My kids go kart, tell me what you think?

[webrx]

Kewl, thanks for the info, the only welding I have ever done was 30+ years ago and it was a stick welder. Since I know how to use (or at least did) one of these, that is probably what I will get for my first "garage" welder. I do like your cart, and creativity, and am looking forward to doing some of this type of build in the near future.

d

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Thanks im glad you like the cart, i am building it around my kids size but i put the high roof on just so i can fit into it and might bring it down a little later, Yeah i have only used stick welder for my home projects as great as a mig would be the added cost is just too much for me and i have looked at the flux core migs and honestly just dont like tham the welds dont realy look that great, I plan got get a newer inverter welding machine there are some on ebay for about $200 including postage and they are good you dont get the rod sticking and the ark strike is more responsive then the old machines, But than again you can pick up an old ark welder 2nd hand for $50 and new cheep one for under $100. But i highly recomend a invertor i found this one for an idea... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ROSSI-200A-i...0443936630?pt=AU_Hardware&hash=item20b31c6776

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Also i use electroncic welding helmets but my last one just broke yesterday and i have been flashing myself left right and center, so also since you have been out the game for so long i thought i might throw that in as well the electric shields are great as far as i'm concerned, The cheep ones can be had for under $50 if u get it online...

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Got the chance to do a bit more work today, just been going over some welds and bracing the roll cage. Pics

 

[landuse]

Thats looking nice. I am maybe thinking of putting a roll cage on my kart. I am going to have to install a harness then.

Have you figured out where you are going to attach your seatbelt or harness. That roll cage is going to be pretty dangerous if you don't have one.

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Yes i am using a plastic chair (It's in the older pics) the chair will be braced to the frame and there will be a a harness built into it. Hopfully i will have the seat done over the next few days so i will post some pics than.

 

[landuse]

Nice! Those polyprop chairs are the best. NoThey don't have any cushioning, but they are comfortable. I have one on my gokart

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Well i actully have an upholstering shop a couple of houses down and i was planing to ask him if he has some foam off cuts i can purchess cheap as i have noticed there is a big pile in the corner and basically cut to shape and glue it down

 

[landuse]

That should be good too

 

[sideways]

I would LOVE to see a twin victa set up on a kart. Russ did it with Lawn Bow mowers (America's Victa), and it screams.

I accept that challenge.

You wont blow a Victa up, the only problems I have ever seen with them is clogged carbies or dead condensors, I have seen A LOT of Victas.

They are limited to 4000 by the governor and to 5000-6000RPM by the ignition system and will do 10000+ with modified ignition. I have heard of 125s turning 14000RPM with standard internals.

You've got no chance of killing one.

A Victa with a good spark plug and a clean carb should start first pull, over the years they get clogged up and never have the spark plug raplaced so naturally, after 40 years they can be a pain to start.

The 125s should already have G3 (metal butterfly style) carbs so no need to replace them, the 160 might have one too. Huge gains are made when replacing the horrible G4 carb, not as much the G3.

Do your 125s have exposed transfer ports and a decompression valve? If they don't, you've got the holy grail of Victas.

Also, Victa never rated the power of their engines, sometimes they provided torque curves on advertisements, from one of those I calculated that a 160cc Utility Victa (horizontal shaft, throttle can only be opened 1/3 to make up for the lack of governor, also had an 8mm thick plate between the head and barrel to lower compression) has just under 4HP, of course, the throttle and lower compression would of limited the power severely. On a mower they feel more powerful than a 6.5HP Briggs.

Good luck with your projects mate, I hope to see twin 125s on the back of that soon. :

Thanks

Hayden

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Yeah thanks for the info not sure about what you meen by exposed ports and i have no idea what the decompression valve looks like But i have had a habit whenever i see old victa mowers i colect tham, Up untill a short while ago i had a yard full of tham and after months of nagging from the lady i took it all to scrap metal including a realy old victa my father inlaw gave to me Later i find out he rebuilt the thing for us without telling me.. but any way the two i have left managed to escape as they where stuffed into my shed one is a corvette 2 identical to this model http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZlZ8e9e8Lw and the 160 is almost identical just a slightly differant pullstart and has 2 Stroke on the front and mitre master delux on the base but yeah both from the mid 60's,
but the go-kart i am building is very small and is designed for children, But the idea is i build a kart so we can go of driving together! I just noticed one of the engines has seised from sitting on a bench with no plug for **** knows how long so for giggles i might pull it apart for inspection a set of rings each

 

[Gillgamesh64]

I don't know if you understood any of that, I must have been tyred or drunk... Anyway i took some pics of the motor and perhaps you can tell me a little about it? Ok pics will not work but i will get back to this i looked at the carby and it is a slide style not a butterfly

 

[Gillgamesh64]

But yeah picking the little things up it just gives me the conception that the idea of it powering a kart is just too good to be true! And also i can only find one of the 125's so i was thinking of coupling a 125 with the 160 assuming they rev the same i don't see why not! but realy to get a second 125 is only a trip to the tip, Last two i got there cost me 5 bucks! I think i will have to start collecting old victa's again as they are easy to come by and also tham old bases go for a decent price at scrap metal (Last drop of mower bases and engine heads made me $400)

Actully i feel a little ashamed of my self for the amount of vintage mowers i have sent to be melted down...

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Than again in my situation i need every peny i can get my hands on!

 

[sideways]

Pm recieved.

Oooooo that's interesting, I've never seen one like that before! Early cases and non-decomp head with exposed transfers barrel. I'd say someone put that barrel on it when they somehow messed up the original one. Should have a bridged transfer barrel I think. Not 100% sure but I think that's a later ignition system too. The ignition system that I think should be on that engine wont limit your revs.

Could also just be a changeover engine from between the MK1 and MK2. Sometimes you do find oddball Victas.

Is the slide carby metal or plastic? (ignore the float bowl, they are nearly always plastic) If it's the metal slide type then that's about as good as it gets. Super rare carby, I've never even seen one. Supposedly better than the G3 too.

Connecting the 125 and 160 could work, I wouldn't bother though. Not worth all the complications.

You need to start collecting Victas again. I wish our tip was like yours, there's never much there, when there is a full crank Victa it's usually jammed under a fridge and holding a whole bunch or crap up! h

No scrapping Victas okay If you must get rid of them, get them running and sell them off.

Thanks

Hayden

 

[Bluethunder3320]

yea, why didnt you sell them?

 

[Gillgamesh64]

The carby is all metal top to bottom and that engine in the pic was seized up when i took it home as i was scraping alloy i took it of the base the barrel is steel so i put it aside than one day i soaked it in fuel and freed it up took the head of and the barrel rings and piston seemed to be in unusually good condition and i stored it away (the only reason it survived) So you are probably rite good chance it is a mix and match some one built, I also have its cover with the tank and it still has feul in it so my guess is it lost spark and was given up on? Yeah no more scraping victas (they have the heaviest cast alloy bases) But realy i had no idea they could be so usefull and will definatly start collecting

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Carby pics