where to buy frame material

[tiremikejr]

I am just trying to find out the best means of buying metal stock for a two seater cart I am planning on builing for my two boys. I have not yet decided on square or round but most likely it will be a mixture of both. I do have a friend which owns a welding and machine shop that I could get it from but last time I did that it seemed to cost me more haha. can I just go to lowes or home depot? plan on using the hf 6.5 hp motor and its for tow six year olds so not a ton of weight.

 

[Greyscale]

yarde.com is a good source. Try "The Drop Zone" for reduced prices.

 

[landuse]

A steel merchant, not a hardware store

 

[tiremikejr]

what thicknesses and such should I go for I guess you could say im a noob if you want haha. I want it strong enough for my boys but not overkill because I want the thing to move haha

 

[Kingofwylietx]

Definitely, don't use a hardware store. I recommend either a steel supply company or an industrial supply company.

If you are the friendly type, let them know it's for your kids go kart project. They will be more likely to give you a better price.

I've found Home Depot and Lowes to be the most expensive places to buy metal stock.

 

[tiremikejr]

i have located a local supplier, i guess i never thought of going strait to them, or i thought in the back of my head they would charge crazy rates for such a small amount of product.

 

[Joe-405]

yeah usually the yards are a 20' minimum sometimes. I hope it works out for you. make sure and update us on progress. we love fresh builds and pics !

 

[firemanjim]

Minimum of .06" wall thickness, maximum of .09"....... Do square for the base, because it's easier to bolt stuff to. Then everything else, use round tube..... 1" in each style, square tube and round tube.

 

[landuse]

yeah usually the yards are a 20' minimum sometimes. I hope it works out for you. make sure and update us on progress. we love fresh builds and pics !

You might need to buy longer lengths, but you usually use most of it on a kart anyway

 

[firemanjim]

yeah usually the yards are a 20' minimum sometimes. I hope it works out for you. make sure and update us on progress. we love fresh builds and pics !

They will sell you shorter pieces, but you pay more $ per foot when you do. They call it a convenience charge. Convenient to charge you more.....

You might need to buy longer lengths, but you usually use most of it on a kart anyway

And what you have left, is the starting pile for the next project.... LoL
Where I buy it, the tube comes in 24' sections. I have them cut it in half, or sometimes a 14' piece and 10' piece..... Depends on what I'm doing with it. I just bought 3 sticks of 3/4" square tube, for a total of $40+ .... That's 72' for less than $50...... IIRC the last time I bought 1" @16gauge, it was $21 out the door for a full stick....... (24')

 

[buckwheat]

There is a steel supplier that has short pieces/drops. They are located off of I-85 just north of Spaghetti Junction if you are close to Atlanta.
Here is a link to that business:http://metalsupermarketsatl.com/index.html

 

[firemanjim]

Spaghetti Junction? I wonder if that's where Bosch's engine oil came from......

 

[Joe-405]

Don't know about there but metal supermarkets here are a lot more pricey than anybody else here.

 

[bshinn]

www.stockcarsteel.com

I'm lucky, they're 10 min from the house. They carry 4130 & sell by the foot. Great people to do business with.

Most of the Cup teams use them, & they still like doing business with the little guy.

BTW, Located in Mooresvile, NC

 

[tiremikejr]

ok question, I actually talked to a friend and seeing that its for the kids he is "donating" the metal stock ! what thickness sheet metal should I use for the floor pan 1/16th inch or?

 

[firemanjim]

Either 16 gauge or 14 gauge.....

 

[AceEngineer]

There is a Metals Supermarket closer to the OP in Columbia, SC
http://metalsupermarkets.com/columbia/

AceEngineer

 

[landuse]

There is a steel supplier that has short pieces/drops. They are located off of I-85 just north of Spaghetti Junction if you are close to Atlanta.
Here is a link to that business:http://metalsupermarketsatl.com/index.html

There seems to be a Spaghetti Junction in every town or city. Here is ours. It is called Spaghetti junction by everyone except the Roads Service people. It's in Durban