Mini-Buggy rebuild

[DaiSan76]

Got the kids kart buggy thing done, so it's time to work on mine. Taking this ugly orange thing that I've been driving around for about a year, and putting a suspended solid front axle, and a swingarm rear on it. Also going from a Centrifugal clutch to a torque converter. Started the chopping today, Hope to really dig into it this weekend.

 

[OzFab]

a suspended solid front axle

Really? I can understand the swingarm rear but, the front would be so easy to convert to independent, not to mention, I haven't seen it done yet; do you have a plan in mind?

 

[souperman000]

Really? I can understand the swingarm rear but, the front would be so easy to convert to independent, not to mention, I haven't seen it done yet; do you have a plan in mind?

Something like this jeep?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeIYiXvcgBk

 

[DaiSan76]

Something like this jeep?

More like this F100 front axle.

 

[OzFab]

So, basically, an I beam axle. I get the concept, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how you'll attach/suspend it...

 

[exenos]

I would not recommend the solid axle, I had something similar to that on my kart and was always hanging up on stumps/rocks and bending it.

 

[DaiSan76]

So, basically, an I beam axle. I get the concept, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how you'll attach/suspend it...

I'll have pictures this weekend. Basically I am going to make a couple of arms that weld to the axle, and bolt back about 2 feet on the frame, and then I'll have a shock on each side.

This is about as close of a picture I could find for the arms I'm using to connect the axle to the frame.

 

[DaiSan76]

I would not recommend the solid axle, I had something similar to that on my kart and was always hanging up on stumps/rocks and bending it.

Well, I've already built it, so i'm gonna use it, and it's a yard kart, so I shouldn't be running over too many stumps with it.

If I do manage to hit something hard enough to bend it, I think I'll have more problems than a bent axle. It's very solid.

 

[DaiSan76]

Cut all of the crap off the frame I didn't want, and started attaching the front axle. Have I mentioned lately that I love my TIG welder?

 

[TXST8tj]

As a Jeep guy, I really like the idea. I will be watching this one.

Did you give any thought to adding a joint to the axle end to allow a little bit of articulation, or is 'up and down' all you were after?

 

[DaiSan76]

As a Jeep guy, I really like the idea. I will be watching this one.

Did you give any thought to adding a joint to the axle end to allow a little bit of articulation, or is 'up and down' all you were after?

I thought about it, and I may end up doing something to allow it to articulate, but for right now it's just an up-down kind of rig.
I am going to put a bend in that lower....err...traction bar? Not really sure what to call it. But I plan to put a bend into it so that my axle sits more or less plumb at rest. I don't know what having 10 degrees of negative KPI would do to the steering, but I'm sure it would be ugly.

 

[DaiSan76]

Last picture for the day. Got the front end on and ready to put on spindles. A little more grinding and cutting and it'll be time to work on the swing-arm.

 

[exenos]

Are you going to use coil overs or just coils? It could be kinda fun bouncing around with coils

 

[DaiSan76]

Are you going to use coil overs or just coils? It could be kinda fun bouncing around with coils

I have a pair of shocks off of a really old Honda to put on it.

 

[DaiSan76]

Pretty much everything that I want to do right now requires some half inch bolts. Guess I'll have to wait till the baby wakes up for more progress.

 

[DaiSan76]

My plan for steering sucked, so I'm going to have to redo some of it. I'm not going to post pics, because I am ashamed that I thought it would work.

 

[mysteryboy28]

we still want to see - it'll help some of us learn what NOT to do.

 

[exenos]

Could you post a pic of it so we know what not to do? Sometimes mistakes are more useful than successes, especially to other people.

 

[DaiSan76]

I was going for something like this:

But I had too many swiveling joints, and to far between the steering shaft and the axle. It worked fine turning right, when the arm was pulling, but turning left all of my joints turned and flopped and landed in a large steaming pile of fail. I am going to move the steering arm behind the axle, and make another stub arm off of my spindle instead.

 

[mysteryboy28]

joint flop bad.