Project Orange Krate: formally manco american express duraforce

[rwd4evr]

(FOR ANYONE READING THIS,I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THIS KART WAS A MANCO AMERICAN EXPRESS. IT IS A SEARS ORANGE KRATE WHICH IS MADE BY MANCO AND IS VERY SIMILAR. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION)

Ok, its officially on now! I've done most of the design work and brainstorming. I have the majority of the parts i need collected. My first real fabrication was done tonight into morning and i have machined an intake adapter to run a 26mm chinese walboro copy carb on my lawnboy duraforce motor. Its a 141cc two stroke rated at 6.5 horsepower stock with a tiny crappy plastic carb, for those who are not familiar. i'm hoping for 8.5 to 10 H.P. with carb, increased compression and eventually an expansion chamber exahust, maybe more. The intake turns the carb 90 degrees to work properly as it is a bowl type carb. I still have to shape the inside to of the adapter to port match the square intake port. I hope to fire the motor on a stand as soon as i make an exhaust flange and weld up a pipe to it. Motor mount/jackshaft assembley fabrication will be next on the list. I'll be running belt drive from the motor to a jackshaft with the centifugal clutch on it, if all works as planned i will have a two speed belt drive with a hand shifter. If not i may have to run twin same size pulleys with the v belts if slippage is an issue.
My real camera is not working properly, and my phone camera wont send out pics right now so sorry for the lack of/poor quality pics for a bit. I'm also busy with other stuff so It won't be worked on every day. My goal is to have it running and bugs worked out before winter, then pull the motor and do some port work and refresh the internals while its cold. Check in once in a while and hopefully i'll have some good pics. Camera issues will be resolved.

 

[landuse]

oops i started this same thread in the wrong section. time to sleep i think! stay tuned here!

I have deleted your other thread. Welcome to the forum

 

[rwd4evr]

exhaust flange made from an old disc brake pad, 1 3/4" 90 degree bend exhaust pipe to go straight out the back. just about ready to find out if this carb is gonna work!

 

[Orange Krate]

Are you using the pad material as the gasket? Sounds pretty clever!

 

[Havoc7991]

I also have an upcoming project for a duratec. Would like to see how you built the intake and the tuned exhaust.

 

[Russ2251]

I also have an upcoming project for a duratec. Would like to see how you built the intake and the tuned exhaust.

A Ford Focus engine?

 

[rwd4evr]

no i didn't use the brake material for a gasket. didn't think welding on asbestos would be good. pad was from my 64 mercedes, so i'm sure it was asbestos ridden. not quite a tuned pipe but enough to start it.

 

[rwd4evr]

i'll get some pics of the intake completed when i have to pull the carb again. its 1 inch thick high molecular weight polyethylene. turned it on my lathe and port matched it to the carb and intake with a dremel and files. i used cap head bolts and countersunk them into the intake.

 

[rwd4evr]

russ, have you wound your cart all the way out to full rpm capabilities? what will it turn if so?

 

[rwd4evr]

mwha ha ha ha ha! its alive! alive! fired up on the second pull with a little throttle. adjusted the idle circuit and idle speed screw to a nice burbley idle. after that it fires first half of a pull. unfortunately my fake tiny tach that worked fine a couple months ago is having screen problems, so no rpm numbers. this thing is LOUD! especially since i'm in my basement. sounds like dirt bike. i threw a silencer from a quad i had laying around on it and it helped but it makes a ton of noise out the intake anyway, gotta get an air filter for it. so far the four stroke carb doesn't seem to mind its new home, we'll see after its under load. i'm gonna see about casting a new bowl for it ,with a flat spot on the bottom to adapt an adjustable main jet to it. i got a video of it but my touch screen is FUBAR and won't let me send it to my verizon page to post it. i'll get one on asap. now i have to make the mount/jackshaft assembly. love the accomplishing steps in a project feeling!

 

[Russ2251]

russ, have you wound your cart all the way out to full rpm capabilities? what will it turn if so?

At this point it is an unanswerable question.
I cannot wind out either of my karts under current conditions as parking lot is just too small.
I'm just dying to take them out onto the open road.
There's a lot of cops in my area as my work place is situated along 2 major thoroughfares. Can't take the chance.
Here is all I can do (more or less) at this point:

 

[rwd4evr]

i've come to a design problem, because i was going to use v belts and step pulleys on my jackshaft between 2.5 and 4 inches i am afraid i may have slippage issues. has any one run a single v belt from motor to jack shaft? the clutch and axle are 5 to 1 ratio so that should make it easier on the belts, but i'm not sure the step pullets will handle the power either. so i figured v ribbed belts would be better, they handle small diameter pulleys much better and are rated for two horsepower per rib in my smallest diameter size needed. six rib (serpentine belt type) belt should be good. i will have to cast or turn the pulleys though. if you've run belts you can throw in your expirences or opinions here.

 

[rwd4evr]

i've decided to go with v ribbed belts. alternator pulleys of between 2 and 3 inches will be machined and welded to a one inch bore shaft coupler. under, direct and overdrive, depending which belt is tensioned. a coulple frame changes will be happening too. convert to a narrow steering hoop and raise the wheel and shaft a bit for comfort. i may replace the steering shaft with bearings and correct ackerman. found a broken weld behind the seat to fix too.

 

[rushking19]

So you are trying to do something like this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1ETJey1MQGQ

 

[Doc Sprocket]

So you are trying to do something like this

Yep- That's Russ2251, our resident LB guru!

I'm watching this one closely, nice work so far! My own DuraForce is sitting in mothballs waiting for a frame to come along. I figure that since a fair amount of work will have to go into getting the engine to work for this purpose, I don't want to overcomplicate things by engineering a frame, too.

Is that a Mikuni carb you're using? I was thinking to either use one of those, or maybe a Keihin. Keihin's are used a lot on Honda bike engines, so I should be able to nail one down pretty cheaply and easily. Depending on jet availability, I may go Mikuni after all.

If your 3-speed belt-tensioner tranny works out, you should detail it in a separate thread. Members are constantly inquiring about the feasibility of a multiple-speed tensioner system.

 

[rushking19]

I know I saw his account. He shaved down the head and eventhing

 

[newrider3]

Nope, that video is from Kibble, he hasn't been active on here in quite a while. Don't think he ever finished his conversion.

 

[Russ2251]

Nope, that video is from Kibble, he hasn't been active...

I have not heard from him in a while. I do know he got married which (apparently) ended his Lawn-Boy endeavor.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

My bad- Sorry fellas! Thought t'was Russ. Oops.

 

[rwd4evr]

if it works properly i'm going to file for a patent on the shifter. i'll post details after that. you can all copy it for yourself but i'm always looking for extra cash making endevors.