Hello
- Thread starter crespo
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KartFab
Active member
Awsome! The first go kart I bought for my kids was an old one seater thunderkart. Those karts were definitely built heavy duty.
That's the kart I have in my avatar. Red and black here's a vid of it restored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__EfI0MB1ls&feature=youtube_gdata_player
That's the kart I have in my avatar. Red and black here's a vid of it restored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__EfI0MB1ls&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here's a picture of the pair. One is a one seater and the other a two seater. The one seater has a 5 hp Subaru Robin engine, not sure what kind of shape it's in. I can't complain for $50 for the two of them.
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/6972/yiup.jpg
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/6972/yiup.jpg
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KartFab
Active member
Thats awesome! To give you some basic advice for parts
1) the axles, sprockets, hubs, brakes, and rims are all common parts.
2) seat cover will be a challenge, I had to make my own but it turned out nicely, Generic one seat and generic bench seat covers are readily available though
3)The first items on my list would be
a) check the condition of the frame, any bends, dents etc? Looks like the bench seat kart may have been rolled before).
b) check the steering (esp spindle brackets for tightness. There should be little to no play in them. E.g. not wallowed out.
c)check the axle, if it is straight then you can move on to the piddly stuff.
d)torque converter/clutch? save that for another day, but you may end up needing to replace the drive unit on the torque converter because these karts are so old. I can tell you a site that has reasonable prices but i dont know the name off of the top of my head. can you take pictures of the karts transmission or clutch system? take like 4 or 5 pics and post them up so i can tell u what exact transmission it has. (side view and overhead view are the best)
If you have questions on what model of karts these guys are, send a message to the guy that sells go kart parts at www.reliablegokarts.net He can also get you a manual for the kart too. He used to sell thunderkarts back in the day, and ended up buying out a lot of the parts for them and has a lot in stock. BUT he does sell them for a lot more than you could pay somewhere else.
Hope that helps
1) the axles, sprockets, hubs, brakes, and rims are all common parts.
2) seat cover will be a challenge, I had to make my own but it turned out nicely, Generic one seat and generic bench seat covers are readily available though
3)The first items on my list would be
a) check the condition of the frame, any bends, dents etc? Looks like the bench seat kart may have been rolled before).
b) check the steering (esp spindle brackets for tightness. There should be little to no play in them. E.g. not wallowed out.
c)check the axle, if it is straight then you can move on to the piddly stuff.
d)torque converter/clutch? save that for another day, but you may end up needing to replace the drive unit on the torque converter because these karts are so old. I can tell you a site that has reasonable prices but i dont know the name off of the top of my head. can you take pictures of the karts transmission or clutch system? take like 4 or 5 pics and post them up so i can tell u what exact transmission it has. (side view and overhead view are the best)
If you have questions on what model of karts these guys are, send a message to the guy that sells go kart parts at www.reliablegokarts.net He can also get you a manual for the kart too. He used to sell thunderkarts back in the day, and ended up buying out a lot of the parts for them and has a lot in stock. BUT he does sell them for a lot more than you could pay somewhere else.
Hope that helps
OzFab
Well-known member
Thanks for the heads up on the parts gran pann. I've gone over the frames pretty good. They're both straight, a little rust here and there. The floor pans need some new welds but aren't rotten. They both have the "one tire fire" and will be clutch driven. Upholstry won't be too bad, I have a friend that does it on the side. I'm going to need a set of wheels for the red kart and tires for both. I've looked all over at wheels for these things and none I've seen online look like what's on the karts. They have hubs with 4 studs that the wheels mount to. I may be overlooking something though.
It's hard to slip away from a 4 and 7 year old to work on them but I did get outside to spary a little carb. cleaner in the intake of the Robin 5 horse and it fired up and ran for a few seconds. I guess it's time to start a build thread now.
It's hard to slip away from a 4 and 7 year old to work on them but I did get outside to spary a little carb. cleaner in the intake of the Robin 5 horse and it fired up and ran for a few seconds. I guess it's time to start a build thread now.
Regarding the wheels, all you have to do is find rims with the same bolt pattern and size. You do not need the "exact" type that you have already
KartFab
Active member
You can break the wheel question down into two categories:
Tires
Rims
Front rims could be split rims. If they are split rims, you will just need to replace bearings(2 snap ring bearings for each front rim). Then check inner tubes and tires, replace if needed. A lot of times you can just swap out the split rims for front rims found on riding lawnmowers, then pDut on tubeless tires and valve stems.
Rear tires are going to be tricky. Chances are you are going to have to thoroughly inspect the bead (I mean where the bead sits against the rim). For rust/pits. Let us know what you find out.
Tires
Rims
Front rims could be split rims. If they are split rims, you will just need to replace bearings(2 snap ring bearings for each front rim). Then check inner tubes and tires, replace if needed. A lot of times you can just swap out the split rims for front rims found on riding lawnmowers, then pDut on tubeless tires and valve stems.
Rear tires are going to be tricky. Chances are you are going to have to thoroughly inspect the bead (I mean where the bead sits against the rim). For rust/pits. Let us know what you find out.
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