thefarmboy21
New member
So over the past few months I've been keeping my eyes open and picking the brains of my co-workers and Hot Rodder buddies, looking for a suitable go-kart or two for my boys. Amongst the various frames and parts I've acquired over the summer are these two vintage karts. One appears to be most like a Dart/Rupp but there are some things that just don't match the pictures I find. I have yet to find an identical match. It appears to be early-mid 60's. The second kart has clearly been hacked on to some extent and I thought it was homemade.....BUT then I found a manufacturer sticker with what appears to possibly be a serial number. It's coated in old automotive metallic paint and the sticker underneath is white and black from what I can tell but I can get the paint off without destroying the sticker to figure it out. Anyway it did have two bars that went up and made a square halo around the driver but they're not roll bars. It created about a 2' tall 3'x3' box around the driver and the guy who gave it to me said he thought it used to have a fiberglass car/van body on it at one time, kinda like a Shriner kart. Anyway I had to hack the bars off to get it home, but at the time I thought it was junk.....which it mostly is. But here's some pics if I can get them to load. Anyone got any ideas? I'm mostly interested in the Dart style kart. Also which 5 horse would be the better to "build" thanks.
If you notice, it has an odd gas tank mount on the rear of the seat, the pedals mount in front of the front axle to the "bumper" however the bumper doesn't have that rise in the middle like all the Darts I've seen do, it's just a flat hoop. Also the steering tower is a big uncomfortable A shape like the early 60's darts. There is a little piece of tube welded underneath the wheel and the wheel/shaft are mounted above the steering tower. The steering wheel and rear wheels seem pretty vintage. Also, notice that behind the seat doesn't have a solid plate, it's just a 4" wide strap that runs top to bottom for the seat back to mount to. Underneath the frame is open under the seat and under the stainless floorboard.
Here's some pics of the second kart:
Its clearly been hacked on, it's got those huge mower tires on it, a total homemade rear axles and the guides for the linkage rods are nuts welded to the frame.
The motor on the old junky Kart is an old grey'ish 5hp Briggs with the Carb/tank combo with metal gas cap. The red one came with the Dart looking Kart....it runs good. Looks just like the one on my tiller.
If you notice, it has an odd gas tank mount on the rear of the seat, the pedals mount in front of the front axle to the "bumper" however the bumper doesn't have that rise in the middle like all the Darts I've seen do, it's just a flat hoop. Also the steering tower is a big uncomfortable A shape like the early 60's darts. There is a little piece of tube welded underneath the wheel and the wheel/shaft are mounted above the steering tower. The steering wheel and rear wheels seem pretty vintage. Also, notice that behind the seat doesn't have a solid plate, it's just a 4" wide strap that runs top to bottom for the seat back to mount to. Underneath the frame is open under the seat and under the stainless floorboard.
Here's some pics of the second kart:
Its clearly been hacked on, it's got those huge mower tires on it, a total homemade rear axles and the guides for the linkage rods are nuts welded to the frame.
The motor on the old junky Kart is an old grey'ish 5hp Briggs with the Carb/tank combo with metal gas cap. The red one came with the Dart looking Kart....it runs good. Looks just like the one on my tiller.
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