Frankenstein kart/Not the original!

[Denny]

I still have a shop full of cars I need to restore or build into race cars. 5 last count.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Couldn’t agree more. I did a few car restorations for my first cars and part of the great thing about go karts was it was cheaper and figured it was a great way to get back into something on the smaller scale like you said

I've become a fan of classic Mopars and one day would like to restore one, so I figured a go kart would be a nice Segway to classics. I'm not just limited to Mopars, I like there other three American brands too. I just like Mopar best. 68 Roadrunner for me, dream car. Someday, someday...

 

[BaconBitRacing]

I still have a shop full of cars I need to restore or build into race cars. 5 last count.

Whatcha got? I'm interested in your (assumedly eclectic) collection, I mean if it's like you, it's crazy!

 

[Vtdad28]

I've become a fan of classic Mopars and one day would like to restore one, so I figured a go kart would be a nice Segway to classics. I'm not just limited to Mopars, I like there other three American brands too. I just like Mopar best. 68 Roadrunner for me, dream car. Someday, someday...

Can’t go wrong there, 68 was an excellent year for cars,wish I was born in that era. I had a 68 dodge dart that I fixed up a bit as a run around car while I was working On my 68 gto. Sadly I have neither but sure do wish I held onto things better!

 

[Denny]

Had a 70 b5 blue and white Plymouth GTX.
current list.
65 Pontiac Grand Prix
66 Cadillac Callais
67 Impala SS Convertible
75 Corvette, future drag car
75 Chevelle, future drag car

Don’t worry I’ve had over a thousand. I wish I would have held on to 1/3rd of them. Who knew?

 

[Denny]

No Fords! Like Frankenstein’s monster said, “Mmmm Ford Bad!”

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Can’t go wrong there, 68 was an excellent year for cars,wish I was born in that era. I had a 68 dodge dart that I fixed up a bit as a run around car while I was working On my 68 gto. Sadly I have neither but sure do wish I held onto things better!

Man that's cool. It seems we were both born at the wrong time.

Had a 70 b5 blue and white Plymouth GTX.
current list.
65 Pontiac Grand Prix
66 Cadillac Callais
67 Impala SS Convertible
75 Corvette, future drag car
75 Chevelle, future drag car

Okay IMO most enviable car there is the Impala SS, followed by the 75 'Vette. That's a very nice list of great classics, it seems you fell in love with the GM platforms. My uncle has the same distaste for Fords that you do, while the other only drives Fords and Lincolns! I do like the Fairlane architecture, first gen and second.

 

[Denny]

Man that's cool. It seems we were both born at the wrong time.
Okay IMO most enviable car there is the Impala SS, followed by the 75 'Vette. That's a very nice list of great classics, it seems you fell in love with the GM platforms. My uncle has the same distaste for Fords that you do, while the other only drives Fords and Lincolns! I do like the Fairlane architecture, first gen and second.

You haven’t ridden in or driven a 65 389, Grand Prix. 8 lug wheels, a/c, am/fm, power windows, buckets and console. Runs 14.7 in the 1/4. Just as fast as my 70 airgrabber, 440 4bbl GTX!

 

[Master Hack]

All us geezers grew up with muscle cars in the 60’s and early 70’s. I have had several as well, but for me now its modern muscle. The old ones went fast in a straight line and didn’t stop for ****. Modern cars are the whole package. I love turning the a/c on the stereo up, and my foot down. Bring on the twistys…

 

[panchothedog]

Hey Vtdad. Saw your pictures of your boys on their 1st time out with the kart.
Don't know how old your Triplets are but physically they are big. Almost look too big for the kart you built them. For certain it looks like CG is too high. As others have commented, get them a helmet. Aside from that LONG PANTS. Chances are somebody going over or at the very least Coming Out, and a pair of levi's compared to bare skin legs. With 5 children you certainly are going to need more karts. SUGGESTION. Don't build it. Buy it. When you listed out the parts you had to buy ( all brand new ) and the money spent, I think your next one could come out maybe cheaper, or for about the same money a lot better.
You have to keep your eyes peeled but you can pick up a factory built Yard kart
that someone has given up on, or tired of. It will probably have. 1 a majority of the parts you had to buy for your current kart. 2 a lower CG ( safer ) with out necessarily lower ground clearance. 3 better (factory designed) purportions.
I have purchased 4 BEATER karts over the last 3&1/2 years and while on 1 I did
have to get a new engine, it seems like belts, chains, seats and maybe tires, or just adding tubes to the flat cracked ones are the most common problems I have encountered. You can do better if you shop it. You have already shown that you can repair anything by building one from scratch.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Hey Vtdad. Saw your pictures of your boys on their 1st time out with the kart.
Don't know how old your Triplets are but physically they are big. Almost look too big for the kart you built them. For certain it looks like CG is too high. As others have commented, get them a helmet. Aside from that LONG PANTS. Chances are somebody going over or at the very least Coming Out, and a pair of levi's compared to bare skin legs. With 5 children you certainly are going to need more karts. SUGGESTION. Don't build it. Buy it. When you listed out the parts you had to buy ( all brand new ) and the money spent, I think your next one could come out maybe cheaper, or for about the same money a lot better.
You have to keep your eyes peeled but you can pick up a factory built Yard kart
that someone has given up on, or tired of. It will probably have. 1 a majority of the parts you had to buy for your current kart. 2 a lower CG ( safer ) with out necessarily lower ground clearance. 3 better (factory designed) purportions.
I have purchased 4 BEATER karts over the last 3&1/2 years and while on 1 I did
have to get a new engine, it seems like belts, chains, seats and maybe tires, or just adding tubes to the flat cracked ones are the most common problems I have encountered. You can do better if you shop it. You have already shown that you can repair anything by building one from scratch.

I totally agree with all that. If I wanted my streaker could be under $500, and I overpaid for the chassis, it wouldn't look good, but it'd have a 10HP and a long lasting clutch. FB Marketplace I've had the most luck with (I got mine from there) but Craigslist and OfferUp are good too. I'm sure you know all this stuff, just sharing my experience.

 

[Vtdad28]

Hey Vtdad. Saw your pictures of your boys on their 1st time out with the kart.
Don't know how old your Triplets are but physically they are big. Almost look too big for the kart you built them. For certain it looks like CG is too high. As others have commented, get them a helmet. Aside from that LONG PANTS. Chances are somebody going over or at the very least Coming Out, and a pair of levi's compared to bare skin legs. With 5 children you certainly are going to need more karts. SUGGESTION. Don't build it. Buy it. When you listed out the parts you had to buy ( all brand new ) and the money spent, I think your next one could come out maybe cheaper, or for about the same money a lot better.
You have to keep your eyes peeled but you can pick up a factory built Yard kart
that someone has given up on, or tired of. It will probably have. 1 a majority of the parts you had to buy for your current kart. 2 a lower CG ( safer ) with out necessarily lower ground clearance. 3 better (factory designed) purportions.
I have purchased 4 BEATER karts over the last 3&1/2 years and while on 1 I did
have to get a new engine, it seems like belts, chains, seats and maybe tires, or just adding tubes to the flat cracked ones are the most common problems I have encountered. You can do better if you shop it. You have already shown that you can repair anything by building one from scratch.

They are 11, and once they are sick of it they have 2 siblings smaller than them so no biggie . I fit on it, just not much side room. Getting these kids to wear pants when they don’t want to is next near to impossible Definitely will be purchasing their next one more complete, this was a good learning experience but At the end of the day I need more bang for my buck since I have 3 that all want one at once. And at their age if it needs basic things it would be a good starter project for them before they get into the car age

 

[Vtdad28]

I totally agree with all that. If I wanted my streaker could be under $500, and I overpaid for the chassis, it wouldn't look good, but it'd have a 10HP and a long lasting clutch. FB Marketplace I've had the most luck with (I got mine from there) but Craigslist and OfferUp are good too. I'm sure you know all this stuff, just sharing my experience.

I always thought you had to have a Facebook to look at marketplace but after reading a comment on here I learned that isn’t true. I could have bought all 3 boys one if I had started there

 

[Denny]

For your first kart you didn’t do bad. So don’t get down on yourself. You needed to learn, and you got smarter at the end of the day. Education costs money, and you got one. I’m just trying to encourage you, we like to rip on each other. But we also like to say good job after that first ride! We were all morons when we first started building things. Now we is edmucated!
As for the kids you tell them no gourd guard no long pants no ride! Also lack of safety means a lack of riding!

 

[Vtdad28]

For your first kart you didn’t do bad. So don’t get down on yourself. You needed to learn, and you got smarter at the end of the day. Education costs money, and you got one. I’m just trying to encourage you, we like to rip on each other. But we also like to say good job after that first ride! We were all morons when we first started building things. Now we is edmucated!
As for the kids you tell them no gourd guard no long pants no ride! Also lack of safety means a lack of riding!

Thank you I appreciate it. This site has helped immensely! Definitely learned a lot, will make them wear a helmet when we pick up up for sure as me and the wife were discussing it anyways. I definitely am a hardass then it comes to screwing off on stuff like this so they have already been warned numerous times that there were no warnings, they know the rules and if they choose to not follow then they don’t ride.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Yep good job, I'm sure I've got lots of messing up in me. No safety, no ride! Y'all have fun.

 

[panchothedog]

You've gotta remember who are the ELDERS, you know the ones with MATURE
Brains. Kids just wanna have fun, just wanna drive and go fast, and then faster.
It's up to us to make sure they come back as undamaged as possible, WHILE making sure they get that opportunity to go fast and have fun. I don't look at
karting as dangerous, but you could get injured if careless. Try to prevent it.