Modifying Car trannies for Go-karts?

[BAM]

How hard would it be modify a car transmission (specifically a 91 Honda civic) to work for a go kart? It seems like it would be rather complex but there may be some loop-hole I don't know of. Or how crazy would it be to fit a small cars engine in a buggy of some sort? Could that even work?

 

[B.M.800]

As long as you have a motor that has the power to turn the trans, and then enough to move the kart...

We have some old ford model a or something transmissions, the motor they linked to had somewhere from 20-60hp I think... one of these days....

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Waaay, waaaay too heavy and bulky for a kart!

 

[sideways]

A mate of mine built this, it uses a car gearbox with a pulley tensioner clutch. He simply ground the shaft on the gearbox down (with and angle grinder!) so the pulley would fit, he then cut a key way in it(again, with an angle grinder!). It works well, that little tractor will pull a ton easily. That engine is just a little 8HP Honda.

Don't use the model A gearbox, it probably weighs more than the kart! It'd be very inefficient. They've got a torque tube too so your life would be hell trying to make it work.

 

[Cam]

If you take the bellhousing off a rear wheel drive (and a few front wheel drive ) gearboxes they become fairly compact, not as much to fit on your pocket, but compact enough i would think for a large go kart, or tractor.

BG civic? gearboxes are relatively small, i would be after a toyota e series gearbox because it has shifter cables rather than shifter linkage, out of an e80, e90, e100, ae92, ae86, or a small nissan rearwheel drive box, say an L20, GA, SR code engine.

The mounting and shaft work is simple, just takes time, and the great thing about front wheel dirve gearboxes is that you could plonk it between the back wheels, and run the axle off the diff.

It all can be done, it just whether you have the time and money.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

car engine in a small buggy wouldnt be very hard, pull the whole front end out of your civic (transaxle, control arms, hubs, cvs, engine, struts, etc) and mount it backwards in the back of your buggy. and there you go now all u have to do is design a front end (vw bug front ends work great for buggies).

 

[Doc Sprocket]

pull the whole front end out of your civic and mount it backwards in the back

Ummm- Then you'd be driving in reverse, no? I would think you'd want to mount it facing forward in the back of your buggy!

 

[bighead]

Ummm- Then you'd be driving in reverse, no? I would think you'd want to mount it facing forward in the back of your buggy!

A friend of mine built a sand rail with 455 Olds tornado front wheel drive in the back of the rail.

 

[B.M.800]

Don't use the model A gearbox, it probably weighs more than the kart! It'd be very inefficient. They've got a torque tube too so your life would be hell trying to make it work.

Actually, what we have isnt really all that heavy, and Im sure I find a 200hp or so engine around here, maybe a /6, 318, 360, 383... maybe a Hemi... lol

No need for that, Ive got a jeep I can play around with... later.