Any forsight in a golf cart to kart build

[Whitetrashrocker]

I know I know. I'm getting into not a kart land over here but over at buggysgonewild I'm not finding the wealth of knowledge I find here.

Out in the weeds is an 89 ezgo marathon. Electric. I'm half tempted to drag it up to the shop and see how rotted the frame is. I'm sure the electrical parts are toast.

My hair brained idea is to use the frame and suspension. I also have a perfectly good Carabella mx125. I've tried to ride it but it's a little old and not the fun it was when I was a kid. The engine is what I'm after. The self-contained trans and clutch are appealing.


Anybody done a chopped cart?
The rear differential is where I have the most questions.

 

[anickode]

Those electric rear ends are a pain to convert to anything but electric. They are usually transverse mounted, single speed, single direction transaxle with a female splined input that uses the motor bearings to support the drive gear, or they look more like a traditional truck rear end with a motor sticking off the front. Reversing is done electrically, not mechanically.

Personally, I would abandon the rear end altogether. Look at some gas golf carts and how the engine is mounted. It's typically on a swing arm type tray, attached to the rear axle, with a single pivot point up front. I would try to replicate that, tie it into the leaf springs, and run a solid chain drive live axle under the back end with a hydraulic disc brake. Get some 4 on 4 hubs, and you can bolt normal golf cart wheels to it. It would likely be cheaper and simpler than trying to convert the existing axle.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

That's kinda what I was expecting.
I could fab up a mount plate and cobble the input to a sprocket. Then direct to the 2stroke. I'd have to figure gear ratios to see if that's feesable.

I've been reading that the electric diff is weaker than the gas ones also.

I'd like to get the seat down low too to drop the COG.

 

[anickode]

If you did a custom rear end, it wouldn't be hard at all to stiffen and drop the front. Doing your own rear end would let you tuck the engine further back instead of being under the seat, and then you could cut the tub and slam the seats. Steering shaft should be on u joints, so cut and reweld the mounts to make that bit lower too.