Old Rupp kart build

[ZachRabbit]

hello all, so my family's had this kart for a long time, a few years, i don't really remember how we got it, i think we got it for free or in a trade for some things a friend of my dad needed, but i believvveee based on the wheels and the look in pictures i've googled, i have an old Rupp go kart (or at least i have some Rupp wheels), and someone has mounted a Tecumseh 5.5hp motor on it at one point.

maybe someone on here can tell me more about this kart if it's not a completely homemade jobby. I'd like to acquire a 65 Corvette body for it. the wheels would go perfect.

i'm doing a little bit of cutting and things while i wait on parts. here are the pics, if these are too dark lemme know (cell phone pics :/ ) --

as you may be able to see, this kart is pretty rough. haha. it was driveable for a while then we just ended up parking it because the throttle and brakes were so screwed up... then it sat forever... and now the engine is locked up.

Rupp wheels?

a picture of the mickey mouse lookin brake system... 6" rotor....the caliper kinda looks like a potato chip bag clip, lol

brakes are effed up, going to redo those correctly

i'm pretty sure we had a death wish with this.... throttle cable rubbing tightly against the frame... gonna fix that for sure.

Tecumseh ENDURO XL 5.5hp, what it was supposed to look like (and it did at one time while we have owned it):

what the motor looks like now, taken apart. it's locked up SUPER tight. anyone have any suggestions for this? i'm putting PB Blaster in the cylinder right now and letting it sit... any better suggestions? or is this thing toast?

clutch?.....yyyyyeah. dead. flops around like a hot dog.

now for the happy part.... some of the restoration process:
cleaned up the insides of the lips on the wheels:

anyone got any suggestions on polishing these out? i'd like to get as shiny and as much reflection as possible

painted up the pull start with some gloss black epoxy paint, installed a brand new Prime Line pull rope:

things on the schedule yet to fix:
-needs new tires.... i think i'm going to wait on that.... they're expensive.... and i'm cheap
-the motor.... anyone have any suggestions? if not i need a cheap motor (my uncle probably has one)
-front wheel bearings (possibly back ones too, just to refresh)
-tie rods are bent
-needs a steering wheel (1 3/8" hub)
-chain is SUPER stiff and rusty (probably just get a new one)
-needs a seat
-and much, much more... stay tuned.


parts coming:
-new brake caliper & pads
-new brake rod hardware
-going out to get rods for the tie rods and brake rod
-throttle cable
-skateboard bearings (you'll see what those are for)
-new front wheel bearings
more to come

 

[B.M.800]

Im no genius on this stuff... but, if your engine is seized up just from sitting you ought to be able to get it running again... OR, I guess you could get one from Harbor Freight?

Correct me if Im wrong...

 

[ZachRabbit]

see that's what i wanna know.
as for a new motor, i'll just clean up a used one.
for now i'm putting some PB Blaster in and letting it soak for a long, long time. like a week or better.

but worst comes to worst i'll just find a running vertical motor on Craigslist, or my uncle probably has a few.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

vertical? no. you dont want a vertical. you CAN run them on their side, but you need to put lots of parts into the engine (oil slingers etc) and still it may not work right.

your from usa, right? heard of harbor freight?
http://www.harborfreight.com/65-hp-horizontal-shaft-overhead-valve-gas-engine-66014.html

(however it might be a shame to put a clone onto a nice vintage american kart....)

also, check out this...
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=28-1740&catname=engines

if the pb blaster doesnt do the job... i would lightly tap it with a hammer. it could scratch up the cylinder, but as a last resort, you can force it out and hone the cyl.
new rings and possibly piston would be needed.

if you think your clutch isnt saveable, match up your chain to a chart (google go kart chain sizes) and get a hillard clutch off amazon for $30.

what paint are you gonna use? i reccomend POR 15.... the starter kit is $20 (google por 15) and it should cover your frame there. the stuff is great... stops rust... and looks great too.
heres the por 15 link
http://www.advanced-rust-protection...een=PROD&Product_Code=SSK&Category_Code=POR15

good luck on this kart... looks nice... ill check back on ur progress!

 

[B.M.800]

PB seemed to do it for me...atleast a little bit. the piston it loose, I can move slightly with my hand. Before I couldnt...
But like I said, Im no genius...
Put a piece of wood in there, helps soften the blow a bit.

I like the wheels on it, they look cool.

 

[Russ2251]

Trans fluid.

 

[ZachRabbit]

1.) vertical? no. you dont want a vertical. you CAN run them on their side, but you need to put lots of parts into the engine (oil slingers etc) and still it may not work right.

2.) your from usa, right? heard of harbor freight?
http://www.harborfreight.com/65-hp-horizontal-shaft-overhead-valve-gas-engine-66014.html

(however it might be a shame to put a clone onto a nice vintage american kart....)

also, check out this...
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=28-1740&catname=engines

3.) if the pb blaster doesnt do the job... i would lightly tap it with a hammer. it could scratch up the cylinder, but as a last resort, you can force it out and hone the cyl.
new rings and possibly piston would be needed.

4.) if you think your clutch isnt saveable, match up your chain to a chart (google go kart chain sizes) and get a hillard clutch off amazon for $30.

5.) what paint are you gonna use? i reccomend POR 15.... the starter kit is $20 (google por 15) and it should cover your frame there. the stuff is great... stops rust... and looks great too.
heres the por 15 link
http://www.advanced-rust-protection...een=PROD&Product_Code=SSK&Category_Code=POR15

6.) good luck on this kart... looks nice... ill check back on ur progress!

1.) i meant horizontal, haha, brain fart

2.) yeah i looked at harbor freight's prices. i'll probably just find a used one and if it runs, fix the leaks if any and paint it up.

3.) yeah i planned on finding a metal or wood dowel to tap on it with. i work at O'Reilly Auto Parts, so a piston and ring kit for it shouldn't be that much for me.

4.) yeah it's toast, it's reallllllly rusty, and floppy. i think i'd be better off pulling it and putting a fresh one on.

5.) haha, the funny part is, i have some POR15 for another project i had (now selling it, it's a VW Rabbit... getting a Corrado instead) and there's more than enough to cover the whole frame + the bottom of the Corrado if i wanted to. i have a quart of it.

6.) thanks a lot! it's definitely a good start, and i plan on doing it up pretty decent. my brother thinks i'm crazy for spending money on it, but why not? it's definitely less expensive than tricking out a car. lol.

updates in an hour or so..... going to go visit my dad, he's in the ICU at the hospital here

 

[ZachRabbit]

Trans fluid.

i would need to flush it out after that, right?

 

[Russ2251]

Just pour off any residual.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

1.) i meant horizontal, haha, brain fart

2.) yeah i looked at harbor freight's prices. i'll probably just find a used one and if it runs, fix the leaks if any and paint it up.

3.) yeah i planned on finding a metal or wood dowel to tap on it with. i work at O'Reilly Auto Parts, so a piston and ring kit for it shouldn't be that much for me.

4.) yeah it's toast, it's reallllllly rusty, and floppy. i think i'd be better off pulling it and putting a fresh one on.

5.) haha, the funny part is, i have some POR15 for another project i had (now selling it, it's a VW Rabbit... getting a Corrado instead) and there's more than enough to cover the whole frame + the bottom of the Corrado if i wanted to. i have a quart of it.

6.) thanks a lot! it's definitely a good start, and i plan on doing it up pretty decent. my brother thinks i'm crazy for spending money on it, but why not? it's definitely less expensive than tricking out a car. lol.

updates in an hour or so..... going to go visit my dad, he's in the ICU at the hospital here

hope your dad gets better.

also- another idea. get some metal polish and get those rims looking great. then, sell them on ebay and make $$$$$$$.

then you can get some money back hopefully for an engine or parts to fix/soup up your tecumseh...

 

[ZachRabbit]

hope your dad gets better.

also- another idea. get some metal polish and get those rims looking great. then, sell them on ebay and make $$$$$$$.

then you can get some money back hopefully for an engine or parts to fix/soup up your tecumseh...

thanks i really appreciate it. it was surreal seeing him in there because i always see him going and going and going like the energizer bunny, even when he's sick. he needs to rest.
he just had surgery.

well i have some metal polish and SOFFFFT 0000 steel wool i bought, along with a buffing applicator, so hopefully i can get em shiny. well i don't really wanna sell em, they're fine. i don't mind spending the money really, it's not bad i'm finding things for cheap.

 

[ZachRabbit]

bought some supplies....and some i had lying around

-1/4" x 48" rod (brake rod, stubs for pedal stops)
-3/8" x 36" rod (was going to be tie rods but it's too big for my eyelets, gotta take it back and get 5/16"
-steel wool
-polish applicator pads
-springs for pedal return springs (will use later)
-paint/rust removers with drill bit mounts
-Krylon fusion clearcoat
-Blue Magic metal polish
-graphite lube (will use later)
-PB Blaster
-1/4-20 bolts and nylon lock nuts (will use later)
-seatbelt (safety first! )

 

[ZachRabbit]

Just pour off any residual.

i'll try that if the PB doesn't work, thank you very much for the suggestion

anyway..... time to get some work done!

 

[Cam]

Use a bit of 2 by 2 wood on top of the piston and hit that, then you wont scratch the bore blue, we freed up a bsa stationary engine that had been itting for over 20 years with water in the bore, this will be a piece of cake, russ has the right way about it, transfluid works very well make sure you leave it for a decent period so it seeps into the rings and free's them up.

 

[ZachRabbit]

so i'm trying to clean up these rims.... i'm using a fine steel wool and PB Blaster.... it seems to be working pretty well on the rust that's not really that deep-set.... but there's still some bigger darker patches that need addressed....

anyone got any suggestions? Coca-Cola perhaps? Vinegar?
i have both rim lips coated in PB right now, and sitting upright so a puddle of it is covering the biggest problem area.

it's not really pitted.... just patches of rust. a lot of it's coming off with some vigorous scrubbing

 

[Bluethunder3320]

so i'm trying to clean up these rims.... i'm using a fine steel wool and PB Blaster.... it seems to be working pretty well on the rust that's not really that deep-set.... but there's still some bigger darker patches that need addressed....

anyone got any suggestions? Coca-Cola perhaps? Vinegar?
i have both rim lips coated in PB right now, and sitting upright so a puddle of it is covering the biggest problem area.

it's not really pitted.... just patches of rust. a lot of it's coming off with some vigorous scrubbing

electrolysis?

 

[ZachRabbit]

electrolysis?

wut? haha.

please explain?

i found a site that says if you completely submerg the part in Coca-Cola overnight it should just wipe off... i don't see how it would just "wipe off with a paper towel" but i could see it penetrating the rust maybe.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9832&highlight=electrolysis

 

[ZachRabbit]

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9832&highlight=electrolysis

hmmmm.....maybe i need to find a car battery then.
i think i might get some coke at least for tonight and see how that works out.


by the way, if i brush that POR15 on, will it look okay? i'll be using sponge applicators.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

hmmmm.....maybe i need to find a car battery then.
i think i might get some coke at least for tonight and see how that works out.

yeah give it a shot. i tried coke and it did not do a whole lot but the coke was disgusting after that so it had to do something...