First Kart, Got some work to do....

[marty1976]

Hello everyone, I just bought my first go kart off a neighbor for $100.... its a manco dominator. It originally had a 5hp on it and the guy put a 99cc predator on it.... his work looks pretty shoddy but it does run. It has a centrifugal clutch which looks like it might be shot. Gets insanely hot. I want to put a predator 212 on it and a torque converter, but I'm new to these things so I need some advice. I'm a journeyman maintenance machinist so I can make anything I need, and I have a welder and access to any material I may need in my shop at home. I'll post some pics and go from there i guess.

 

[marty1976]

This is the current drive assembly.

 

[marty1976]

It is not aligned very well, lots of slop in the chains and the way he mounted the motor... only 2 bolts holding it down caddy corner from each other, althought it does feel solid enough. I want to pull the motor off, stiffen up the fram and weld a new mounting plate in to accommodate the predator 212. any recommendations on a torque converter? Need new tires too but I'll deal with that later...

 

[OzFab]

Nice score

Yeah, a 99cc engine won't be much good on there, you're on the right track. IIRC, the 212 predator should bolt onto the engine plate without a problem, it should have the same footprint as the original 5hp engine so, unless there's something wrong with it, it should be ok.

Oh, & welcome to the forum

 

[KartFab]

Manco's are great go karts! What model number is it? There will be a decal on the floor pan beneath the steering wheel hoop.

The torque converter that you will probably be most happy with is a 30 series with a 6" driven unit. How fast do you want it to go?

 

[marty1976]

It is model # 425B-17. I'm actually considering putting a full live axle on it now after thinking about it at work tonight. Shouldnt be too hard to weld some pieces of plate to the frame and bolt on pillow blocks. I found a 45" long x 1" axle for 25 bucks and I can get a deal on the bearings at work... if I'm gonna dig into it I might as well go all the way

 

[landuse]

Welcome to the forum! Your clutch is probably getting hot because you are geared too high at the moment.

A Comet 30 series will work well with the Predator 6.5HP. Like Fabroman says, it should bolt right up. You will have to remove the jackshaft to get everything to fit in, but you won't be needing it anyway.

 

[KartFab]

When doing the conversion, look up a FOX CONQUEST. Its basically a dominator with the torque converter and live axle.

 

[marty1976]

Thanx for your help. I'm gonna order some parts this weekend and start a new thread logging my progress. This is gonna be fun!

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Right on, and good luck!

Having a decent engine, CVT, and live axle is really going to wake that thing up! Be advised that any flaws in the frontend geometry and steering are going to make themselves very apparent after the live axle conversion. You may end up having to address that.

Welcome to the forum!