2015 - Granddaddy build-off entry

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johnsonr81

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I'm thinking the same thing Poboy! Just trying to follow the plans but if it doesn't work out, I guess it's no big deal if I have to do some modifying. I did get up and put some weight on it though (bounced around on it a tad haha) and they do indeed seem REALLY stiff. So time will tell if they're going to need extra attention.
 

johnsonr81

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Things started to come together nicely today. The shock mounts are all tacked in place and the shocks installed.



The bronze bushings are installed with some washers to take up the slack.



The rear end has some axle bearings now.



So this in how she's sitting at the moment.

 

johnsonr81

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Well I stripped everything apart this morning and final welded all the brackets. I'll be ordering the axle, hubs, wheels and tires tomorrow. It's time to start working on the roll cage...
 

Desertduler

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Looks great! The only thing I have in question is the same question that I had for alexV's build,I think the rear pivot points for the rear swing mount need a larger bearing surface than just the tabs that the bolts go through,it would be easy to remove the tabs from the main frame and weld some tubing there and install 4 bronze bushings two in each section of tubing similar to what you have done with the front control arms,not to take anything from your great work by any means that is just my opinion.If you decide to do something like that I have a way that will retain the head of the pivot bolt so as it will be stationary and the bushings will pivot on the bolt and the bolt will not move in the tabs.
 

alexV

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wow, that looks amazing, and so cleanly built. i'm competing with an Arachnid kart, which is the single-seat version of what you are building. let's just say I wish my A-arms turned out as good as yours. :)

the bushings on the front suspension are definitely a plus. I noticed you did not offset the top a-arms for caster angle, not sure how important it is...

one last thing, did you simply weld a nut to the end of the a-arms, like in the plan? or did you use some other solution?

keep up the nice work!!
 

johnsonr81

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Looks great! The only thing I have in question is the same question that I had for alexV's build,I think the rear pivot points for the rear swing mount need a larger bearing surface than just the tabs that the bolts go through,it would be easy to remove the tabs from the main frame and weld some tubing there and install 4 bronze bushings two in each section of tubing similar to what you have done with the front control arms,not to take anything from your great work by any means that is just my opinion.If you decide to do something like that I have a way that will retain the head of the pivot bolt so as it will be stationary and the bushings will pivot on the bolt and the bolt will not move in the tabs.

Thanks for the input Desertduler! That's a good idea! It would probably make things work much smoother back there.
wow, that looks amazing, and so cleanly built. i'm competing with an Arachnid kart, which is the single-seat version of what you are building. let's just say I wish my A-arms turned out as good as yours. :)

the bushings on the front suspension are definitely a plus. I noticed you did not offset the top a-arms for caster angle, not sure how important it is...

one last thing, did you simply weld a nut to the end of the a-arms, like in the plan? or did you use some other solution?

keep up the nice work!!

And thanks alexV! I almost went with the Arachnid when I was looking for a kart to build. I ended up wanting a two seater though. Yeah, not sure about the caster angle. The plans haven't mentioned caster so it's pretty neutral right now I think. I have deviated from the plans when it comes to the main frame. I lengthened it by 6". I didn't like the looks of the youtube videos with the guys that had their knees up to their chins. I don't wanna feel like a pretzel crammed into this thing. I'm sure I'll have a list of things that I want to change/tweak once I get it rolling though.

I just went with a nut welded to the end of the a-arms for the rod ends. It seemed like the easiest way to mount the spindles and hubs.

This is my first kart so I'm always open to any advice that people feel like sharing!
 

johnsonr81

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It's been another busy week. Looking at working through the weekend too so I haven't been able to get much done on the kart.:censored:

I did get a little free time to start on the roll cage though. It's looking pretty good. I'll get some pics up later. It's a little different from the plans since I extended the main frame for leg room but I think it'll serve its purpose just fine. The UPS man also dropped off my rear axle and hubs today to that's cool. I should be receiving the seats tomorrow. So as soon as the roll cage is buttoned up I'll be moving onto mounting those.
 

johnsonr81

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I've finally had a few hours to work on the kart! Got the seats mounted and the roll cage is starting to come together.









Next on the list is getting the dash, steering wheel and rack and pinion installed as well as wheels and tires.

Edit: Oh, and the roll cage is far from done. It'll be attached to the main frame at the bends. The dash board will kind of tie everything together. It should be pretty strong when complete. I still hope I never have to test it out though!
 

Desertduler

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Looking good! I have a question, you stated that you had more to do on the roll cage which I understand, I used to race off road buggies in the desert and a BIG safety device was side netting, if you have not thought about this (which I do not know if you have or not) you may consider it as important as a safety harness, because I can tell you that no matter how strong you are or if you try to get it in your head that you will in the event of a roll over just hang on to the steering wheel or grab bar that always is not the case, just like the normal human reaction of blinking or closing our eyes when we think our eyes are in danger most of us will react to a roll over by putting our arms out to stop our fall and without safety nets one can lose a limb, I know a gentleman that this happened to and his arm was severed at the elbow and they could not reattach it. I am not trying to be a safety freak but I am a firm believer in safety equipment just like you stated about not wanting to test out your roll cage it is nice to know that it is there in the event that you may need it and it may save your life and or your passenger.
 

johnsonr81

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Thanks for the safety tip Desertduler. I definitely want to make it as safe as possible, especially since my son will be riding too.
 

Desertduler

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Thanks for the safety tip Desertduler. I definitely want to make it as safe as possible, especially since my son will be riding too.
Absolutley! and this incident did not happen during a racing event.
You are doing a great job! :thumbsup:
 

alexV

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Hi,

Can you please post a pic of the joint between the mainframe and the rear subframe? And tell me how thick is the metal? The guys expressed concern about this joint being a weakspot in my build (the 1-seat version of what you are doing)

Thanks!
 

johnsonr81

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Hi,

Can you please post a pic of the joint between the mainframe and the rear subframe? And tell me how thick is the metal? The guys expressed concern about this joint being a weakspot in my build (the 1-seat version of what you are doing)

Thanks!

Yeah, they've expressed concern here too. I agree that setting up the rear sub frame the same way the front a-arms are attached would be the best way to go. I'll probably go that route before it's all said and done but I already had everything welded when the potential issue was brought up. I'll get to it though! Anyway, the brackets are 1/4" thick material and the bolt is 5/8".

 

gazingm42

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This looks nice... I been highly considering this one. But concern on the width if it will fit
in back of a full pickup.

Do you have the project width and length?
 

alexV

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This looks nice... I been highly considering this one. But concern on the width if it will fit
in back of a full pickup.

Do you have the project width and length?

The Arachnid (1-seat version) specs from the plans are:
L 86"
W 29 1/2"
Wheel Base 54" Wide by 93" Long

The Grandaddy (2 seat version) plans do not list the specs but the wheel base may be identical. The rear axle is the same one, at 45". The front geometry is the same between these two karts. In my build I widened the front frame and could have shortened the A-arms, so you know, it's all adjustable as long as you plan ahead.
 
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