soon but i thing a 420cc is the right choice for this buggy plus i doubt a 212 would do very good on this

 

[ChiggerSpecies]

i was open to the idea of slapping on a bike engine at first until i fully decided what i was going to do. my next kart i will most likely do exactly that. however this time around, i want to take an old kart and return it to new status starting with a brand new engine.

420Racer was gracious enough to supply me with information and help seeing as this is a first time build. he has already done what im looking to do (engine and power to the wheels) but im going to take it a step further.

my plans are to completely disassemble the kart, take it down to bare metal, tweek the frame a bit, paint, recondition all reusable parts to a like new state, paint rims and new tires, redo all the pads and covers, add the predator 420 engine (gov removed) and marry it to a 40 series chinese torque converter. all this i 'should' be able to pull off for $900 if i really watch the spending.

now after i get the kart going and looking great, i plan on adding a few more $$ into the build. I will install a GPS speedo, a tach, reverse and try to figure out a better charging system. if i can iron out a better charging system, ill add a bigger battery and start to put lights on the kart. i also want to add a better control panel with a volt meter and usb charging.

once i get all that figured out im thinking ill have between $1100 to $1500 in the kart. i will break in the kart for a few months and then sell it for profit. after that i will do it all over again but maybe this time do it with a crazy engine and sort out drivability issues as i go.

 

[Budget GoKart]

Seems legit

 

[ChiggerSpecies]

ill prolly start in the next few days. been under the weather and somehow got stuck caring for a baby squirrel that fell out of a tree i put it in a small box under the tree but momma never came for him.... so after about 5 hours i started hydrating it and now im stuck feeding it puppy formula lol... fun times

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:15 PM ----------

Late to this thread as I've been on vacation, but if you want a 50-60 mph buggy with trail capabilities with THAT much weight, you need basically a full on motorcycle engine(think Harley, Honda CB550+).
In short you need a LOT of power, and gears.
You can try the 420, and you might get trail capabilities, but I doubt 50-60 mph.
And then with bike engines you get to wire up the bird's nest of wiring.
And trust me, 40 mph is flying in a go kart or mini buggy.

wiring is one of my strongest skills! i know im not going to get those speeds from this engine but 40mph isnt unreasonable. i do plan on at least stage 1 upgrades. an extra $100 for the kit isnt that bad really. not sure how much more speed it will net (prolly not much) but since im here in florida and dont really need to pull hills....i might gear it a bit differently. then again..... im not sure yet how im gonna gear it. i talked to 420racer briefly about it but its up in the air.

 

[420Racer]

With a 6.4:1 gear ratio I was able to get the Odyssey up to 47 on gps. It still went up hills really well but when I changed it to 7.4:1 it felt so much better for the type of riding out here and hits right around 40 top speed. Down where you are you should be ok with taller gearing. 47 felt pretty fast for that thing!

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

wiring is one of my strongest skills! i know im not going to get those speeds from this engine but 40mph isnt unreasonable. i do plan on at least stage 1 upgrades. an extra $100 for the kit isnt that bad really. not sure how much more speed it will net (prolly not much) but since im here in florida and dont really need to pull hills....i might gear it a bit differently. then again..... im not sure yet how im gonna gear it. i talked to 420racer briefly about it but its up in the air.

40 mph with a probably Stage 2 Predator 420 should do the trick. You need the higher revving of the Stage 2 kit to get to the 40 mph range.
Good luck!

 

[ChiggerSpecies]

With a 6.4:1 gear ratio I was able to get the Odyssey up to 47 on gps. It still went up hills really well but when I changed it to 7.4:1 it felt so much better for the type of riding out here and hits right around 40 top speed. Down where you are you should be ok with taller gearing. 47 felt pretty fast for that thing!

47 is pretty fast. i would feel good about 40-47mph. i also might stage 2 the thing depending on if i can generate some interest in the kart locally.

 

[420Racer]

Apparently I've been called out lol

I did this special for you JT Like I said it's around 40 with the gearing I have in now. I did hit 47 with 6:4:1 but had an open header on it. This is basically a video with stage one upgrades but I've been running the stock exhaust more trying not to **** off the neighbors. I think I could of gained another mile an hour or two if I had both hands on the wheelhttps://youtu.be/w9IkVglvJSk

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Hmmm, interesting. Even if I removed the gov on my kart, the high gearing still wouldn't haul me into the 40s.
Well, ChiggerSpecies, I guess Stage 2 in this application is just nice safety insurance(still recommended!).

 

[420Racer]

Hmmm, interesting. Even if I removed the gov on my kart, the high gearing still wouldn't haul me into the 40s.
Well, ChiggerSpecies, I guess Stage 2 in this apllication is just nice safety insurance(still reccomended!).

The Odyssey has 24" tires on the rear( they measure 22" ). And the hemi motor is definitely a little more torquey than the 2 seater without the hemi. You notice it more when climing really steep hills. Even with the gearing tall I was impressed with the ability to climb hills but that's where the torque converter comes in. JT you've prob seen the area's I typically ride and the responsiveness with the lower gearing feels great between 20-30 or so. Don't get me wrong stage 2 would be great and I will be doing some 420's like that down the road. What kind of cart JT? Hitting 40 shouldn't be a problem if everything is working right. Hemi or non Hemi?

 

[BigWes]

Spunkwagon runs an old flathead. He probably won't get any more out of it without some serious induction work. I like the old engines and I think they are great little torque boxes but require a lot of work to move the needed air to make max RPM.

 

[420Racer]

Spunkwagon runs an old flathead. He probably won't get any more out of it without some serious induction work. I like the old engines and I think they are great little torque boxes but require a lot of work to move the needed air to make max RPM.

That's what I thought Wes but after his comment I was wondering if he is a closet 420 lover

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Yeah I just recalculated it, and with the gov removed and current high gearing, I'd get 39 mph with 5500 RPM and current high gearing, not true 40s, but close. I'm just surprised at the kind of speeds y'all are getting.
I guess it's all in the magic of TCs. *shrug*

---------- Post added at 11:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------

Anyway, let's get back to helping the OP.

 

[420Racer]

Yeah I just recalculated it, and with the gov removed and current high gearing, I'd get 39 mph with 5500 RPM and current high gearing, not true 40s, but close. I'm just surprised at the kind of speeds y'all are getting.
I guess it's all in the magic of TCs. *shrug*

---------- Post added at 11:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------

Anyway, let's get back to helping the OP.

If you do the math JT it would suggest I'm only hitting about 4400 rpms in that video. If I put the open header on and hold the wheel steadier I know it will hit over 40. Also after using GPS to read speed for a while ( started using it about 12 or so years ago to get my boats top speed ) I know it's hard to get an accurate top speed reading without holding it perfectly for a good stretch. It did seem to be working pretty good here tho I was also using my old Garmin if you can see it on the steering wheel. It only registered 38.5 and appeared to be a little behind my phone the whole time I was going

 

[ChiggerSpecies]

UG.... i promise ill get started soon lol. i got stuck feeding this tree rat and we have been to the DR alot this last week doing EEG's with my son he has to do a 3 day eeg in the next 2 weeks that will require me to be at the hospital alot. ill prolly stop into harbor freight and snatch up an engine in the next few days and order the TC about the same time.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Well, apparently you don't have any cats or dogs!

---------- Post added at 12:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 PM ----------

If you do the math JT it would suggest I'm only hitting about 4400 rpms in that video. If I put the open header on and hold the wheel steadier I know it will hit over 40. Also after using GPS to read speed for a while ( started using it about 12 or so years ago to get my boats top speed ) I know it's hard to get an accurate top speed reading without holding it perfectly for a good stretch. It did seem to be working pretty good here tho I was also using my old Garmin if you can see it on the steering wheel. It only registered 38.5 and appeared to be a little behind my phone the whole time I was going

I'm just puzzled at this point, but I think it's simply that your gear ratios are quite high in relation to tire size, but the torque and TC of your buggies allows that.
Basically, your gear ratio is higher than I initially thought.

 

[420Racer]

UG.... i promise ill get started soon lol. i got stuck feeding this tree rat and we have been to the DR alot this last week doing EEG's with my son he has to do a 3 day eeg in the next 2 weeks that will require me to be at the hospital alot. ill prolly stop into harbor freight and snatch up an engine in the next few days and order the TC about the same time.

Life gets in the way of building stuff for all of us. Im currently 6 months behind where I'd like to be with everything. Pay attention to the motors if your not going to build it you will probably want the hemi style motor. Maybe some other engine builders will chime in as far as modding the 420 I believe the non Hemi may be better for upgrades. I wish you the best with your son

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------

Well, apparently you don't have any cats or dogs!

---------- Post added at 12:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 PM ----------



I'm just puzzled at this point, but I think it's simply that your gear ratios are quite high in relation to tire size, but the torque and TC of your buggies allows that.
Basically, your gear ratio is higher than I initially thought.

Exactly JT. The 420 has lots of torque! Some of the hills in my videos don't look nearly as steep as they are but these things climb 45° inclines better than I thought they would.

 

[ChiggerSpecies]

Life gets in the way of building stuff for all of us. Im currently 6 months behind where I'd like to be with everything. Pay attention to the motors if your not going to build it you will probably want the hemi style motor. Maybe some other engine builders will chime in as far as modding the 420 I believe the non Hemi may be better for upgrades. I wish you the best with your son

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------



Exactly JT. The 420 has lots of torque! Some of the hills in my videos don't look nearly as steep as they are but these things climb 45° inclines better than I thought they would.

ty 420. he is doing ok and the seizures are under control but he also has autism and severe behavioral issues. currently we are trying to get to the bottom of the issues, thus all the neuro appointments. fun times lol.

anyway...yea i need to research more about the the hemi and non hemi vs. upgradability. i do want it upgradable but in the end im not keeping it so.....yea i dunno lol.