Axle is trash!!

[CodysDad]

Hey guys... I am a dad re-building a go kart with (for) my 14yr old. After getting the old oversprayed paint off, I found the original decal showing the kart to be a Streaker S 465. I am close to being finished and plan to post a full pictorial re-build thread on it for those who may be interested. But, as I am just about finished with the project, I have run into a big problem. I wanted to re-use as many parts as possible, but there is no hope for the axle. The threads for the center bolt are cross-threaded beyond repair and the bolt is stuck on so tight I am going to have to cut the axle to get it off. I think wheels are not correct for this model. The axle is a 1" keyed live axle and the wheels have something like 1 1/8" non-keyed hubs. So bottom line is I want to get a new axle and new wheels. The current axle is 36" wide. I found what I think is the correct axle http://www.bmikarts.com/1-Steel-Live-Axle_p_517.html but since the wheels are wrong, I have no reference to go on. So I am going to buy all new tires and rims. What would you get?






By the way, these are from the "before" part of the project. I don't want to give away what it looks like now until I post the thread when I am finished!

 

[Hellion]

What were the wheels that came with the kart when you bought it, the "wrong" ones? Both in a photo, side by side or posed where they would be on the kart would be copacetic.

Maybe they're correct? I have the same kart and the front and rear rims are a 6" 4-bolt pattern. The front tires are a narrow 13x5.00-6 and the rears are 15x6.00-6. It has a hot rod stance with the rear end perched slightly higher than the front.

 

[CodysDad]

Here is a pic of the wheels before I tried to take them off. The axle has a keyway and the wheels do not. No hub with bolts at all, just the shaft bolt. The previous owner had washers and pennies crammed between the wheel and shaft to hold them in place.

 

[Tom Knight]

BMI has 1" bore rear wheels with a keyway, 13" tall. use a straight 1" axle not stepped to 3/4" on ends. Buy $200 parts---free ship, wheels are heavy. I have those on grandsons kart. Tom

 

[Hellion]

If memory serves, mine is a 1" axle. Mine is keyed as well. The OEM assembly has a keyed hub for each rear wheel so you have a decent assortment of those to choose from at BMI, GoPoSpo and even MFG supply. But you need wheels with the proper bolt pattern to match the hubs you choose.

I am looking for replacements too.

 

[CodysDad]

I like your setup of 13x5.00-6 for the front and 15x6.00-6 for the rear.

These are the rims I see on BMI that fit...I think.

http://www.bmikarts.com/6-x-5-14-Rim-Front_p_1566.html

http://www.bmikarts.com/6-x-5-Steel-Rim-1-Bore_p_5402.html

 

[Hellion]

It depends on what you want and what's available. If it's possible, you could have matching tires/wheels front and rear. It would be better logistically in the long term as you replace tires, you'd only need one size.

For me though, I like two piece wheels and I am not finding tons and tons of them.

EDIT: ^^^ Those look nice. Be sure that the tires are at least as wide as the rims, or seating the tire beads on the rims might be troublesome if they're much narrower than the rim.

 

[CodysDad]

I was looking on BMI and see some pretty cool 2-piece setups. I was imagining a taller rim with a thinner tire in the front and a shorter rim with a fatter tire in the back, still leaving the kart with a slightly staggered hot rod appearance. I think that could look very cool! But the rim and tire sizes get soooo confusing!!

 

[Hellion]

...The previous owner had washers and pennies crammed between the wheel and shaft to hold them in place.

That's nuts. I hate it when people ghetto-rig something up instead of doing it the right way.

Your tires and wheels look about right for the kart, size wise.

I must thank you for reminding me to look into my Streaker again. I re-measured the wheels that came with it and realized they have the same 2 13/16" bolt pattern as the hubs that BMI sells...

http://www.bmikarts.com/Light-Duty-4-on-2-1316_c_348.html

Some go kart manufacturers had or made proprietary (read oddball) components for their karts that are nowhere near universal and after the company goes bust (like Ken Bar did) they turn into unobtainium.

 

[CodysDad]

Well I went down to Northern Tool today and ordered the parts to put this thing back together. I got Azusa Tri-Star two piece with 6" on the rear and 5" on the front.

Hope it looks ok.....I think it will. Got a new shaft, bearings, locking collars, and grabbed new tires while I was at it. Not everything was in stock so looks like I have to wait a few days to finish up. This "free" go-kart is no longer free

While this started as just an old go-kart to get running with my son, it didn't take long for my OCD to kick in and turn the whole thing into total restoration and transformation. I will post the project from start to finish very soon..

Thanks for your help!!

Here is a quick preview of how it sits right now waiting for the new parts and wheels...

 

[Hellion]

That is very very nice!

One of those rare Porsche go karts was hiding under that faded red paint. Cool graphics too.

I think you will be pleased with the Azusa wheels. They are nice and very retro too.

 

[Testin123]

I'm still working on my barn find. The engine is trash, it knocks and stalls out too much but it works. Steering arm is bent, ugly yellow paint, no rollover bars at all. So far I fixed the pedals, the engine runs a bit better, I fixed the snapped throttle cable, and had to re-weld the axle together. Hope your restoration turns out better.

 

[CodysDad]

You can get a new axle for that for around $30 bucks if it is in your budget. I am not sure if welding your axle will be a long term viable situation. I had no luck finding the throttle cable for this cart so I had to buy a generic one and "customize" it. On my engine, it is a Tecumseh OHH50. I already purchased all the parts to make it new again and then discovered this site. So many people love those Predator motors and I wish I had seen that before. So far this Tecumseh is running well, but if it so much as looks at me wrong I may just make that change..

 

[Joe-405]

Hmmm I'm in Oklahoma also. Us locals have a Facebook page called minibikes on the plains if your interested.


And Azusa 6"x4" TriStar wheel with 15x6x6 tire I just bought.............

 

[CodysDad]

I don't have a facebook page. I know that is odd coming from a IT Specialist, but I may jump on my wife's page and check that out. When you get that bike finished, definitely let us see it!!

 

[Tom Knight]

Joe-405 what's that front wheel on your bike ? I might need some a those....Tom

 

[Joe-405]

Joe-405 what's that front wheel on your bike ? I might need some a those....Tom

The wheel and tire was $40 shipped on eBay.

 

[Hellion]

For CodysDad and any other Streaker owners, you might be interested to know that BMI has what looks like the original seat sliders for this Ken-Bar kart for a measly sum of $8.00 for the complete set.

http://www.bmikarts.com/Adjustable-Seat-Sliders_p_1764.html

Since the kart came from the factory with a separate wheel and hub setup, I have found rear live-axle hubs that match the originals dimensionally. These have a 1" bore and a 1/4" keyway. These are galvanized which is a boon as my original hubs have rust-welded themselves to the axle. This of course allows me to re-use the original wheels.

http://www.bmikarts.com/Galvanized-Wheel-Hub-with-4-516-Bolts-on-a-2-1316-Circle-1-Bore-_p_3211.html

 

[Poboy kartman]

I am SO DISAPPOINTED!!!!

I saw the title and thought it was gonna be about 'Guns n Roses!'

 

[CodysDad]

Welcome to the jungle!

I saw those on BMI. That site is quite amazing. Before I started on this project I had no idea there were so many yard cart parts out there. I looked at this rusty busted thing and thought "I will be lucky to find any kind of parts for this". I was wrong. Heck you can build one from scratch! I also found Jack's Small Engines extremely helpful as they had every part for my motor that was missing. The previous owner had thrown away the air box, the control mechanism, all the springs, the swivel arm, and the original carburetor. Since I painted all the motor pieces before re-assembly, I went ahead and got a new gas tank for it as the cherry on top. I was able to salvage the seat sliders. I soaked them in rust cleaner for two days and blew all the junk out with the air compressor. Then lubed up the moving parts and it was good to go! This really has been too much fun.