Yes another new guy - prepair for stupid questions - Junk builder

[pRoFiT]

Hello everyone. I've had it in my head i want to build a go kart. i dont want to spend any money that i dont have to spend. that way wife cant complain about buying things i dont need. So im going dumpster diving for parts and raw materials!! Plus i have some things laying around i can use at the house.

Trash pickup in my town for last couple months so i've been looking for good stuff to use. So far i found x1 3.5HP edger, x2 ~5HP mowers x1 front end motorcycle (wheel brake shocks, slighlty bent on one side) Wheel chair (no seat). Almost at the end this year for clean up so i hope i dont have to buy a lot in the end. Really wish i found a Horizontal shaft engine. But i think i know a guy with one that i can trade a lawnmower for. If all else fails $99 harbor freight engine if i cant make it all work in the end

by the way all 3 engines fired right up when gas was put in. surprised people throw out really good engines. One did need the carb to be cleaned out badly. other two i did nothing to them. Oh and the cables are bad. but will need to modify that when putting into go kart anyways.

so i guess i should put a log thread up? Maybe in a month after i got some more work done and try to take photos along the way.

 

[mckutzy]

Vertical shafts arent what you typically want in most buggy/kart/minibike applications as they cant couple with the drive line easily, without needing a RAGB.

 

[Poboy kartman]

I think he's just got it backwards....he's got vertical shaft engines already....

 

[chancer]

I think the edger motor would be horizontal shaft. But I am guessing.

Dude spend some money. For your own safety. The wife would rather have you broke$ than dead.
At least she should... If not, spend the money!!!! LOL

 

[landuse]

Welcome! Horizontal shaft engines are the way to go. I also don't think you will be able to use most of the stuff you say you have gotten dumpster diving (besides the engines)

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

Or you could get all Frankenkart.

 

[pRoFiT]

yes going franken kart style!

Yah i mixed vertical and horizontal. hoping the edger was horizontal but it's not. has a belt drive system the twists.

I'm tempted to modify one engine to see if i can get horizontal out of it. i understand why it wont work and how you can modify them to make them work. How long wil it last modified on its side....who knows. i got the engines for free. Thinking trade for horizontal will be better option. but im not at engine mount stage yet.

Still working on design. dont want to build standard square frame design everyone seems to build. i can buy that.

So here is first quick sketch of an idea. not finished still tinkering with design look.

http://i.imgur.com/mndc0k6.jpg <-- never used imgur before lets see if its this easy to post images.

i've completed steering arms with simple spring suspension. Another forum poster did a similar design. Need to weld on wheel bolts still. but i have all parts fabricated out and ready to weld up. minus the part the tie rod connects to. trying to figure out how big the kart will be so i can get the correct angle on it before welding it on.

this thing is going to fall apart after an hour of driving but it will be a fun hour.


edit: oh yah i did the dumb thing and purchased the cheap 10" $4 tires from harbor freight.....maybe i start with them but now i know they will only last a day maybe not even that if i dont replace the bearings.

---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:18 PM ----------

oh yah i forgot i can link to my dropbox images too.

Here is my somewhat completed steering arms.

 

[OzFab]

i've completed steering arms with simple spring suspension. Another forum poster did a similar design.

Among others, I did that; I stole th idea from the early Manco Dingo & American Express...

i have all parts fabricated out and ready to weld up. minus the part the tie rod connects to. trying to figure out how big the kart will be so i can get the correct angle on it before welding it on.

All you need to know is where the rear axle will run, find the centre & there's your angle

this thing is going to fall apart after an hour of driving but it will be a fun hour.

edit: oh yah i did the dumb thing and purchased the cheap 10" $4 tires from harbor freight.....maybe i start with them but now i know they will only last a day maybe not even that if i dont replace the bearings.

If it will only last an hour, you should be ok with those wheels but, they will be the first thing to go

 

[chancer]

Yeah those tires may last an hour. The problem is the 61st minute, when they do go bad. How do they go bad.
It is NOT just "oops I got a flat tire" It is catastrophic destruction of the entire wheel and hub.
Now if
A.this is on the front
B. during a turn
C. it is the outside tire
D.you stick the Front corner in the ground
E. and flip or roll the Kart on your head.

At that point Is your head worth more than 4 bucks? Well if it was, It aint any more.

 

[pRoFiT]

okay right. helmet it is then.
Hmm. i used to have a motorcycle helmet somewhere... now that i think about it im not sure what ever happened to it. Maybe i start with bicycle helmet first. my head is not worth money.

Finally got the brake disc of the front end motorcycle, junk find. stupid metric alanhead...And also got brake system with that. may need brake fluid filled. plus had no handle so i need to build new one arm/level. but was going to need that anyways.

Kind of at a stand still now. need time to work on design and clean up garage and make room for frame assembly. i dont have a big work bench to create a good flat frame....probably weld on driveway with plywood as base, i do have a full sheet of drywall??? that would be flat??. anyways im busy all week and weekend so probably wont do anything until sunday? Maybe have time friday to work a little. guess i can get back to drawing frame design.

anyone have good(or unique) frame designs? it's a coin toss between custom crazy looking or generic square design. If its going to end up flipping on top of me it should at least look evil or something right?


edit: what about this idea. fill tires...or tubes with instant foam! that way when the tire burns all the way through you have foam to drive on still. less chance of drastic explosions and crash right? anyone put instant foam in go kart tires? guess i could search that

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

If you are talking about the insulating, expanding foam that comes in a can, don't. You need a 2-part polyurethane foam for filling tires.

 

[pRoFiT]

That seems straight and to the point. Thanks. But why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=car8Wck586U <-- this guy shows how with expanding foam and results after years of use. Seems to work for him? do you have video of it not working?
Edit: you may want to skip to 6 minutes in video for demonstration
Edit: he also puts in foam blocks first. somewhere before 6 minutes. maybe 4:30 is better to start. This guy rambles forever in the video.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

The foam disintegrates and will not maintain it's shape. But hey, if it's on the internet it must be true.

 

[mckutzy]

I don't why someone would go to the effort to do such a thing....... fill tires with foam.....

Buy wheels with good bearings and good rim/hub construction.....good to go....

 

[pRoFiT]

fill with foam. run over nails no problem. keep driving. Tire goes bald, no blow out, keep driving. someone shoots at your tires no problem keep driving or drive faster!

Just i have these cheap $4 tires from HF. maybe foam would make them last more then an hour. but then i would have $8 tires couple bucks more i could get good ones.

this is a dirt budget build. cheaper the better.

i do need to figure out cheap axle bearings....i think i found a set of pillow bearings for $15. probably going to run more then $100 for the whole thing when im done shooting for a $50 build. so far i've spent about $23. i need to get more creative with my parts. think steering wheel is going to be a piece of pipe bent and welded together. wrapped with baseball bat grip tape, since i already have both of those. or knight rider style steering wheel.

tomorrow ill build the steering wheel so i can get more pictures up.