Go cart noob… with five $5 frames.

[AGELE55]

Greetings y’all. I’m the new guy here. Well, I’ve never really messed with go cart before, but just picked up five old cart frames for $5 each. All are in various states of disrepair, and no two are alike. One Honda GC160 , horizontal shaft came with the deal, which I just got running. There’s also a Briggs & Stratton and a Honda GVC vertical shaft Which I can probably save. One cart appears to use a vertical shaft, but I have zero clue on how it goes together (parts missing).
I’ll be tinkering on these things to see what I can come up with and would appreciate some help and guidance as I go along. I’ll focus on getting them to rolling chassis status first,mand then see where it leads me.
What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Master Hack]

What could possibly go wrong

Well a lot. Addiction, bankruptcy, divorce other fun things are possible.
It is all starting now. You will find soon you will have an uncontrollable desire to acquire, tools, exotic parts, spares of every description. Then bigger shop space, storage areas etc. you get the picture. Bail out now, while ya can! Its for your own safety.
So good luck! And welcome!

l'll give ya $10 bucks each and come pick em up. Just let me know. You'll thank me later!

 

[Denny]

It will be fine, here have some more cool-aid. But do yourself a favor and throw away the vertical shaft engine and kart. You can’t find parts for that system anymore because they suck. Only made one or 2 years in the 90s.

 

[panchothedog]

Welcome aboard. We can help you out with most anything on them. But you have to do like Denny says, ditch the vertical shaft one. Don't take Master Hack too seriously. He's like me. Jealous as h#ll about somebody finding four kart frames for $ 20. What a STEAL. Oh, and if you're married, your wife already thinks you spend too much time and money on them.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

Um, that's a no parking zone.

 

[AGELE55]

Well, it looks like this cart is the closest to being drivable. It’s a Carter. I have the 3/4 shaft Honda 160 and can piece together a set of wheels and tires. It took a little research to figure out that the extra platform by the engine is for a “jack shaft”? So would/ could this jackshaft have gears on each end , driven by a clutch gear Or is some type of belt drive required?

 

[Denny]

It would have had a 20 series cvt on it from the factory with the driven on a jackshaft with a gear on the other end for the chain.

 

[AGELE55]

It would have had a 20 series cvt on it from the factory with the driven on a jackshaft with a gear on the other end for the chain.

“20 series cvt” ? Lol…did I mention I’m a noob?

 

[Denny]

Homework. Go to the GoKart Supply site and look up torque converters.

 

[JimD]

Go look at the Forum Desperately Need Help by Sanch109 and you will see the same kart that Nick is working on. He just had more parts when he started working on his kart. A series 20 torque converter is what should be on a kart because it runs cooler and most of them used a 7" driven unit to handle the larger tires. It is symmetrical on the belt (even sides so you have equal pressure on the sheaves) while an asymmetric system uses a belt that has a flat side on the inside being forced up the fixed sheave of the driver and driven which generates a lot more heat and shortens the life of the belt. They series 30 was designed for minibikes with limited space but they were also used on go karts because the mounting plate made them a simple addition. Just stating facts, not trying to get any arguments started, too early in the morning.

 

[Master Hack]

“20 series cvt”

Continous Variable Transmission or sumpthin similar.

 

[JimD]

I should have added if the engine has a plate mounted on it for a torque converter then it is going to be a series 30 which is the asymmetric system. The karts that didn't use the mounting plate where Brister Thunder Karts and several more like Carter Brother's made their own which used the series 20.

 

[AGELE55]

I am SO confused .…lol. I just read through Sanch109’s thread and learned a bit more. His cart looks similar to mine. If I have my mind wrapped around this, it looks like I should sell the whole pile for scrap and buy a new cart. NAH…where’s the fun in that? Let’s DO this.
So let’s get a good starting point.
ENGINE: I own honda 160. I assume I need to eliminate the the governor? I’ll research that.
DRIVE: I need a series 20 thing for a 3/4” shaft and a symmetrical belt.
DRIVEN: I need a series 20 other thing to attach to a jackshaft that isn’t there…
JACKSHAFT: Looking at Sanch109 ‘s thread, I’m missing the shaft itself, along with the shaft housing / holder, which seems easy enough to fabricate with a little angle iron and a piece of pipe. (I own a welder) Tap in a couple flanged bearings and good to go…I think? I can check GoKartSupply ( thanks for that lead) for a correct jackshaft, but as of now, I have no clue what size and what type of end? How will the driven thingy attach to it? I assume a woodruff key..and threaded end? Research is needed here.
SPROCKET: Looks in good shape, but will need a chain….

How am I doing so far? I am developing an immediate respect for the sheer amount of knowledge and know how
needed to build a Kart.

 

[Denny]

You’re getting the hang of things now. But leave the governor alone for now.
JimD is a wise man beyond his years. Listen to what he says!

 

[AGELE55]

I should have added if the engine has a plate mounted on it for a torque converter then it is going to be a series 30 which is the asymmetric system. The karts that didn't use the mounting plate where Brister Thunder Karts and several more like Carter Brother's made their own which used the series 20.

There was no engine mounted. A Honda GC160 came along with the deal. No plate on the engine. This frame is a Carter Bros, so I assume one pulley on the engine and one on a jackshaft.
Question: In this configuration, the driven pulley would face opposite of the drive pulley. I guess that the centrifugal force doesn’t care about direction of spin?

 

[JimD]

The driven unit how it is mounted DOES make a difference since the spring in it can be wrapped for an INBOARD mount or and OUTBOARD mount. You want an INBOARD mount. Again look at the pictures of the other kart on this site. His is correctly mounted with the ramps of the driven facing inward towards the engine.

The thing I don't like about the Honda and the predator is the hole pattern in the base. The Briggs and the Tecumseh had 5/16 holes in their base which keeps the engine from getting cocked. The crankshaft MUST be parallel with the axle. The other engines I mentioned have holes BIGGER than 5/16 since they were made for larger metric bolts plus they have two elongated holes which really make it easy to get the crankshaft crooked to the axle but it one of live and learn situation that you will run into but as long as you make sure they are parallel when you are done, then no problem.

It will be a fun build and there are some very sharp people on this site that have built a lot of karts some from scratch and other just great repair jobs. When someone gives you bad advice they will jump on him quickly.

 

[AGELE55]

Update and questions: I finally got back to these carts. One running and two in work. So, the black frame pictured above is now lime green sporting a Predator 212. It’s a hoot to drive for sure, but I need to fix a few things. Primarily, my chain tension seems wrong. While running, the forward length between the engine and sprocket ( not the side pulling the sprocket) shakes violently, creating a hard knock sound during acceleration. Is it simply too loose, or do I need to put a tensioner up there? I didn’t want to over tension the chain a risk bearing wear on the engine.
The cart has a simple centrifugal clutch and a 420 chain.

 

[Grizzlymi]

Sounds like it is to loose. The vibrations when accelerating is normal, but not violently. I'd tighten it a bit more and see. I wouldn't worry about the engine bearings.

 

[Denny]

Do you have a red and silver 55 Chevy by any chance?