I was driving down a 2-lane country road over the summer and something caught my eye. There, sitting in front of this old farm house was a orange go kart. When I was growing up I always wanted a go kart, but my parents never gave in to my pleading for such things as a mini bike, dirt bike or go kart. And now as an adult, I want to live my childhood through my kids - just like everyone else, right? But I kept driving...
Every day as I drove by this farm house there it sat. Didn't anyone want it? "Was he asking too much?" I wondered. So finally after about a week of this I finally thought what the heck and stopped to check it out. It was in good condition so I figured it was probably too much money. But I wrote down the phone number and called. A $100 later I was loading the go kart into the back of my Dodge Ram and was heading home to surprise the kids.
Here's how it looked when I brought it home. I saw "potential" here!
The Engine Build-Up:
The engine that came with the kart was not the original engine. The prior owner said he thought it was a 7hp engine, but wasn't sure. While it ran OK, it was missing the govenor linkage and would leak oil when rev'd for speed. Also, it was difficult to start and seemed to lack compression. So, I rebuilt it.
A little research on the internet confirmed that I have a Tecumseh H60 engine, which is a 6hp engine. Upon disassembly I found the cam was worn out and the rings were shot. So I ordered up some parts and the fun began. Years ago I was a small engine mechanic so I was looking forward to rebuilding this engine.
I relapped the valves and honed the cylinder. This isn't going to be a 240hp race engine, so the simple lapping and hone job would be fine. I installed new rings on the piston and assembled the bottom end.
I cleaned up the head and chamber, and then torqued it down.
If you've ever looked at the intake and exhaust ports of an industrial engine you will notice how inefficient the ports are. They are simply machined for purpose and have sharp edges throughout. And if you've ever thought "hey, these should be smoothed out" you've probably wound up with an engine that rev's to the moon the first time you start it up. Yep, those sharp edges control the air speed in the engine. So, adjustments to the governor are needed to keep the speed down to safe levels. Well, with new governor parts I smoothed out the ports. :-)
With the rebuilt engine all buttoned up, it was time for a coat of semi-flat black paint. Then I installed a new muffler, installed the crankcase breather and brand new recoil assembly. Here, the engine was set back on the kart, but not mounted yet. More work was needed....
Additional work:
Before the engine can be started I needed to do a couple of things. For starters I had a local machinist fabricate a new intake manifold for me. The prior owner had the carb bolted directly to the engine which isn't good. Not only is there a heat issue, the carb sat "cock-eyed" to the engine given its bolt pattern. So the new intake manifold (pictured) gets the carb off the
hot engine and will allow the carb
to be positioned properly.
I also bought a new Tecumseh carb
off eBayMotors. The old carb didn't
have a primer, which I wanted to help
with easier starting.
Also added will be an external engine
cut-off switch that the driver will be
able to control through a simple
press of a button. In the picture
right you can see the wire protruding
out from under the shroud.
Once the carb is mounted up and
linkage connected, the engine will
get a NOS Tecumseh air cleaner
assemby.
The assembled short block. I added a cutoff switch to help with shutting down the engine - note the wire protruding from behind the flywheel.
Frame Modifications:
The seat position was simply too close for anyone in the family to drive comfortably so we decided to relocate the engine back further in the frame, and to extend the frame where the seat rests. I asked my buddy Shawn O'Harrow to help me out by doing some welding.
As seen in the picture above and to the right, we moved the engine mount back on the frame and extended the seat frame while adding some structural strength.
Future plans call for a new paint job. I will be disassembling the entire kart (again) and will send the frame out to be blasted and then powder coated. The color we've selected is a candy blue. Think of a Pepsi can, and that's essentially the color.
So when I'm done with this "hot rod" I will have way more money into this kart than originally planned, but so what?! Its been fun and when it's done the whole family will be able to enjoy it.
The following picture was taken over the winter of 2008. Progress had been made on reposition the engine so that the seat would be positioned further back into the frame. This was necessary to fit the "eligible drivers" in the family. Also, the newly painted rims and new tires are shown along with a stash of new OEM Tecumseh parts.
February 2009
Well, with some mild temperatures it was time to dust off the "hot rod" and finish up the welding. I enlisted the help of my friend Shawn to weld an additional brace, bracket tabs and the gas tank mount. With the welding now complete, its time to finish the assembly, pour in some new oil and gas, and crank it up!
This shot shows the chain guard and bracing. This will be a bolt-on part to allow for easy access when needed.
The gas tank mount; its all about function here. Nothing glamorous.
A few final pieces and its time to go for a ride!.
Updates!!! The Hot Rod Runs!
Updates: June 2009
With summer in full swing it was time to complete the final assembly. With help of my youngest son, we fabbed up some gaskets, installed the carb and manifold, connected the kill switch, ran the gas line, installed the seat, and connected the throttle. A couple of pulls on the starter and we had the go kart running! It was a great father/son moment.
Here's the latest:
With the engine running, I let Curtis take it for its first drive.
Here's some pictures of the completed assembly:
I will leave the go kart this way probably until winter, when it can be disassembled for its new paint job. We will have the frame blasted and then powder coated a "candy blue" color.
