Streaker Rebel S-465 FULL Restoration

[Deuce]

A little background: A few months back my 12 year old decided she was ready to drive. She came at us strong and from many angles, from driving lessons in empty parking lots, to a golf cart for cruising the neighborhood. I loved her interest and her conviction, but nonetheless all of these ideas were completely crazy. Then, I in a moment of epic dad wisdom I suggested "maybe we should get a go kart". We live in the country, we have the space, it made sense, she seemed interested. Off to Facebook Marketplace where, after many deals fell through, I found 2 cousins who had been avid karters but were now married with young kids. The fun was over and everything had to go. And in the deal of the century I got a USA Industries Tracker 2 seater and Manco Fox II frame, both in mint condition. Additionally they threw in a new Predator engine on an engine stand already setup with a jackshaft for a torque converter. As well as 6 wheels with tires in total, including a brand new set of Cheng Shin 8" knobbies. All of this for $120! The deal of the century! But with one stipulation. I also had to haul away the rusty decrepid third frame out behind the shed. Call it done! It took 2 trips cramming the back of my station wagon in violation of every safety principle possible, but I got everthing home.

Fast forward 2 months. The USA Industries and the Manco are fully built (stories for another day). And I just happen to catch a glimpse of the decrepid frame, now sitting behind my shed, and notice a random corner of a painted over sticker. And after curiously scratching away some paint I realized it was a "The Rebel" decal. Looking closer I noticed (for the first time) the painted over "Streaker" logo on the steering wheel. I'm not super kart savvy, but it suddenly occurred to me that this was KenBar Streaker Rebel. And suddenly the young Dukes of Hazzard fan within me awoke. I never knew about this kart in its time, but if I had I would have been completely obsessed with it. It was everything I loved at 10 years old. And it was right here rusting behind my shed. Something had to be done!

Now I won't take you along for the whole emotional roller coaster of the restoration. As it turns out I'm about 95% done. But its been lengthy and exhaustive and expensive and a labor of love. But you're definitely going to want to see it. So I'll give you all just a taste of the drama and reveal the restoration in a series of a few posts that you can digest and enjoy. This is the first (and I promise the only one this wordy). Here's a breakdown of this first set of pics

-The frame as I received it. Surprisingly more intact than it actually looks. The steering arms and spindles were still serviceable and the brake rod was still attached though broken at the brake end. The original plastic steering wheel was attached but chalky and broken and pretty much useless. The floor pan was badly dented, warped and welds had separated in multiple places. It had paint over paint over powder but also lots of places where all of it was gone and rusting. It literally took weeks to fully and properly strip it to bare metal.

-The brake rod had split at the rear clevis hole. Despite my mediocre welding skills I was able to make a pretty perfect repair, patching the hole and filling in missing metal.

-Riding that high, I took my welding skills to the seat. The back panel was completely missing. I cut a piece of metal out of an old wood chipper chute and managed to make a serviceable repair.

-Likewise the front section of the pan was separating. I actually ended up cutting the whole thing loose, grinding out the old welds and re-welding all the way around.

Next up: The Master Plan and the small details...

 

[Denny]

But where is the rusty decrepit frame? That one looks pretty good.

 

[Deuce]

But where is the rusty decrepit frame? That one looks pretty good.

Haha, you're not wrong. All the welds were solid and nobody had done any amateur customizing. And it was a bit of a gift that the brake rod and pedals were still salvageable. But nonetheless, to look at it did not inspire optimism.

 

[Deuce]

The Master Plan

-Obviously I wanted to reproduce the vintage look as closely as possible. But for the mechanics it only made sense to use a Predator engine. I won't say I didn't check ebay for some old 5hp Tecumseh's (and found some), but when I found this clone with the Ken-Honda colors for $83, it was a no brainer. The guy who sold it to me actually tried to scam me BTW. He failed. I even got an Allstate warranty!

-I tried a lot of different angles to try to get a torque converter to fit, but all of them had clearance or safety issues. But despite my concerns, a $22 Amazon clutch provides plenty of speed and power. You can do donuts and/or break loose the rear end pretty easily. The 54T sprocket gives me a bit more ground clearance.

-The look of the original wheels was important to me, so I set out to find some old style 2 piece rims. KenBar gave you puny wheels and I wanted one size bigger for speed and clearance. All those old split rims were random sizes and hole patterns at I about went crazy and broke trying to assemble a set. I ended up with 13/5-6 fronts, 15/6-6 rears. KenBar used a 5" diamond tread on the fronts, but I just went with Turfsavers all around.


The Small Details

-For all the work, this kart wasn’t going to recapture its original magic without the cool decals that were its hallmark. With the help of some folks in the forums, we collected pictures and plugged them into AI to clean them up and render them as hi-res graphics. The final repro decals came out amazing.



Up next Painting and painting and painting…

 

[Hellion]

KenBar used a 5" diamond tread on the fronts, but I just went with Turfsavers all around.

I think Ken-Bar used whatever tires they could find as long as they were the right size. I have reason to believe my 465 has its original tires (and wheels) and they are Turf Saver chevron tires front and rear like in your photo. If the brochures are any indication, it seems to bear out my initial assertion that they mix and match. I tell you, mismatched tires messes with my OCD aesthetics sometimes...

*Edit: added text in bold

 

[Deuce]

No doubt they mixed and matched over time. I was quoting a catalog I found from the early 90s. They advertised a 13/5-6 for the rears. To me that feels like your sprocket would be scraping the ground. I went with a 15/6-6. What does yours have for rears? Mismatched treads messes with my OCD too.

 

[Deuce]

Do you hate painting as much as I do? Then you're gonna hate this update. Or love that I had to do it instead of you.
I see lots of kart restos online but the average rattle can paint job is bound to disappoint. Its nobody's fault. Today's water based paints are terrible. After the aforementioned weeks I spent stripping down this kart, the idea of putting it all back together then having the paint fall off seemed dreadful. So I devised a 4 part system to inhibit rust, give a great color and gloss and resist chemicals and dings. In order I applied:

-SprayMax 2k Epoxy Primer (followed by a small amount of body filler for the main floorpan)
-Rustoleum hi building filler primer
-Rustoleum IH red Enamel
-SprayMax 2k Clear Glamour Urethane clearcoat

This was hands down the worst most terrible part of the resto but also the biggest payoff. Painting the frame was tedious enough but the pedals, rods, seat and rails, etc all needed a fresh start too.. But the end result is pure candy. Better than I imagined. The gloss is intense with lots of depth. After a few hot days the urethane dries rock hard. You can bang it with a hammer and barely leave a mark. You can pour gasoline and oil right on it and it just wipes off clean. Its super glossy and smooth and not easily scratched. I put a few heavy coats of clear over the rebel sticker and I wouldn't expect any visible wear on that decal for years. I think this paint job will last as long as a powder coat will and look better too. The clear glamour is expensive but overall the cost was only about half of what i would have paid for powder.

Up Next: The Big Reveal!

 

[Denny]

Painting is my favorite part!

 

[Hellion]

I was quoting a catalog I found from the early 90s

Nice. I love old catalogs and brochures because they’re so dadburned scarce! They’re valuable for rustorations or when you just want to correct what ‘Bubba previous owner’ did to it. Can you scan it or take a good bird’s eye photo?

My original tires were 13 x 5.00-6 and 15 x 6.00-6 front and rear respectively. Gives it a bit of a funny car stance.

 

[Deuce]

Nice. I love old catalogs and brochures because they’re so dadburned scarce! They’re valuable for rustorations or when you just want to correct what ‘Bubba previous owner’ did to it. Can you scan it or take a good bird’s eye photo?

My original tires were 13 x 5.00-6 and 15 x 6.00-6 front and rear respectively. Gives it a bit of a funny car stance.

Here's what I clipped from the catalog before it got sold on ebay. Probably should have bought it. It had a wholesale price list too. Wholesale price for The Rebel in 1993 was $765 FYI.
I went with the same tire sizes as you. And matching treads . I like the stance too.