Finally some progress

[rgvkid]

The holidays but a halt on the Kart build. Im building a Kart for my Girlfriends 7 yr old Daughter. Shes a lil Dare Devil so she is going to have a blast. Im using parts that i bought from a used kids shifter kart frame. The frame was tweaked so i built a new one. Still needs paint, barke and throttle pedals, and tuneing the engine. It has a 3.5hp Briggs, which i hope will be enough power if i can get it to run right. I have a 6.5 clone also but i would still need to get a new clutch and mount for it. So the 3.5 will have to do until she gets the hang of it.

I extended the rear axle 3inches by sleeving it, which looks pretty straight but won't know until i can get it up to speed but should be okay. The frame is extended a bit and i made the seat adjustable so she can grow into it.

Her brother is going to be jealous so Im gonna build him an off road kart as soon as im finished with this one.

The front end might be a lil to low, but if i flip the spindles it looks like its to high. Test runs will confirm.

I had this filter I used on a small chainsaw engine, is it to small to use on the 3.5 Briggs? I'll have to make an adapter for it.
I bought that lil exhaust because all it had was a straight pipe. I think im going to make a header for it to get it out of the way of the gas tank.

 

[rgvkid]

What PSI should i be running on these tires?

I think i might get the next size up spacer for the rear wheels to get a lil more width out of them.

 

[Hendu3270]

Man Kid! That looks awesome. What diameter is the pipe used for the frame?

 

[rgvkid]

Thanks Hendu. Its 1" x .090. Not to heavy but not to light either. I had to use
.090 wall thickness to keep it from compressing when bending the tubing.

 

[r_chez_08]

nice! i like your frame design! looks strong. i wish i had that at 7
Rob

 

[rgvkid]

Yah when i was 7 I had the Green Machine big wheel. That was the hot ticket back then, pedal power but crazy drifting.

 

[Blazkowiez]

The tires should have a PSI rating on them man. Each and every tire we sell has different pressure requirements.

 

[Blazkowiez]

The tires should have a PSI rating on them man. Each and every tire we sell has different pressure requirements.

 

[Orange Krate]

I've never been one for the shifter/side winder style karts but this one is pretty freakin' cool! Good work. Great design!

 

[devino246]

What PSI should i be running on these tires?

I think i might get the next size up spacer for the rear wheels to get a lil more width out of them.

The slicks I had, I ran about 12 on them. I just put a medium pressure in mine, then took a can of white spraypaint and sprayed a stripe across the wheel. Let the paint dry, drive for a minute or so, then look at the line. If you see it on the middle, but not on the outside, pressures too low. If its on the outside, but not in the middle, pressures too high. The line should have worn evenly.

 

[T-man]

awesome build, have you removed the gov.?

Just remember a build is never don ...... unless there is VIDEO

 

[anderkart]

Wow, looking good man. I think your rear track is plenty wide now.

Hey I noticed your adjustable seat feature but I was thinking the dual pedal design on Jerryassburgers kart pic below might just come in handy for you guys:

 

[rgvkid]

Thanks Guys, Made some progress last night. I'll post some pics.

awesome build, have you removed the gov.?

Just remember a build is never don ...... unless there is VIDEO

I asked about that for the Briggs but was told that you there is no Gov to remove on the 3.5 briggs. The previous owner made some adjustments to the engine but im having a tough time getting it to idle. I will play with tuning the engine once the chassis is complete.

Thanks devino for the tire tip. The current slicks say 30 psi but i think thats a bit much. I'll play with the psi during test ride.

Anderkart, Thanks for the pic. Good idea. What would you say is an average distance from teh back of the seat to the pedals on most karts?

I had to flip the spindles because it sat to low and the front was hitting the ground. The front sits at 2inches from the ground. Whats an average ride height for most Shifters or vintage karts?

Here are some progress pics.

 

[AnderBlast]

nice kart man thats a nice bit of work ya done on the front end

 

[anderkart]

Dang, cool freakin bumper!

My karts are setup 44" from the seat back to pedals, but I'm 6'-6" tall.

I'd adjust your seat all the way forward and build a dual pedal setup to fit both you and the kids. Your kart would turn way better with the seat forward, race karts try to get as close to a 50-50% front/back weight bias as possible.

My seat is forward, I get more leg room by adjusting my gas/brake pedal linkages longer, so my gas pedal just touches the inside of my front bumper at full throttle, and my brake pedal is only an inch away while pushed hard.

The front of my race kart frames are between 1-1/2' and 2" off the ground.

Did you use the old race karts spindles?

 

[rgvkid]

Thanks Grinch! Its not the most lightweight kart but i wanted it to be built to last just in case she hits some obstacles while getting the hang of it.

Ander, 6' 6''! Dang man! Im surprised your knees don't get in the way. I see what your saying about the steering and wheight ratio. Makes alot of sense and a good tip to keep in mind.

My next build will be a knockoff of the Go Quad TRQ. I figured out the dimensions of the material for the suspension setup on the Go Quads so I'll start piecing it together. Anderkarts weight ratio tip will help me out alot in the next kart design because i was trying to figure out the seat placement on the new frame design i had in mind.

 

[newrider3]

Quality build. Bet you'll have people asking "where you bought it" all the time.

 

[rgvkid]

Just got home from putting in another 6 hours on the Kart. Had some problems with the GSXR brake assembly. I'll have to post pics tomorrow. Im putting in as much time on the Kart while work is slow, can't afford to buy anymore parts so I'll have to do with what i have.

 

[redsox985]

What type of welder do you have? TIG? Those welds on the front end are beautiful.

 

[rgvkid]

I use a 10year old Lincoln 175 mig on a daily basis. The sheet metal is 14 gauge so I trigger weld so it doesn't blow through the steel. Basically just tap the trigger to get a bead, then let off, move about an 1/4 inch then hit the trigger again and so on. Trigger welding is good for thin material but continous beads are better for the structural areas like welding tubing together. Trigger welding won't penetrate the heat to much as compared to a continuous bead.

I put in about 6 hours last night on the kart. I have to finish it while work is slow and i don't have the budget to buy any new parts so i'll have to make due with what i have in the shop. I had a hard time with the GSXR brake setup last night, the caliper was seized so i had to take it apart. Unfortunatly the master cylinder i have has a divorced resevoir. Next time i'll use a master cylinder with a built in resevoir. I'll post some updated pics tonight.