BrownDog's Kart From The Grave!!

[BrownDog]

hey guys, just signed up here on this website.

Soooo...... i was driving up the coast today and i was getting bored and been thinking about using the motor and transmission from my old dirt bike and make a go kart, i was originally thinking just a standard frame

after driving for half an hour i started to brainstorm, thinking of various designs and a layouts, after thinking for a few minutes and driving past a cemetary i thought why not make one out of a coffin Been thinking about it all day and came to the conclusion that a proper coffin is rather expensive so im going to make a frame and build a coffin around it.

I want to be able to use it off-road and on-road buy having interchangeable wheels.

I have a few queries first though, first would a 50cc motor be powerful enough to drive the kart with the frame, body and all the other stuff [i.e. steering, car seat and rail so i can adjust position], second how would i transmit the power to the rear wheels and thirdly what metal is best used for the frame, bear in mind i only have access to a stick welder.

any and all comments are welcome!!

 

[HaM551]

 

[fowler]

well firstly u would use steel
and being as u are makeing a space frame u could use 1 in square tube

u will need alot more than 50cc

most karts run a 6.5 hp industrial motor or larger
but if u do use 50cc then u will have to gear it really low and u wont get alot of speed

if u want to make a kart with intercangable wheels then u wil have to make the two sets quite close in diamiter
the wheels are your final gearing
if u fit larger wheels then its like gearing the kart up and u may get a sense the kart is like a car driving around in the wrong gear

if this is a coffin kart have u thought about doing a sorta rat rod style thing

to get the power to the wheels is a simple matter for an arangement of sprockets and a chain to rear axle

i advise u read around the site a bit and build up your knowledge base

it sounds like it could be a pretty cool kart
definitly origonal ideas

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Fowler covered it pretty well. I think you'll find that if you spend some time cruising the forum, you'll be able to adjust your expectations to suit the purpose- and learn a lot, too!

There's such a wealth of information available that I have no doubt you'll be able to come up with a workable plan. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Kelly Wood]

I'm with Fowler on the rat rod style of thing.

I do up hot-rod style karts from time to time and some thoughts on my mind would be:

If making a coffin kart:
1. What would you make the coffin body out of? Get it too heavy & you'll need way more than 50cc. 50cc would work for a parade car however. (halloween neighborhood patrol...LOL)
2. Will it have the lids?
3. How will you keep it from flexing & possibly breaking when you get on uneven turf?
4. How wide would the coffin have to be to fit you inside? How big are you?
5. Steering... If it's a coffin, and the wheels are outside the box, make sure to leave enough room for the wheels to steer up front... like put the coffin box just behind the front wheels & go the hot rod way of things.... sticking the front wheels way up there.
6. One wheel drive or 2? Depending on your driving style, one wheel drive is cheaper and if this just a show type of kart, a live axle (2 wheel drive, solid axle in the back) is gonna make it hard to turn around in tight spaces... unless you're goin fast.


For the coffin, perhaps in sections? Old metal coolers end to end might work. They're metal and have lids... then they could flex independently too. Old Coleman coolers have neat diamond designs on them and that could be quite cool... a nice gloss black paint job, some extra handles on the sides, etc.

...and with the lid on the rear one, you have weather protection for the engine if it rains on you.

I say sir, you have a much cooler kart than I...LOL I smell something burning again...

or old army foot lockers? old mini-refridgerators? (old ones, give it some style)

My point is, use something already available if possible for the coffin, it might make this project go more smoothly for you and not have to re-invent the coffin.

Have a good one & good luck! I'll be watching this one.

Kelly - kartrods.com

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Kelly hit on a good point with the flex thing. This leads one to ponder whether a body-on-frame design is going to work out, or if a unibody-type thing is where you want to be with this. With a unibody design, the body (coffin) is a structural element.

I guess it really depend on what you find, to make the coffin out of. Kelly had some good ideas with the coolers, if you can find agreeable shapes/sizes. Conversely, I might be inclined to build the coffin structure out of SHS, and skin it with aluminum or something. Done right, it could be quite strong , rigid, and light, and all the running gear could be attached directly, making it unibody structure.

 

[Kelly Wood]

Here's a thought for it:

Do up a typical frame, or just buy something...1 or 2 wheel drive, then use just one or two of the cooler thingies for just the front end & where you sit... then leave the back end open, chrome a few things here & there on the engine

Wear a skull mask or helmet when driving... please.

see crappy photoshop below.

um... yea... a real death trap.

rest in peace... LOL

thank you for watching "when bad ideas attack"

 

[DaiSan76]

Pic

 

[OzFab]

I might be inclined to build the coffin structure out of SHS, and skin it with aluminum or something.

Plywood would provide the woodgrain effect & keep the weight down. Add some chunky, chrome plated, plastic or brass handles for effect &...

 

[mysteryboy28]

i don't think you want a cheesy looking frame with a coffin bolted onto it... maybe something along these lines - with some style!

you don't want your wheels way out in front or behind if you can help it. long wheelbase will make for really crappy turning and handling!

 

[BrownDog]

okay, i was thinking of using ply wood for the body and just bolting to the side of the frame, sort of so u can see the frame, the front and back wheels out a bit from the side, the engine area will be behind me with a lid and was thinking a removeable F1 style scoop and no floor for air flow, will stop flex with bracing here and there, like the idea of the skull mask plus the chain steering wheel im goin to buy, not real worried about the class and all that as this is just my first project and is going to used as a bit of a paddock basher. I was hoping this motor would be good as it currently out runs a 500cc quad bike, its a four spd trans by the way, prefer 2 wheel drive as i wanna try to slide it around in the mud [dont worry there will be seatbelts, cutoff switch and saftey wear]

 

[BrownDog]

im gonna make up some designs on my 3d program

 

[OzFab]

there will be seatbelts

Rule of thumb is seatbelt go with a roll cage; no cage, no belts, that way you're thrown clear in a flip & not tethered to the kart

 

[fowler]

i was thinking of those rat rods u see made out of trucks that are lowered but still use the large tyres

so u could use some sort of dirt bike tyres to give it that look

mystery boy the 2nd one looks good but those look like classics more that hot rods and nothing like a rat rod
id try to keep all the gear inside the coffin so it looks like a coffin with wheels rather than as mysterboy said a coffin bolted to a frame

i think fabroman has the idea with ply wood

u could make a steel sub frame that holds everything
then coat it in ply wood

it would be cool to do an old school dracular coffin rather that a real coffin
u know the ones that are a hexagonal shape and taper off at the foot end

EDIT just re read your post

are u sure its a 50cc and u sure your other quad is 500cc
that seems impossible unless the quad is completly usless or the 50cc is turbo supercharged nitros ingecteted(u see where im giong)

definitly no seat belts unless u have a cage, does the quad bike have a seat belt, ever wonder why.

as for worrying about class
thats one feature of a rat rod, they look a bit ratty

they were origonally made by blokes in a shed in a diy sense, so they had limited tools and limited funds
the rat rods they made were a bit rough around the edges
usually no paint, odd or mismatched parts and a bit of bodging to make it run
then the style stuck
so the less class it has the better

 

[OzFab]

i think landuse has the idea with ply wood

Ahem :toetap05:

 

[fowler]

woops landuse hasnt ever posted here yet
ill change it for u

or maybe ill leave it so somone else can take credit for your idea

 

[OzFab]

or maybe ill leave it so somone else can take credit for your idea

It wouldn't be the first time

 

[BrownDog]

are u sure its a 50cc and u sure your other quad is 500cc
that seems impossible unless the quad is completly usless or the 50cc is turbo supercharged nitros ingecteted(u see where im giong)

yeah the quad is a yamaha big bear 500 and the motorbike has 48cc stamped on the block

as for the class, like i said this is my first build and im really limited with money, when i have some imma build a second one that looks better

 

[landuse]

Ahem :toetap05:

It WAS my idea, and the fact that I haven't posted here yet doesn't mean a thing..... . I challenge anyone who says otherwise to come over to my house and say that to my face

 

[OzFab]

It WAS my idea, and the fact that I haven't posted here yet doesn't mean a thing..... .

You may have had the same idea but, you didn't voice it...

I challenge anyone who says otherwise to come over to my house and say that to my face

Would you say that if you live in LA instead of SA