Arachnid build finally started!!!

[Charlesh1028]

I'm going to be assembling the suspension block either tomorrow on the following day more pics to come.....

 

[landuse]

I'm going to be assembling the suspension block either tomorrow on the following day more pics to come.....

Charles - just to make the thread cleaner looking, if you have a new thought after posting, please use the edit button at the bottom right of each of your posts. This way you don't double and triple post

 

[xXPOEDUNKXx]

You are starting to catch up with my arachnid! It slows down alot once you start ordering parts.

 

[Charlesh1028]

Yeah I'm sure it will slow down once the smaller details start to come along.... As for the edit button I will def use that I'm new to this forum thing and didn't really notice it. Thanks a lot for the tip

 

[Swabbster]

really consider adding a roll cage, make it strong too, if you flip it in it stock forum you will most likely die, your head would be one of the first things to hit, there are a few people who have build these and they added roll cages, you can look them up, i really wanted to build one too, but i did not think it would be strong enough, what will you be using for a motor, if i were you i would go for a ATV motor and trans so you can have hi/low/N/reverse but like most people you may not have the money to spend to buy a good engine and trans or a donor ATV, if you are on a budget go for a air cooled Polaris or Yamaha sled from the 70's to 80's there easy to some across and are strong as hell, also cheap to buy, no one likes the old bogey style rear end anymore so people let them sit or sell for cheap, for example the other day i picked up a donor sled for 40 bucks, took it home and messed with some wiring to find the kill wire, i could not find one so i put zip ties on the high tension leads and to kill it just pull them both off, but for 40 bucks i got a 400cc twin air cooled snowmobile packing about 35hp, big beefy clutching, and all the rpm you could ask for, the way i found it is im kind of a cheap bastard so i drive around looking for old lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed wackers, etc. and i saw it in a guys back yard, FYI the sled fired up in 2 pulls! only 115 mils!

 

[Charlesh1028]

I'll def consider adding a roll cage to it I'm sure I can ponder up some sort of design for it. As far as the engine that I wanted to put on it I was looking at one of the Lifan 200cc engine found on eBay however I'm concerned that it won't give me the power that I'm looking for. Don't see to many sleds where I'm at and I have considered an old atv engine as well but those are also hard to Come by as well. Any opinions on the Lifan and would 200cc be enough power for I'm not looking to go 100mph just want enough power to do maybe 30mph and and enough torque to trail ride with it.

 

[Swabbster]

a 200cc lifan motor will cost you about 400 bucks new with every thing you need, you would have gears but do you really want three peddles, and a shifter, just more thit to worry about, have you looked around for an old snowmobile, make a paper add to post on bulletins, go to some ware farmers vist lots too, also put up a wanted add online, i have always had an add up and not once got a call back, but posting a paper add up in different places will give you lots of hits, for older snowmobiles with point i have found out i think all you need is the 2 wires going to the coils and the kill wire, thats it, so not much wiring mess, snowmobiles have a torque converter/cvt setup and they are alot beffyr than even a comet 40 series, that is a big go kart, you will need a big engine, and a 200cc lifan motor is about 10hp i think, not much, you will burn out clutch plates real quick also, have some money saved up as well, have 200 on hand, you may find a real nice donor sled,

 

[Charlesh1028]

Yeah never really thought about clutch plates.. I guess I've still got time to look for an engine so I think I'm gonna go the sled route ill start posting ads and checking my local junkyards.. It would probably be less of a pain not to have to worry about using a clutch pedal and shifting gears. Thanks for all the input.

 

[Charlesh1028]

So I checked out some sled engines on eBay and I noticed there is no clutch I'm not too familiar with these torque converters do I just mount the motor and run a belt from the converter down to the axel and if I do where to I get the matching pulley for the axel. As I said I have never messed Witt a torque converter because I have always had bad experience with them burning belts up. (When I say haven't messed with them I mean I have never installed nor taken one apart)

 

[FatCat]

Another great sled engine swap would be any of the Rotax engines(582,583,670). Tons of parts available and reliable as can be. Do not type Rotax in your search most of those people know what they have and expect to be payed for it. Search ski doo, ski doo 583 etc. I find at least 5 to 10 of these complete sleds a year for under $500 on CL. 583 is a hair over 100hp. A CVT setup is nice in a buggy. No clutching and shifting to worry about. Just gas and go.

That's why you want a whole donor sled. The secondary needs set up for the same belt as the primary. You'll use the secondary and shaft off the donor sled. Clutches are pretty expensive. A good portion of a complete donor sled.

 

[Charlesh1028]

Item #: 310418380910
So this is the one on eBay I was looking at and thinking about getting. I'm glad I joined as a member because building the. Cart I can handle but I'm def gonna need help with the engine part of the build. If any one could give me an example of what I would need with this engine to get the axel turning lol explaining would be great but I'm the type of guy where pics speak a thousand words.... And again I really appreciate all the help its nice to know that there is people out there willing to help for the sake of seeing someone else accomplish something..

 

[Swabbster]

Item #: 310418380910
So this is the one on eBay I was looking at and thinking about getting. I'm glad I joined as a member because building the. Cart I can handle but I'm def gonna need help with the engine part of the build. If any one could give me an example of what I would need with this engine to get the axel turning lol explaining would be great but I'm the type of guy where pics speak a thousand words.... And again I really appreciate all the help its nice to know that there is people out there willing to help for the sake of seeing someone else accomplish something..

stay away from that one, with no clutches its only good for someone with a blown motor, a driver will cost you about 250-300 and the driven about 150-250, so look for a whole sled, and where do you plan to ride, how long of rides, and hat is the weather like, air cooled motors do not overheat that often, but a liquid cooled setup right with have some nut

 

[Charlesh1028]

Ok.... I made a mistake with out realizing it. I built the suspension block per plan made sure it was level and square but it seems that the main frame was off which made the suspension off you can see it in the pic below I should have taken my time on it and paid more attention when I was welding he suspension block to the main frame but no one is perfect I guess. Now what to do and how to correct the problem in the quickest way do I cut one side of suspension block and make it strait then re weld or do I chop up the main frame PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!

 

[OzFab]

I can't really tell from the pic, mainly because it's sideways, not to mention shadows... Post some close up pics of the problem area, maybe with a ruler in the shot.

So, if I understand correctly, the suspension block is welded square & level to the front of the frame but the front of the frame is not square & level to the back of the frame...

Here's a thought: Is your work area flat & level; I know my garage floor isn't...

 

[xXPOEDUNKXx]

Ok.... I made a mistake with out realizing it. I built the suspension block per plan made sure it was level and square but it seems that the main frame was off which made the suspension off you can see it in the pic below I should have taken my time on it and paid more attention when I was welding he suspension block to the main frame but no one is perfect I guess. Now what to do and how to correct the problem in the quickest way do I cut one side of suspension block and make it strait then re weld or do I chop up the main frame PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!View attachment 27390

Ok if you built it to spec then you messed up already. the specs are wrong! I know it sucks but there is a great threa that resovles this issue http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8537&page=2 it is in post #40 I hope this helps you.

 

[Charlesh1028]

I checked the thread out that was posted and what I got from it was that if I am using the 8" steering rack I am going to need to make the suspension block an inch wider because the pivot points are the same distance which will cause bump steer when the a-arms travel. As far as what is not square on the frame the very font of the cart is not strait when measured from the back its no the same distance on each side so I am thinking that I have to cut the front of the main frame make it strait and re weld which is no big deal I can just do that while I am waiting for my other metal to arrive. as far as the suspension block Back to the drawing board I suppose I would rather do it a thousand times and it be right then just saying the heck with it and having problems down the road with other parts of the build because of something that could have been fixed so early. Thanks alot for the tips help and support.

 

[Swabbster]

I checked the thread out that was posted and what I got from it was that if I am using the 8" steering rack I am going to need to make the suspension block an inch wider because the pivot points are the same distance which will cause bump steer when the a-arms travel. As far as what is not square on the frame the very font of the cart is not strait when measured from the back its no the same distance on each side so I am thinking that I have to cut the front of the main frame make it strait and re weld which is no big deal I can just do that while I am waiting for my other metal to arrive. as far as the suspension block Back to the drawing board I suppose I would rather do it a thousand times and it be right then just saying the heck with it and having problems down the road with other parts of the build because of something that could have been fixed so early. Thanks alot for the tips help and support.

you should use the rack and pinion setup, there about a 100 bucks but they are nice to have

 

[Charlesh1028]

I plan on using the rack and pinion setup. Today I cut the front suspension block that was too short off the main frame and started building the new on I made the new suspension block an inch wider. I found that my main frame is square when I measure corner to corner and front to back I am getting the same numbers so I assume its all square. Here are some pics

 

[Charlesh1028]

 

[OzFab]

Can you please rotate your pics before uploading them, it's literally a pain in the neck to look at them...