my rat roadster....... RIPTIDE

[DMCdesign]

after much discussion and debate, I have decided to build a rat rod from my existing frame. I will post pics of how it should look when my internet comes back in business.

 

[DMCdesign]

here is how it should look like........



I will salvage some composite aluminium that goes 40 in by 80 in and a few sheets of fiberglass from my local scrapyard. my bucket should be something like 26 in wide and 40 in long. the regular welder can weld aluminium, right?

 

[Jparks54]

Mig can with a spool gun and corect wire

 

[mckutzy]

If you regular welder is a TIG. There is a aluminum stick rod out there, but it isnt like steel at all.
The fact you are asking such a question, brings the question of how much welding experience do you have with welding aluminum(in any process).

You should just stick to steel as it is much easier to weld and the cost is much different.

 

[DaiSan76]

Aluminum is hard to weld. If you haven't done it, you will need extensive practice before you do structural welds.

 

[KartFab]

you can mig, stick, or tig weld aluminum. You need the right equipment and configuration and most importantly SKILL. If you don't have either, dont try to weld together anything on the kart, practice and find out what your equipment is capable of doing first. (preferred method is mig or tig, its possible to do with stick, but it goes very fast and isn't like welding steel)

 

[fowler]

U are aware that in most cases the bucket is from a wheel barrow

Finding a wheel barrow will be alot easier & cheaper than trying to make one

 

[DMCdesign]

ok. So ill try to source sheet metal, make a solid net cutout and weld it. Finally i will reinforce the inner with fiberglass.

 

[DMCdesign]

just had a mad idea...... how about joining metal engine covers from my wrecked scooter from both sides and customize it to make it a t bucket? till then, feast your eyes on these.........

 

[DMCdesign]

I was thinking of dual exhaust and a full size air filter. any help on the dual exhaust guys?

 

[OzFab]

We can help but, it would help to know what engine you plan to use...

 

[DMCdesign]

a nine horse horz head from a bajaj legend

 

[OzFab]

I don't know how efficient/effective a dual exhaust would be but, I can tell you it will involve some fancy cutting & welding...

I'm assuming you're looking at twin side pipes (hot rod style). If so, you'd probably be best to mount the side pipes & the header pipe, create a Y piece (as opposed to a T), then join the whole lot together making sure both sides are the same length

 

[DMCdesign]

I wanted twin megaphone exhausts jutting out of the engine. The engine has a built in swing arm, so engine mounting should not be an issue and the rear end would get suspension automatically

 

[DMCdesign]

the kart project would have to be put on hold until I can get my blown tranny and the engine running (saying about it....... I got 9th grade and 10th grade ahead,gotta study and all that crap. But one upside is that I would be able to calculate drive ratio and other fundamental physics.). Furthermore, I would mod the E.B for more power

 

[DMCdesign]

Change in design.............

I decided that I would scrap that wheelbarrow bucket and get a better design going on. Right now I will give a teaser of its design-
#white wall 20" tires
#front anti-dive suspension with built in spindles
#crankcase swing arm? (rear suspension)
#twin megaphone exhaust
#tachometer/ speedometer

 

[fowler]

A crank case swing arm
That differant?

 

[DMCdesign]

this is the reason I got the bajaj legend engine. Not only it has a swing arm built into it, it is a 4 stroke geared vintage scooter (no oil in fuel- yay!)

 

[DMCdesign]

my dad says that if the kart is kept front engined, it will have better and centered COG. plus, I got bitten by the hot rod bug! I just love the brilliant blue!

 

[DMCdesign]

got you guys another update....... the engine, after calculating yields around 11 to 15 Nm of torque. pretty torquey right?