Kart parts (Funder Wheels Kart)

[Pop's]

In search of funder wheels parts

 

[Hellion]

Show us your Funder Wheels kart. Photos help because there’s oftentimes people out there that just don’t know what they have. They may even have a donor kart but don’t know who made it.

 

[Pop's]

Funner wheels (nascar) kart.

 

[Denny]

There are none for those karts. It all must be adapted or modified to fit.

 

[Hellion]

Any particular part? I mean it’s possible you can scavenge the parts needed or play the patience game on fleabay or the like.

 

[Pop's]

I have the drive wheel, everything else i need to get it moving.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Those pioneer cabs make a better kart stand than they do speakers i see.

Looks like you need a centrifugal clutch and a sprocket and chain, or a cvt , sprocket and chain.

What size shafts are you working with?

 

[Hellion]

I’ve never seen one naked like this. Knew they were cogged-belt-drive though. Look at the “Turbo Torque” bolt-on apparatus on the Briggs. That’s wild but what does it do? Wonder if the belts are available? They might be a COTS item….

I wonder if JimD knows anything about these.

 

[Denny]

McMaster Carr for the correct timing belt and pulley.

 

[Pop's]

Those pioneer cabs make a better kart stand than they do speakers i see.

Looks like you need a centrifugal clutch and a sprocket and chain, or a cvt , sprocket and chain.

What size shafts are currently

 

[Pop's]

They finally got some use an 3/4 shaft, original set up is belt drive but converting too chain isn't a problem, also needing hand controls.

 

[Hellion]

Do you have the steering wheel? Post more photos of the kart so’s our kart nerds can see what it needs and what can be adapted and so forth.

For the hand controls, I suspect (nearly) any motorcycle clutch and brake controls will work. What is the diameter of the steering wheel rim? If originality is not a goal, consider switching to a foot brake and accelerator. For youths, it translates well to driving and there’s way more positive control in the feet than in the hands. You can really stomp a brake pedal whereas hands get quickly fatigued.

*Added words to your thread title for maximum info

 

[Pop's]

Two levers needed aswel as the tilt steering assembly.

 

[Hellion]

What does the steering wheel attachment look like on the shaft? Might be best to adapt an aftermarket “wheel” or even a similar “yoke” that will take traditional clamp on controls better than the factory part.

To wit:
Butterfly steering wheel

 

[Hellion]

If all else fails, sell it for megabucks (as Funder Wheels are fairly rare) and get a real go kart. Get a Manco or a Carter Brothers or something and you will easily get it operational, either finding what generic/universal parts you need or adapting what’s unobtanium with metal glue (welding, fabricating) et cetera and drive on.

 

[Grizzlymi]

Exactly what Hellion said. Unless you are trying to restore it for nostalgic or resale purposes, sell it as parts or whole for a huge profit and buy/build something that will actually be fun to ride and modify.

 

[JimD]

Why yes, I know all about them since they were originally made for Sears and then they got cancelled. Sears like to have specials made so you would have to come back to them to get the parts. The crankshaft was 1/2" longer than standard. Standard being 2.297 They also wanted 5mm pitch and most racing enduro karts were using 8mm. Again Sears was into parts and you would have to go back to them for the parts - belt, wheel, clutch, engine. Some crappy designs were the axle pulley was PLASTIC and it was formed into the wheel hub along with the brake and that drive wheel was also plastic--you getting the picture. They had a lot tied up in tooling and it was a little late to change now so they were sold them as promotional karts to anyone that wanted their name on them for give aways at a new gas station or what ever. They sold lots of them since we did more than 40,000 clutches and Noram (our friendly competitor in Milwaukee also made them a clutch for the same application --different story but just as good.

There isn't enough room on the kart for a t/c conversion.

If it was my kart I would try and redesign it and get away from the belt drive. Yes, we still have the clutches for it but the wheel is the weak point.

 

[Hellion]

Great back history on the Funder Wheels karts, Jim. We here at DIYGK see so few of them relatively speaking, and they’re always broken almost beyond feasible repair, that it seems an outfit like Max-Torque might not have ever dealt with them. I mean I see the kart as some sort of fringe product, perhaps even in their heyday. The only quality part most people can identify on them is the Briggs L-head so to learn there’s another legit part on it like a Max-Torque clutch is…

Jim, is there a secret trove of Funder Wheels parts rotting away in a warehouse somewhere? You can tell me where in a PM Or did they, Funder Wheels Inc, do something like Briggs did when they bought out Murray Corp? I heard rumors that Briggs destroyed all the Murray kart parts or something drastic like that.

 

[JimD]

In 1999 Briggs told all the kart builders they were no longer going to sell engines to them so that is why Tecumseh started showing up on karts, not because it was a better engine because it was all that was available and made in the US. for the price the kart builders were willing to pay. That is the same year all clutches went up to a 2,200 engagement from the 1,800 that we used on a Briggs. All clutches after that date had to be based on the highest rpm because we didn't know where they were going in the replacement market and a run away kart is a lawyer's delight.

Funder Wheels just used up their stock and concentrated on die cast little cars that were hand painted and had great graphics. When they were building karts they had so many body styles it had to be a nightmare to keep up with where they stacked them in 100,000 square foot warehouse in Tempe, AZ. Anyone can make graphics but to lay them on a car body so they look nice is an art in itself.