The Bird Baja revival

[freakincage]

Not long ago, I picked up an old Bird Baja go kart. From factory it had a handle bar for steering and motorcycle controls for throttle and brakes. Long before I got it, someone had removed those controls and convertered it to a steering wheel and foot peddles. All of the bearings need to be replaced and it came with a blown motor and my intent has never been to restore it to original, but rather get it going for my son.

I have a 5hp Briggs that I am using for a power plant, but it came with a carb issue that was remedied with an offshore carb for a small atv. You can read about here. http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25575

Anyway on to the progress. I stripped it down to the bare frame and then removed all of the paint with a wire wheel. Then I went through and rewelded most of the factory welds. I also added a full floor pan and some reinforcing gussets that will also be the bolting surface for a modified automotive shoulder seat belt. The biggest feat so far was modifying the roll bar to accommodate a 3L honda fuel tank. This tank was required because the carb was switched out for a float style.

Next step is to finish cleaning up the welds and spay it with bedliner. Here's some progress pics.

 

[KartFab]

Looks good. I had one like that with a differential axle. 20 series torque converter. Have you figured out brakes yet?

 

[2SlickNick]

I saw one like that on CL for 250. They look awesome.

 

[freakincage]

This one has a differential, but I don't know what kind of condition it's in. Instill can't get the wheels off the axle shaft to move forward that way. As far as brakes, I'm still undecided. I can't get brake bands locally, so I was looking into disc brakes. But with a differential I need to run 2 discs and the cost for that will be close to $150 to do that. Maybe I'll weld the spiders in the diff and make it a live axle with one rear disc.

 

[landuse]

Nice

 

[freakincage]

Not a super productive weekend. I got my garden planted (that's right, I'm so cool I garden. lol), cleaned up the welds on the Bird and sprayed it with 3 rattle cans rubberized rocker panel guard. It was on for $6.49 a can. I think it turned out not too bad. The texture hides the imperfections of the chassis, plus my son wanted it black. The chrome on the steering wheel, steering linkage, bearing carriers and the rims will be a gloss red engine enamel. I want to do a personal touch for him so I plan on doing a center cap of some sort for the steering wheel with his name in the center.

 

[KartFab]

Looks great! I have a garden too. Gardens are awesome! I'm out of town a lot so I bought a drip irrigation system and put it in. Makes having a garden a LOT less maintenance.

 

[freakincage]

Hey everyone. I'm really stuck here. I can't move forward until I get the rear wheels off the axle and for the life of me I can't. The wheels are keyed to the shaft. I have been spraying them everyday for about a week with pb blaster, I've tried heat and a bfh with a 2x4 on the backside of the wheel. I've tried putting the nut back on the shaft and pounding on that. I am totally out of ideas. I've tried pounding the keys with a punch and just end up bending the punches. Im willing to try anything even if it's unorthodox.

Edit: The differential is a Peerless 141B. Would splitting the diff give me any advantage, or just cause me more problems?

 

[OzFab]

Find yourself a mechanic shop with a hydraulic press & ask if the can help you out

 

[freakincage]

I guess I should spilt the diff first then. The axle still has everything on it. Bearings, brake drums, tube spacers, etc. is this going to be problematic in getting the axle shafts out of the diff?

 

[OzFab]

Not necessarily, it depends on the press vs the total width of the axle...

I have no idea how problematic splitting the diff will be because I haven't seen it yet...

 

[freakincage]

Its a Peerless 141B.

 

[OzFab]

That should be easy enough to split if absolutely necessary, simply remove the 4 bolts holding the sprocket in place...

 

[freakincage]

Great. Thanks. Would high speed bearing grease be an acceptable lubricant to use during reassembly? Also, I was thinking of locking the diff the lincolnlocker way, then came across the fozzy locker. Has anyone ever done it? What's your opinion of it? This isn't a high speed build.

 

[itsid]

locking the diff?
I don't get it.. it'd be easier to just get a live axle and use that instead.
where's the benefit over using a live axle?!

'sid

 

[freakincage]

Locking the diff would essentially make it a live axle. The fozzy locker would be completely reversible, if I chose too at a later date. I have to pull the diff apart anyway and since it's apart, this would only take a few minutes, plus it would be free. Otherwise I have to order or make a new axle to get a live set up.

 

[zbuck]

The Kart is looking good, very nice work. But I would have a problem with the gas tank sitting above my head, as I am not a fan in case of roll over of having gasoline all over me. I would have gone the floor pan route with a fuel pump. Can someone increase my knowledge on what is a fozzy locker?

 

[freakincage]

Thanks for the constructive criticism. I chose that location for the fuel tank mainly because it was convenient and simplistic. This kart is for my son and is going to be a a top speed of about 15mph, once I allow it to go that fast. The size of the kart is also deceptive. If a child is driving it and somehow ends up upside down, the cage will protect them, an adult will be on their head.

This is a fozzy locker.
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/Lincoln-Lockers-Fozzy-Locker.htm

 

[itsid]

Fozzy locker means welding shut a few teeth of the smaller gears so that the larger gear cannot move forward.
[EDIT]
ah.. too late again.. should've refreshed that page before typing *gg*
----

And it's indeed reversible.. by buying new smaller gears or recutting the teeth.

but to be fair: locking a diff, still doesn't make it a live axle!
especially the Fozzy method still leaves the limitations of your diff intact;
you can still strip the remaining geartooth of the smaller gears with too much torque, or the maingear even.
since the fozzy method leaves a bit of play it's even more likely to chew the one remaining tooth away than with a working diff.
(since all load is applied to those exact teeth and not spread over all the teeth)

Is it free? yes.. until you want to remove it again, all you have to pay for is a few inches of welding wire..
Finding replacement gears in case you want to return can be a bit of a pain though.

I understand that with a multispeed transmission you'd want to lock the diff portion to keep the benefit of having a four or five speed without having a differential.

But a diff like this ... I see absolutely no benefit at all locking it.

For me that's the same as welding shut the driven unit of your torque converter to keep it from shifting up.
possible.. free... pointless!

Just my few cents though

'sid

 

[freakincage]

The whole reason for possibly welding the diff is to help eliminate the odds of getting stuck in a shallow hole (and possibly run 1 rear disc brake as opposed to 2 discs or band brakes). I get that the fozzy method doesn't make it a live axle but at the same time, it does act more like a live axle in the sense that both axles move together. I saw this used over at http://www.atltf.com/forum. I don't understand though, how would welding the diff solid not make it like a live axle? Thanks again for all the input.