Brister's Black Hawk Project

[Hellion]

What he said Use your fingernail to “burnish” the tape around the decal to delineate the edge and use a fresh, dangerously sharp blade to trim the excess. I like single edge razor blades but a utility knife/box cutter is good.

Wish I had done paint touch-up more often as there’s usually just a few blemished areas in the middle of good factory paint and it is a major undertaking to take a kart frame to bare metal (with regular tools) and rattle can enamel rarely matches the quality and durability of factory paint. Paint curing takes even longer In this time of season.

 

[bem70]

I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you. I guess I did rookie mistake. I bought 4 new tires and tubes but after I put on one of the split rims I noticed tire is a 4 ply tubeless tire. Should I send them back and get 2 ply tubed or keep them? I have heard some horror stories online about Harbour freight and such having poor quality tires. What is a decent tire brand or place you guys recommend?

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

I think if its a lawn tractor or mower tire you should be ok.
Hand truck/dolly tires are the ones to avoid like the plague.

The tube don't care if its a 2 or 4 ply tire.
The stiffer tires would be better as far as durability i would think in this case.

Thats a steel rim. Take a wood block as a buffer and hit the crap out of it with a BFH (big fn hammer). It will bend back. It will function "as is" but you can help it back to normal.

 

[Hellion]

In Harbor Freight’s defense they do not sell ANY go kart suitable tires or rims (or tire and rim assemblies). What they do sell are perfect for dollies, hand trucks or yard wagons, but that doesn’t stop the multitudes from buying the “10 in. Pneumatic Tire with White Hub“ and cursing when they only last for 5 minutes of karting. If you handle their “go kart tires” in the store, they feel tacky and greasy like they were dipped in tire shine at the factory. I think some of us here concluded that it is a vinyl like synthetic rubber.

Northern Tool, which is often confused with HF, does sell go kart and mini bike stuff in their stores but a lot of it is online now and not in their brick and mortar stores and that is a major bummer. Might be individual store policy, so I would check.

I guess we should say that if you see a generic tire, wheel and bearing *all-in-one* assembly, just walk away. Go kart suitable wheels, tires and bearings are bought separately.

 

[Hellion]

What is a decent tire brand or place you guys recommend?

There used to be only a few reputable brands for the small traditional go kart and minibike tires. First I’d have recommended was something like Carlisle, Kenda or Cheng Shin from Taiwan (not communist Chy-nuh). Now there’s multiple “brands” mass produced in China and the above three can be found with Made In China on the sidewall, they are everywhere. I see Hi-Run most often but these are all inexpensive tires, buy them as cheaply as you can.

Amazon
Fleabay
MFG Supply

Anywhere really.

 

[bem70]

If he wears these out then his father (my son) can replace. I know it hasn't even been 24 hrs since my last plea for help but how do I change out this throttle cable through the eye and back bracket? Been a lot more complicated to do this. This is the way the cart came

 

[bem70]

In Harbor Freight’s defense they do not sell ANY go kart suitable tires or rims (or tire and rim assemblies). What they do sell are perfect for dollies, hand trucks or yard wagons, but that doesn’t stop the multitudes from buying the “10 in. Pneumatic Tire with White Hub“ and cursing when they only last for 5 minutes of karting. If you handle their “go kart tires” in the store, they feel tacky and greasy like they were dipped in tire shine at the factory. I think some of us here concluded that it is a vinyl like synthetic rubber.

Northern Tool, which is often confused with HF, does sell go kart and mini bike stuff in their stores but a lot of it is online now and not in their brick and mortar stores and that is a major bummer. Might be individual store policy, so I would check.

I guess we should say that if you see a generic tire, wheel and bearing *all-in-one* assembly, just walk away. Go kart suitable wheels, tires and bearings are bought separately.

Bought tires, tubed and bearing separately. I think they will work. Almost to point of putting together. Can't wait for that circus. Already can't figure out how to get old throttle cable off. Let the madness begin.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

What does the other end of the cable look like?

 

[Hellion]

how do I change out this throttle cable through the eye and back bracket?

Pull the eyelet forward? I checked all the photos but you never show us the end of the cable at the rear, but if it is clear, just pull the stranded cable insert free of its conduit (or sheath), THEN unscrew the threaded part of the conduit and pull it rearward to free it from the bracket.

I do not see anything wrong with the present throttle cable, only that it is too long (but easily trimmed). IF you do trim it, make sure you remove the cable itself and trim the conduit first as it is always going to be the shorter piece.

I can see now the kart was altered from its original factory throttle set-up. The throttle control should be a 1/4" steel rod for 4/5ths of its length, which is why you see a bracket behind the seat with a return spring. That area is where the steel rod used to terminate. From there, a short throttle cable was mounted there and it curved up to the engine. This was an ideal setup for off-road karts as it was durable and did not suffer from abuse and natural wear and tear (abrasion from rocks, stumps, etc).

Since this is a two seat kart, it doesn't matter much because the throttle cable is in the middle of the kart frame and not on the outside edge as it would be on a single seat kart. The only real danger to the throttle cable now is it being stepped on as people get on and off the kart. No big deal.

 

[bem70]

The old cable looks like its in pretty good shape. Should i just use it and does it need to be run thru both rear eyelets and spring or is that not necessary?

 

[Hellion]

The old cable looks like its in pretty good shape. Should i just use it and does it need to be run thru both rear eyelets and spring or is that not necessary?

Sorry for the late reply, I got distracted by Grizzly.

As I said before, the previous owner of your kart altered the throttle setup. Looks like he welded a ferrule onto the kart's floor pan up near the pedal and "captured" the throttle cable through that ferrule.

The whole cable looks trapped on the frame front and rear... Is it possible he crimped the threaded parts on the cable after he threaded the cable through the loops? It's wonky and not right. These karts were designed to be serviced and taken apart so from that perspective the gas pedal is all wrong. The gas pedal is new and not original to the kart either. I guess it broke and was repaired...?

 

[Grizzlymi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah........................I'll take the blame for that one.

 

[bem70]

I know i bother the heck out of this forum but I need to ask--should I try and find a I guess its call a throttle rod or just run a cable and zip ties? I don't see a spring stop either so should I change out the bulky make-shift pedal it came with?

 

[Hellion]

should I try and find a I guess its call a throttle rod or just run a cable and zip ties? I don't see a spring stop either so should I change out the bulky make-shift pedal it came with?

Keep the aftermarket gas pedal for now. Use the cable that came with the kart.

If you haven't already, you need to get the clutch mounted to the engine, and the engine mounted to the frame [with 5/16-18 bolts, nuts and lock washers] and check to make sure the clutch and driven sprockets line up and such. And then you can "map out" the throttle cable routing and zip tie it to the frame. The part where the cable curves up to the engine needs to be free and loose in a nice arc to prevent binding.

 

[Hellion]

I know i bother the heck out of this forum…

Nonsense, we are here to ask questions and share information. That’s how we learn, and “the only dumb question is the one you do not ask”. Keep the questions coming. Believe me, we are learning or expanding our knowledge base right along with you.

Thanks for sharing your kart project with us. I love these old, forlorn yard karts. They are a great basis for upgrades, Predator 212’s and going faster than they were ever intended to go. We still ride them too as fully grown yet irresponsible adults. Only prerequisite is you have to be flexible enough for the riding posture.

 

[Edwin Spangler]

I know i bother the heck out of this forum

Nope!

 

[Grizzlymi]

I know i bother the heck out of this forum but I need to ask--should I try and find a I guess its call a throttle rod or just run a cable and zip ties? I don't see a spring stop either so should I change out the bulky make-shift pedal it came with?

That is what this place is for. Ask away!

 

[pendemic]

hey! i remember those from the old Service Merchandise store!