Victa Go Kart By Sylvaner

[sylvaner]

Hey guys, so after a bit of research I finally started my kart!
First I brought a 160cc Victa lawnmower of Ebay for $10.
I did a full rebuilt including replacing the rings and boring out the heads.
I then went down to my local go kart shop and purchased a second hand 62 pin sprocket along with a brand new 12 pin clutch.
Now that I have the measurements of the clutch that needed mounting I lathed a piece of steel so it screwed into the engine and pinned onto the clutch.
I'll upload some pics as I go.
I then started the frame, the measurements are 1800mm x 460mm so it is nice and long in case i want a bigger motor in the future.
I have started the steering as you can see in my youtube videos and later on I will upload a video of the engine running.
Anyway stay tuned and it should come together pretty
http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvaner01
soon
Jack

 

[sylvaner]

These are some pics so far

 

[brendonv]

Its getting there man. Nice job. Only thing im worried about is that key coming out. The keyway is all the way and more like a slit so the key may fall through. Probably wont as im sure ur not stupid and have made it so it doesnt but might be a thing u might think about.

Cant wait to see this baby running. I need to get some fuel so i can test mine out as well with the new piston n cylinder in it.

 

[sylvaner]

When the clutch is screwed into the that mount there is no way the key is going to fall out, i am also going to drill a hole into the mount so the screws for the clutch actually screw into the mount as well.
I have started the engine with the clutch and it doesn't look unstable at all so it should be OK =D

Also in the pictures it may look like the keyway i cut out goes all the way through the mount but it only goes all the way through at the end because when i lathed it I did it at an angle so it fits snug with the angled engine, here I'll show you what i mean.
Its almost like a cut out a V in the inside

 

[brendonv]

ahhh i see.

 

[sylvaner]

Hey guys, just an update on my kart so far.

I just finished some of the steering.
I got a 30mm solid round bar of steel and drilled a hole into it to weld to the frame so the bolt could thread through it.
It turned out really nice and with a bit of lubricant the steering will be light and smooth.

All i need to do now is weld on the bolts for the wheels to bolt onto but so far its looking nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZPFkuFAiJg
http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvaner01#p/u

 

[Jdominique]

You might have a problem with the steering. Check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_steering_geometry

 

[sylvaner]

Thanks mate, I'll change it now =D only tacked the welds just in case i ran into this problem.
Cheers.

 

[sylvaner]

Hows it going guys, just a super quick update on the kart.
Today I decided to go to the bolt store to grab a couple of metric 16mm bolts for the wheels.

I welded it all up today and this is the outcome =D
I'm very happy with it so far and can't wait to get some metal so i can start on the steering shaft and wheel.

Also I made sure the wheel bolts were long enough just in case i had to upgrade in the future so they're 120MM long.

PS I hate stick welding sooooooo much.. please find me a cheap mig welder in Melbourne =D

 

[Kenny_McCormic]

You will learn to love stick welding.

 

[brendonv]

What sticks are u using? I got 2.5mm SaturnCraft13's made by cigweld. U can get em at supercheap auto and i think bunnings sell em too. Get the 2.5kg pack. Ive been using them for about 3 months now and i think there real nice. I hated stick welding for ages, its only till now that i start to like it. Its real good for welding in tight places as u only need to fit in the stick and not a massive "glue gun". It takes a while to get use too but u will get it soon.

Btw, i tested my new and improved victa kart today and its awesome. Ur gonna be real happy with urs. It has awesome acceleration and pretty good torque actually. I reckon it probs outputs between 4 and 5hp. I put some proper brakes on mine today (pedal brake) it works great. So much better braking with a pedal rather than a hand brake. Well have fun!

 

[sideways]

It looks like you have reverse ackerman steering? (So the outside wheel will turn in more than the inside one, which is bad) Il explain more once I get to a computer (im saying this on the internet on my phone).

Good luck with your project! Long live victa karts! Lol

Hayden

 

[modelengineer]

It looks like you have reverse ackerman steering? (So the outside wheel will turn in more than the inside one, which is bad)

My kart uses reverse ackerman on purpose... it REALLY helps handling on dirt, but on tarmac it means you can barely turn at all.

 

[sylvaner]

What sticks are u using? I got 2.5mm SaturnCraft13's made by cigweld. U can get em at supercheap auto and i think bunnings sell em too. Get the 2.5kg pack. Ive been using them for about 3 months now and i think there real nice. I hated stick welding for ages, its only till now that i start to like it. Its real good for welding in tight places as u only need to fit in the stick and not a massive "glue gun". It takes a while to get use too but u will get it soon.

Btw, i tested my new and improved victa kart today and its awesome. Ur gonna be real happy with urs. It has awesome acceleration and pretty good torque actually. I reckon it probs outputs between 4 and 5hp. I put some proper brakes on mine today (pedal brake) it works great. So much better braking with a pedal rather than a hand brake. Well have fun!

YOUR A LEGEND!
I went to Bunnings today and brought some 2.5mm ones, pack of 50 for $17.98 and their awesome!
Its so much easier to weld with smaller sticks.
Thanks mate!

 

[sylvaner]

UPDATE! New axle!

Hey guys!
So after taking advice from everybody about the axle I had before I decided to upgrade.
You may remember my post "Go kart axle strong enough?" from a few weeks back

Anyway, Modelengineer recomended:

"Just a piece of precision ground high tensile steel makes a perfect live axle which will fit in bearings perfectly. No need to lathe anything, unless you want to thread the ends. If you have a milling machine, or an angle grinder and a steady hand, you can make keyways in the axle."

After taking his advice I checked out how much the steel would cost me and set out on an engineering factory hunt.
I found one place and asked if I could show him my axle plan, so off I went.
Oh, btw I forgot to mention the guy who made the axle for me ended up giving me the meterial and doing the whole thing for free!
Turns out my high school teacher taught him when he went to tech school hahaha!
oh and its not 4140 steel, its 4145 which should be strong enough.
Thanks.

After about 30 mins on the lathe it was done and here are the results.
Ps, There is still a key way that needs to be cut out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvaner01

 

[dan]

looks sweet should work nice

 

[sylvaner]

G'day guys, just a little update on the go kart.
Today I made the steering, picked up the bearings and bearing blocks and attached them to the frame.
Please let me know on how I am going so far, I know the steering is a little dodgy but I will try to fix it up as I go on.

Here are a few pics, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvaner01

 

[brendonv]

I dont see the pics.

 

[sylvaner]

I dont see the pics.

Lol that's because I accidentally clicked submit reply instead of upload pics XD try now

 

[brendonv]

very nice. That kart frame looks very familiar. XD (hint hint: mine)