gocart building
 

well i used the search function and got nothing. either noone has made a thread on homemade gocarts, or im useless with the search thingy.

so, who here has made gokarts before? as in nonkit ones. well im basically planning to create a couple with friends, and was wondering where to start. i know honda engines are nice and reliable. my budget would be hopefully under $500 (for 1 gokart) we wanna make one for each person.
and been looking on ebay and such. engines for 200ish brand new. OR a brand new 47cc pocket rocket for like 200 or less shipped. defitniyl a pocket rocket would be nice as it already has a tranny, disk brakes, etc we can salvage. but the engine manufacturer isnt listed. nor the specs. it just says, it goes up to 35 or so mph. *depending on conditions* lol. does an extreme downhill and backwind count in those "conditions"? well bought,traded, sold many things over the internet with no problems at all but how is ebay? or is that too general?

what are some points to look at when building a gocart or even getting the supplies? just tell me everything i might wanna know. hopefully im gonna get a lot of input here thanks.

Re: gocart building
 

Well I would say probably the most im[portant thing to have to build a go-cart from scratch is to havethe tools nedded to fabricate the chassis. Stuff such as welding, pipe bending, and other odd tools will be needed in the chassis. What would be the best matiral to work with is a metal tubing, you defiantly want to get a good blue print of the dimension of the chassis and the specifications that you want. Also you need to fab up stuff like motor mounts and steering.

Basicly building a go-cart from scratch would be fairly straight forward if you have access to a machine shop.

BTW you can never go wrong with a honda motor! There new line of lawn mower engines is quite nice, cool features such as Overhead cams, and pleanty of HP and torque to get the job done!

Re: gocart building
 

Having experience with racing go-carts I would say that a Honda GX160 would be more than enough to power you and your friends (maybe a GX200 if they are bigger carts or such) to at least 30-40 MPH with no problems. They can be bought NEW for around $350-400 from Northern Tool and Supply but these are very common engines and could be found at garage sales (at least mine) for less. Try a Quarter Midget swap meet (should be popping up soon this time of year) these are the standard engines.
Good Luck!

If Lansing is not too far of a drive for you there is a Quarter Midget track behind some restraunt (sorry forgot name) that would be able to help you find a used engine.

Re: gocart building
 

I built a minibike. I tried making my on frame but it it hard to bend the tubing in the proper places and at the proper angles so the two framesides were a little off and I never was able to get the chain aligned. So, I bought a frame for $100. I used an old 2hp Briggs & Stratton horizontal shaft engine off an old rotary lawnmower. Edgers also commonly have this type of engine. It is a little slow to accelerate (with a big guy like me on it), but it'll get up to about 30mph.

Ebay is a good source for parts. A couple more places:
http://www.gokartsupply.com
http://www.gokartgalaxy.com

Re: gocart building
 

the first place to start is a chassis. i helped my friend build his cart and man that thing does wheelies with a 9 hp engine with me on it an i weigh 185 lbs. He bought his chassis but if you are looking for a custom fit i suggest you build one.
As for the engine his is a 9hp snow blower engine and it not a honda and he frequently has problems with it. SO GET A HONDA!!!

Heres a little story:

One time i took his cart out for a ride and i was doing wheelies. i was making a corner and jammed the gas by accident and did a wheelie into a truck. i fell off and it did a few 360's on the motor standing up. it was awsome. in the end we ended up making a wheely bar car it would pretty much flip if we didn't.

Re: gocart building
 

thanks for the help guys, i have access to tools and welding stuff. but no pipe bender so we were planning to go with square steel. easier to weld and leave tweak out to start out i think. now the hard part. getting my friend's dad to agree its a fun and educational project well worth the money and risk of safety.

Re: gocart building
 

I think square tubing is an exellent choice. It should be very easy to work with. Do you have an abrasive blade chop saw? With steel tubing, you will probably be able to go with thin wall to save weight.

Building a gokart is extremely educational. There is little safety risk as long as you know how to operate the tools you are using and wear a helmet when you are riding. Also, don't ride on busy streets (you're probably not supposed to ride on any streets).

Everyone says get a honda engine but I wouldn't rule out a Briggs & Stratton engine like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...3585 503&rd=1 They are extremely reliable. Buying on eBay would cost a lot to ship unless it is local but I would try to get a used lawn or construction equipment machine of some sort (I think maybe water pumps use them too) to pull the engine from.

Re: gocart building
 

Briggs and Stratton and Tecumseh both make strong engines. For a small engine for a go-kart I would go with one of them over a Honda any day. Honda makes reliable stuff, but I believe that the small engines made by these other companies are just as reliable if not more so. We had a Tecumseh 6 HP engine on our chopper for a long time and it had no problems. It spent a year on a go-kart getting the crap beat out of it before we put it on the chopper too, so it can withstand a beating. We recently sold the 6 HP engine to a friend of mine who is also building a go-kart. He has also started from scratch. Though I do think that you will be very limited with a $500 budget and that to make a decent kart would require about $700 and up (depending on how good you want it).

Re: gocart building
 

hmm. i searched for pocket rockets on ebay and with shipping seems i can get one for a bit over $200. 49cc, dual diskbrakes, chain driven and claims to go over 40 so i was thinking i can take that apart and then build a frame ($50ish), buy spindles, etc and wheels/tires for under $150. is there sumthing im forgetting? clutch(some pocket rockets have a "CVT" which im assuming is the belt type torque converter)... oh axles. bearings, well that cant cost too much, do you think $500s a little tight?

Re: gocart building
 

Pocket rocket engines are derived from Weedeaters and Chainsaws where gokart engines are derived from lawnmowers and waterpumps. 49cc is a pretty good displacement size for that little engine but one thing for sure is that you are not going to mow your lawn with a weedwhacker and you are not going to whack your weeds with a lawnmower. A pocket rocket engine is never going to put out 5 horsepower without serious expensive modifications where a gokart engine easily will. Gokart engines rev lower but have more torque where pocket rocket engines rev higher and have less torque. For a gokart, you want a big engine. Lawnmower (horizontal) style, not weedwhacker style.

Re: gocart building
 

X2 For what Sanddrag said. Get a larger engine - for 2 reasons.

1. The torque. Remember - Torque is what gets you up to that speed - Horsepower keeps you moving. I'd always go for more torque.

2. I'd personally don't feel very comfortable with an engine at 7,000+ RPMs doing only 30 mph down the road. Again - get the larger engine and you can gear it much better!

I don't know that much about the technicals on smaller engines - but it's still off the principle of a 2/4 stroke Internal Combustion engine... :D

And anyways - remember the saying - "There's no replacement for displacement" ;)

Re: gocart building
 

thnx guys, but most lawnmower/waterpump engines rev only up to about 3500. which isnt too pleasing for me. as matt said, id much rather hear it running high rpms. i dont need to burn out or anything. i wouldnt care so much even if i had to push off running next to the cart if i have more top end torque. and high rpms. if i wanna start drifting with it, id like the high rpms. (and a manual clutch would help... is there a way to get a manual clutch rather than a torque converter or a centrifugal for a gocart?)
power to weight ratio with a 2 stroke or a big displacement with a big 4st. dont dirtbikes use anything as small as a 50cc? i dont know too much but say for example, a 5hp b&s lawnmower engine. whats the displacement on those?
oh and a little offtopic but whats the legality or w/e on gocarts? (michigan) anyone know off the top of their heads? save me some time looking it up

Re: gocart building
 

I know that B&S and Tecumseh engines rev to 3000-3500 rpm stock, but can push out close to 7000 rpm with some modifications. And the 6 HP Tecumseh engine we used on the chopper was like 150 cc...not as small as you would think. I have no idea about the legality in Michigan.

Re: gocart building
 

what are those modifications you mention? is it something to be done in a garage? or do i have to take it somewhere and have it professionally done?
so seems everyones against the 50cc engines. how about pricing? is a lawnmower engine worth the money over the small engine?

Re: gocart building
 

The modifications can get exspensive, but our stock 6 HP Tecumseh 4-stroke engine cost $225 brand new and we did not modify it. I am unsure about how much each modification affects the power and RPM range, but I know that 7,000 RPM can be achieved (it will probably cost you at least $500 to do it though).

Modifications range from putting a high-lift camshaft in, to boring the cylinder out, to changing the timing. Many of these things can be done in a home garage, but boring the cylinder out would require the use of a machine that I doubt anyone has in thier home garage. These small 4-stroke engines are very simple and easy to take apart and could be rebuilt with new parts within a day if you spent the whole day working on it.

Some people that use the 5 HP B&S engines for go-kart racing end up spending up to (if not more than) $1000 on them, but those are all out racing engines, which is more than you are looking for. A stock engine would suit you well for a home-made go-kart just to fool around with (unless you really want to hear the thing wind out several thousand RPM's).

Re: gocart building
 

yea. thats the prices ive been seeing on ebay for those motors. but ive heard tecumseh is unreliable? how was yours? anyone think different? and the ones on ebay some have alternators. think thats useful? or does it like reduce performance even? headlights sure would be cool but no need for them. if we wanted, we can always stick a battery on.
so prolly no mods are gonna happen other than maybe change the timing a bit if sumone knows what they're doing. i know timing on electric brushes but for valves and such nope.
i have a friend who really races shifter carts and yea, i know how money can get you speed lol. but dont wanna spend too much. BUT i do like high whines.:o

Re: gocart building
 

got to agree with everyone else, chassis is the first place to start.
then move on the the drive train (steering and motor)
the engin and differentials really depend on wut kind of driving ur ognna be doing so just experiment with that :D


hope it all comes together good for ya. if u have any questions cantact. glad to help out

Re: gocart building
 

thanks but how can i design a chassis without knowing what kind of engine i want? and differential? i was planning solid axle. yea i know less steering but whaddya guys think? less weight too. and brakes/drive spur would be easier to mount with a spool. a diff worth it?
and experimenting. oh i wish i could but due to budget, i prolly have one shot to buy the right things,

Re: gocart building
 

Differentials are completely unnecessary for go-karts. A sprocket from the engine to a sprocket on a solid axle. It is easy to mount a brake to a solid axle too. So it sounds like you had the right idea to begin with.

Re: gocart building
 

I know you want to do it non-kit style, but you might be able to get some parts near you.

I see you are on the Farmington Hills team. At the corner of Orchard Lake and Grand River, behind the carwash, next to the Wendy's - is a place that sells parts for motorcycles, snowmobiles and GO-KARTS!!!!

I've never been in, but I see them moving go-karts and such in and out, and I think they sell parts. (Sign says so.)

They should be able to at least supply you with some parts, or at least you can go in and look around and get some ideas.

Good Luck!!

(P.S. - I coach on the Canton/Plymouth/Salem team, but I live in Farmington Hills.)