Build Thread - Reconstructing a Manco Dingo

[Jamie P]

I picked up a Manco Dingo 285 basket case. I guess the previous owner's kids took every bolt out of it 15 years ago and left the pile of parts in the back of the garage. Now it's my mission to reassemble it.

So far I've sprayed some black paint on the frame so it's one color instead of 3 or 4, and I've started to reassemble it.

 

[Jamie P]

The throttle pedal stop was broken, so I made a new one and welded it on.

The passenger side axle or spindle arm was also bent up, as you can see in the photo, so I brought that back down to match the other side.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Yeesh, you got your work cut out for ya!

 

[Jamie P]

I'm undecided on the engine at this point. I have a brand new Predator 212 that I was saving for another project. I also have the original 5hp B&S that came on this kart. Like everything else on the kart, the kids took the bolts out that hold the carb and gas tank on the engine, so it's been open to the atmosphere for 15 years. It's been in a dry building though.

I'm leaning toward getting this kart going with the Predator and rebuilding the B&S someday for the future project.

It came with a Comet TC, which looks a little grungy, but otherwise okay with one potential issue. The inboard disk or plate on the driven pulley has a slight wobble to it. The outboard part is fine and true. I tried to upload a video of the pulley spinning, but I guess we can't do that.

If I had to guess, it's probably wavering 1/8-3/16". Will this cause bad wear to the belt or cause a vibration when riding? I can't think of a way to straighten it, other that a really well place hammer strike, but that could potentially make it way worse.

Also, I'm not sure if those Comet TCs are a good fit on the Predator. If not, I'll find an aftermarket TC. Buying it as a kit will get me rolling a lot sooner.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

I'd fix up the Briggs as long as it turns freely and has compression. If it has those 2, it should be a cinch to fix. And as long as the intake valve wasn't open the whole time and the port isn't corroded or full of debris, a missing carburetor isn't the end of the line.

To me an original engine on a kart is really cool, and I simply like flatheads, but not everyone wants to mess around with them.

As far as a TC, a 30 series will bolt on directly to a Predator, and it's probably what the original unit is as well. If the pulley is bent or wobbles, I'd say discard it and don't bother.

 

[Smerft85]

Shaft sizes between the predator and briggs is usually not the same, so you may need to get a cheap China t/c to install on the predator. Which engine all depends on your preference, and if you can get the briggs to run cheaper than buying a t/c. If it were me I would run the predator and build the briggs up right, later on you could swap them to get back to some originality. Mine has a 6.5 clone non governed and it's plenty fun, also running a centrifugal clutch on mine for now.

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

I have a jackshaft plate from a 285 that you can have for the cost of shipping. It’s in rough shape, but yours if you want it. I also have the 5 horse from that kart that I can rob bolts off of if you need them, that Briggs was left out in the weather and is junk, so the bolt aren’t needed by me.

 

[Jamie P]

I'm so close to a test drive of the Dingo, but I'm held up by two little things. The chain I bought is 1 link too short! Not a big deal. Just poor measurement on my part and a bummer.

The other hold-up is interesting. I bought a momentary switch from GoPowerSports like the one in the photo. I didn't realize it only has one wire. Is there any way to make this work as a kill switch on a Predator 212? If not, what kind of application is there for a switch with one wire? How do you ground it?

 

[Stew]

If there’s only one wire then I would think the metal switch body is what it’s contacting with, so it could ONLY be used to switch ground. A multimeter or test light would let you know for sure.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

The body serves as the second terminal. The wire needs to plug into the ignition system/kill circuit.

 

[Jamie P]

You guys were right. The back of the switch needs good contact with the frame as a ground. I scraped a little paint and snugged it tight, and now the button works really well . Thanks

 

[Jamie P]

The Dingo is finally done, or at least at the point of testing and working out final bugs.

I ran it last night for the first time. I'm excited that it had no trouble going through some snow.

I learned a couple lessons. The first is where I located the kill switch is not a good spot. My thigh hits the button when I go over bumps. So I'll have to find a different place for that.

Also, you'll notice that the rear tires are different. One was original and holds air great. The other original tire was dry cracked very badly so I needed to replace it. The style of Carlisle tire I bought was much cheaper than the style of the original, so in an attempt to save some money I went for it. Unfortunately it was impossible to inflate. It's like the tire was all collapsed from the way it was jammed in a box. I even took it to an ATV shop, and they couldn't inflate it, so they gave up and installed a tube. So much for the money I saved up front!

The kart handled well on its first run, but I was surprised at how slow it is (maybe 15 mph, certainly less than 20). It wouldn't rev very high. I guess that's why people bypass the governors on these engines. Then I got to thinking about it, and the slow top speed is actually a good thing because I'll be able to teach my daughter how to drive it without worrying that she could get going too fast. Then when she gets confident with it I'll try to make it rev up faster.

Thanks for everyone's help getting my project this far!

 

[Smerft85]

Hang on a second, we all suggest against bypassing a governor, and reccomend removing it completely, and don't forget the tiny washer behind the governor gear! Otherwise, that dingo came out nice! Removal of the governor and the right gearing on that dingo could get you 40+mph, I have the same frame and set up with a "champion" 6.5hp clone and it does 40+ pretty easy set up how i mentioned, believe it's a 10t clutch and a 54t? Axle sprocket, its geared a little high, but runs like its rear is on fire, surprising for so little hp.