$250 turns into $600........oh well

[mbennett66]

Well, last week I picked up and older Carter Bros kart (1435) for $250. New Tires, New Engine (HF Blue 6.5), New Pulley clutch and rebuilt jackshaft housing. This kart is a little unique in that it has a v-belt driving the jackshaft instead of a chain.

Well it needed a few fine touches so I tore it down. Also needed to fix the seat, and move the pedals up for my 5 year old.

One thing leads to another and here is the outcome so far.

Needed new sprocket and band brake (drum and band).
Needed new bearings in the front wheels (metal on metal).
So far no big deal.

Got the parts and went to put them on the back hub assembly and found out that the 3/4 inch live axle hubs must be some kind of odd ball and the holes dont line up for the standard stuff from Northern Tool. I didn't want to re-drill holes as the previous owner had done (in a pretty HACKED manner) so I went to look for new live axle hubs for the 3/4 axle.

I soon found that the 3/4 axle is not norm and most everything that Northern has is for a 1 inch axle.

So I decide to bite the bullet and get the 1 inch axle, 1 inch bearing/mount kit, 1 inch hubs.

I get home with all that stuff ($200 plus) only to find that the new rear hubs will not bolt to my wheels because they are some odd ball size as well.

Now tomorrow I have to go get two new wheels for the back at $15 each. After that I just have to mount the hangers for the bearings and we should be good to go.

It will be a SOLID machine (with standard) parts when I am done, but I sure didn't plan on spending $600. At least everything I found showed that I couldn't build the same quality kart for that price.

Ill post some picks once its done in a few weeks.

 

[BradenM]

I built mine for around $400 AU and it's excellent. Thats $255 for you yanks

 

[r_chez_08]

lol! unlucky.....

 

[ed1380]

wow i wish i could say O well about spending $350 more

 

[thgrahamjr]

Yeah right? you and me both

 

[mbennett66]

Don't get me wrong, I didn't plan on spending more money, but it was either spend it or scrap it. After this adventure, I will be building the next one from the ground up frame and all.

Anyway here are some pics from today. Got the axle assembly done and placed under the kart so I can get a visual of where I need to cut to install it. It will go up about 2 inches from the pic view, but it will definitely have a more aggressive rake than it did before. I also moved the jackshaft up above because I am going to have new axle further back on the frame than the original. You can see the original axle tube in the pics. I will be adding a little more bracing and may even add a roll bar or a set up to put a sheet metal nose on it. My son want some green flames on it.

I wanted to run the new 1" axle through the original tube, but the tube is exactly 1" and its a little bent in the middle so the new axle will not slide through. You can see the slight bend int he pics.

I may still cut out the bent section and use some of it like a hanger for the axle. It will still be supported by the bearing brackets.

Does the motor need to be level or the forward slant OK?

 

[Scorch3]

A bit of a forward slant is no different than driving down hills. Nice tires by the way, nice kart actually.

 

[brendonv]

i see everyone with there 10 degree mounts or what ever it is, if its better im not sure but my kart has about a 10 degree slant anyway as the back is higher than the front.

 

[Buick455]

Does the motor need to be level or the forward slant OK?

The slant is fine for the motor, but make sure you take a look at your front spindles. This extra lift in the rear by using larger tires & rims, or relocating your axel screws up the caster of the spindle which could make it difficult to steer...