Spiderbox Project Thread

[Pripyat]

I just picked up a project Spiderbox. It's been sitting a year but supposedly runs.

Previous owner was driving the thing like this:

The washer is tack welded in place to keep the spindle attached. I have ordered Heims and will get those installed soon. This thing needs a LOT of TLC. It really needs a new wiring harness as the connectors on the rear are brittle and I really don't want to chase preventable electrical demons. I may just remove all connectors and solder everything..

I have some 19x7x8 wheels for the front but I'm still working out what I'm going to do about the spindles. Suggestions welcome.

The rear has mismatched tires. One is an 18" and the other is the stock 20". I'm going to order new rears soon and really want to put a 22 on the rear but am looking for some feedback before I pull the trigger. The rears I'm considering (on the stock rim) are "2 New WANDA ATV Tires 22X11-8 4PR P322 Dimple Knobby - 10026". They are on amazon for $90. If they scrub the frame I will just get spacers.

I'm fairly mechanically inclined and am really looking forward to this project. Thanks in advance for any useful feedback or kind words!

[Edit] The seller mentioned that there was an exhaust leak but didn't say anything about a broken stud.. sigh

 

[Pripyat]

Parts are trickling in. This is going to cost about twice what I was originally expecting. A buggy really isn't useful where I will be riding without a moderate amount of ground clearance with largish tires. Lots of bottomless loose sand, deep ruts from ATVs, tall (3") roots across trails.

I've got the 4on110mm rims with Chinese ATV hubs but the hubs are incompatible with the 5/8" spindle on the Yerf Dog. Options are to buy new bearings for the cheesy Chinese hubs or get the hubs off BD for $35 each. I'll likely end up ordering the ones off BD since I'll spend $25 per Chinese hub on bearings.

I really want to pick up a 39t drive sprocket but can't find one cheaper than $35. I can get a 35t for 25 shipped so I'm having a hard time justifying the cost difference. Anyone know of a cheaper source for 39t other than BD or maybe there is a different sprocket that can be drilled to work?

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

I'm not specifically aware of the rear axle set-up on these karts. Can you take a picture or describe it?

 

[Pripyat]

I'll get a picture for you when I get a moment with the cart. For now the only info I have on the stock sprocket is:

#530 Drive Sprocket
Bolt Circle: 3-1/8"
Inner Diameter: 2 1/4" (58mm)
Eye to Eye: 3-3/16" (80mm)

But that really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If bolt circle dimension is the diameter of the circle that intersects the center of the 4 holes then eye-to-eye should be equal to bolt circle if measuring across the sprocket. If it is measuring from one hole to the next it would actually be 2.2097".
Example:

So I'm really not sure what the hole spacing actually is without pulling mine.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

Pythagorean theorem. < learn it

 

[Pripyat]

Don't bring a dead guy's opinions on shapes into this.

How is eye to eye a different value (by 1/16") than bolt circle?

 

[Pripyat]

I can't get over how bound the control arms on this buggy were. Three of them I soaked in Kroil overnight after I put an impact wrench on them to get them spinning. I then beat on them with a hammer and couldn't get three of them to budge. It took my body weight over top of a pneumatic hammer to get them to (slowly) back out. Unbelievable.

I want to add a grease fitting if possible but the only way I see to do that would be to cut a notch in the bolt which I really don't want to do. All four appear to be bent. As I would rotate the bolt the control arm would gyrate.. Plan on replacing them at minimum.

 

[Pripyat]

Cut the holes for the Heims today. Most the threads I looked at had image hosting issues so I am adding some detail in case it may help someone in the future.

Started off with a cut-off disc and made three slices.

I followed up with a flap disc. It doesn't remove much material at all and it makes it really easy to remove the welds without removing any extra material from the tubing.

Bolted the drill press and the vise down and drilled the holes to 7/8". I wanted to go 1/32 smaller but I could only get a 7/8 for free (loaner).

I plan to tack the bungs exactly where I want them with the MIG welder and have someone with more experience finish up.

My tires for the rear came in so I started cleaning up the wheels. Had I known they were this rusted I would have just gotten different wheels/hubs. This is half wire-brushed:

 

[Mr. Spindle]

Good work. For the broken stud, you can get a left handed drill bit and your drill should pull it right out.

 

[Pripyat]

I did some discovery the other day. Pulled muffler off and took some pictures to figure out what was going on..

Stud appears to just be missing. I planned on epoxying (industrial, devcon) a new stud. That has worked well for me in the past. Buying a timesert kit will put me back $75. If the epoxy fails I can always drill it and time sert it later.

 

[anickode]

Those rims look like a sandblast job to me. But to me, every job looks like justification to buy a tool I don't yet have. Honey, I need to spend $1000 on a new compressor and a sandblaster to restore these wheels that would cost me $100 to replace

It's a good way to build up a nice arsenal.

 

[Pripyat]

I had some loctite rust neutralizer sitting on a shelf. Gave the wheels a proper dousing. Interested to see how it works. I would love to get a sandblaster but they make too much of a mess..

 

[anickode]

I had some loctite rust neutralizer sitting on a shelf. Gave the wheels a proper dousing. Interested to see how it works. I would love to get a sandblaster but they make too much of a mess..

A harbor freight floor standing blast cabinet, plus a dust deputy kit from amazon makes for a very nice entry-level blasting setup. Those dust deputy cyclones are phenomenal and relatively inexpensive. No mess, and no clogged shop vacs.

Using a more robust abrasive like aluminum oxide also helps. It breaks down much slower so it doesn't reduce itself to dust nearly as quickly.

 

[bob58o]

Not familiar with these karts....

39 tooth sprocket? #530?

What kind of engine is powering this thing?

Since you want 22" tires, we should probably discuss how much torque your engine is making and the gear ratio you plan to run.

 

[gman3850]

These karts use a 2stage gear ratio. So 39tooth is what people run in these karts for torque. Can't wait to see the arms when finished.

 

[Pripyat]

I've already done some quick math.

Circumference is just pi*d so going from 20 to 22 is a 10% increase.

So if we just look at mph seen on the cart and forget the heavier tires, better traction, etc. I will need to go lower in the gearing by 10%. Stock gearing is a 31t rear. 10% would make it a 34.1.

I have two reasons for not going to a 35t.
a) I have kids (15-16) who will be riding the kart off-road on ATV trails and they do not need any extra speed. Also they will be riding in pairs (heavy) and I believe a 39t will be kinder to the transmission.
b) I have read countless threads where people with stock tires benefited from going to the 35t in regards to climbing inclines.

 

[Pripyat]

This is going to be slow going. I've got a bunch of other stuff eating up my time and working on the kart is basically neglecting other more important tasks.

The rubber boot that goes from the filter box to the carb is hardened and isn't making a good seal at the carb. I already have UNI's on all my other toys so I'll put one on the spiderbox, too. Will I have to change jetting with just a filter upgrade? Also, anyone have a part number for the correct UNI filter?

 

[bob58o]

Normally the exhaust is more restrictive that the airbox so, if keeping the stock exhaust you might not have to change jets.

I believe what you say about the sprocket, I guess I was wondering about the teeth count on the other three sprockets and still wondering what engine it has.

 

[gman3850]

Filter kit
http://www.buggydepot.com/product/64/high-flow-uni-air-filter-kit-w-16oz-oil.html#&ui-state=dialog

 

[Pripyat]

WHYYYY

So one tire is an 18" off a golf kart. The previous owner told me he put it on since the 20" wouldn't hold air.

The other wheel came off fine - hub and all. This one the hub is seized up on the axle. Won't budge for anything. Rubber hammered it, also soaked it in kroil.

I go to take the rim off the hub and apparently the guy used his impact wrench to put the bolts on. One bolt rounded off and another is stripped on the stud a few turns out.

You can see the thread sticking out.. lol