Hello from Girona

grisu

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hello, I'm new and I'm here to learn. I want to build a kart and I'm going to need you. Greetings from Girona.
 

ezcome-ezgo

G'me sumthin to write on
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Girona is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. It was sacked by the Moors in 827, 842, 845, 935, and 982. That's Moors, not Moops. Sister city to Nashville TN, Music City USA where I grew up.
 

Functional Artist

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Girona is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. It was sacked by the Moors in 827, 842, 845, 935, and 982. That's Moors, not Moops. Sister city to Nashville TN, Music City USA where I grew up.
Ok you've come this far ;)
...so, tell "more" us about these Moors
...& what were they so "pizzed" at these Girona guys about?
 

JimD

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Possibly they are in Washington, DC doing their looting now. See that you are in a pretty hilly part of the country. Is the kart for back yard use, street riding, hill climbing so the advice we give you is good from the get go. Are you building the frame from scratch? How big an engine are you planning on putting on the kart? Most likely you will be dealing in metric dimensions rather than in English which is what 95% of the builds are here in the states. Just give us some more info so we can start giving you sound advice.
 
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grisu

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Well, I only have a 16hp Briggs Stratton Vanguard engine coming from a generator set and I would like to build a simple kart. First I have to modify the shaft engine because it is tapered. Find a torque converter (impossible to find here) for this engine and then start with the chassis.
 

JimD

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You have a difficult task to start with because of the taper crank that will be without a keyway also. Is the end of the taper drilled and tapped?? I kind of doubt it but have to ask. The good thing about American crankshafts is they are not hardened so they can be machined fairly easy and you can cut in a 1/4" keyway. The keyway would be .140 deep when you first touch off to the OD of the crank. If that sounds like more work than you want to tackle I am sure someone can come up with a 1" crank that you can swap out but the freight overseas is a killer.
 

grisu

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You are right, the shaft is not hardened and it is not a problem to machine it to 1". Disassembling and reassembling the crankshaft is more work but it is not complicated. The problem for me is finding the torque converter. It is a part that until now I have not knew and I will have to find out what brand-measure-model... I need. Step by step. Thanks JimD!!
 

JimD

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Try to salvage the maximum length of the crankshaft you can to fully support the driver unit on the engine. Let us know what the 1" length is once you are done turning the crank down to I" and also drill and tap with at least a 5/16 bolt but a 3/8" would be better for that kind of horse power. The Comet Magnum 44 is what you should be hunting for.
 

grisu

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Perhaps the best and cheapest option is to sell the Briggs Stratton and look for an engine that is easier to adapt to a torque converter. Like the Honda GX 390. I see that a Comet Magnum 44 torque converter is very expensive and comes without the mounting plate. It seems to me that what I thought was a fun project can turn into a headache.
 

JimD

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You are looking for suggestions and I would lay out just want you want to build and stick to the plan. Yes, I would get rid of the engine. You have to figure out just what you want to do and how big a tire you want to put on the kart. Tire size will tell you what size engine you are going to need. On my first build I would keep it simple, on your second build then you can go crazy. Stay with a small crankshaft--3/4" because the less expensive torque converters with a jackshaft as part of the kit will save you a lot of problems. A 7hp engine or a 16 hp engine both will turn 3,600rpm but naturally the larger horse power will have more torque to get you moving from a dead stop but at top end they are both going to be going the same speed.
Stay with tires that are around 16" in diameter if you go with larger tires than you should go with the larger engine to turn the tire. But when you make that decision you will find everything cost a LOT more. Staying with-in your budget on the first build will give you some great experience and you can sell your first one to help finance your second build. We just have to get the first one done.

Think single seat, 3/4" crankshaft or a 20mm crankshaft, 16" tires, t/c most likely a 30 series. We make one but it is a series 20 which was made strictly for go karts while the Series 30 was designed for mini-bikes but could be used on go karts. The advantage of a series 20 is you are driving off both sides of the belt with even pressure and NOT forcing the belt up the flat side of the inside sheave. So the series 20 doesn't get as hot and will not wear the belt as fast as the series 30. More information than you need but this is what this site is for --getting an education. The pictures are to show you our build for the series 20. We also made one that fits on a tube and was used by several of the kart manufacturers. First figure out just what you want to build. A clutch on the engine versus a torque converter is certainly the cheapest build but there is only one speed for a clutch to make it last and that is pedal to the metal. Torque converters give you the ability to drive SLOW with no damage to the unit. Tire size and terrain are the factors that you have to consider when you make that choice between a clutch and a torque converter.
I better get back to work or I will be looking for a job. Pay my air fare over and I will help you with your build, I have never been to Spain and it would give me a chance to learn another language.
 

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  • rear view of torque converter.JPG
    rear view of torque converter.JPG
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