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| Posted: Sun Nov 21st, 2010 07:03 pm |
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1st Post |
| Posted: Sun Nov 21st, 2010 11:32 pm |
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| Posted: Sun Nov 21st, 2010 11:52 pm |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 01:52 am |
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4th Post |
rmay22
Guest
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thanks chip. now that DMS is closed for the year my pop and i can work on my vintage kart. thats the fun of this stuff. i get to race against my Dad. some cool stuff. its been years since we have raced against each other so this should be fun. He doesnt know it but i am having him a mac built that is bad a%s just for him. talk to you soon Chip
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 02:11 am |
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5th Post |
Eddie Katcher
Member
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Hey Tony, that ought to make him "One Mac Daddy!"
Part of what drives me today is that when I bugged my dad for a kart in 1959 and '60, he pointed at an old Bolens Deluxe lawn mower in the shed and remarked: "there is your hot rod (kart), now go build it.......................
I had never built anything except model airplanes.
The most ironic part to all this was there were cool factory built karts all over my neighborhood. Jon P had a Sears Racer Kart, Tommy S and his sister had a Bug and a Putt Nik Leo. My cousin had a Putt Nik. The twins up the street had a pair of matching Speed Mobiles (those probably don't count do they?). But in the end, my home built, double ugly, wagon steering contraption was the last one running.
Gee do I wish I hadn't thrown those Sears bought wheels and that drive plate with Briggs engine and jackshaft in the dump. I am on a hunt for a Bolens Deluxe to re-create my childhood "masterpiece."
pnd
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 02:30 am |
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6th Post |
Chip Bering
Member
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Kart I built for some neighborhood friends of mine was from a reel mower-I took off the handle, brought the throttle forward, bolted a wide board on, attached a front axle with two wheels, steered with the feet, held the throttle assembly in one hand and used the other hand to operate the throttle. Oh yea-I DID NOT remove the blade! It wasn't the fastest around but no one would get in our way-I was only 12 at the time-reely mowed down the competition!
Tony--did not get it that you were posting about B'ville. Everyone to their workshop and PREPARE for B'ville 2011! c
Last edited on Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 02:32 am by Chip Bering
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 03:27 am |
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7th Post |
Eddie Katcher
Member
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Damn Chip, that was almost exactly what I did. Except that I sawed off both ends of the engine plate and spaced the axle down to where it would had been for the blade with two two by fours.
My first chassis had a single board that was mounted off center which caused the kart to be out of alignment by about a foot. Never one to loose his sense of humor, I referred to that first try as "old addeline." Of course I steered it with my feet and it had no brakes........
At this point my dad got involved and we built an A-frame for better alignment but still used the wagon steering. I ultimately adapted a Wilcox Critenden boat steering wheel with cables and pulleys to the "kart" and I was in high cotton.
Ultimately it had a cushioned seat with storage compartment under the cushion, working brakes that operated on the jackshaft, and a V-Plex automatic clutch which was the same clutch Putt Nik used on my cousin's belt drive Aries kart. I honestly believe that between 1959 and 1964, that I probably put 10,000 miles on my home built kart, going through 2 Briggs engines and one consumed three different piston and ring sets.
It was ugly, but it was all I had and it was mine.
pnd
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 04:00 am |
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8th Post |
Chip Bering
Member
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The front axle I had was actually threaded stock-only thing I could find and easiest to hold the front wheels on: nut, flat washer, wheel, flat washer, nut. Drilling was beyond my skills. Threaded stock was very hard on the bronze bushing front wheel "bearings"! c Last edited on Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 04:01 am by Chip Bering
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 04:55 am |
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9th Post |
Joe Drabicki
Member
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Hey Guys!
You guys sure bring back memories of some downhill racers I built as a kid. None of my racers had an engine, but the building skills I learned sure helped in the long run. My Dad taught me to use small hand tools, an electric drill and power saw around the age of 8. We made some design sketches and began to build my first downhill racer. My Dad helped me with the first car, until I got use to the tools and he knew that I could do things safely.
It was a simple car made from a long 2x6 as the main frame piece down the middle. A 2x4 was attached at the rear under the 2x6 with four bolts. I used 2 u-bolts to hold a 3 foot long solid axle under the 2x4. I put a pair of wheels from my wagon on the back. Washer, wheel, washer, cotter pin in a hole I drilled in the axle end.
The front end was the same as the rear but pivotted on one kingpin bolt. I steered with my feet. I tied a rope on the front to pull the car up hills. A simple seat was bolted on. I made a pull lever brake that scraped the road to stop.
Performance? It went really fast downhill, the steeper the hill the better. I was living in central NY, so we had plenty of hills in our neighborhood. It took a ways to stop because that brake was not good. I had a blast racing my friends whom built similar cars.
As the years went by, I built more sophisticated downhill racers. I turned the chassis upside down so I sat closer to the road and put bodies on them. My last two cars looked like a Lotus 79 F1 car and a Ferrari 312T4 F1 car, built when I was 15.
My next vehicle was the 1969 Blackhawk I bought in 1979 at 15 yrs old. My Dad let me learn the value of working to buy my kart with my own money. It has been an awesome ride in the sport of kart racing since then!
Regards, Joe
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| Posted: Mon Nov 22nd, 2010 11:56 am |
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10th Post |
Eddie Katcher
Member
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It's pretty cool to see that so many of us are from the same place. Originally my "kart" ran on semi-pnuematic tires/wheels that I borrowed from a really neat all wood wagon that my grandfather built for me around 1956. That was ok with the original Briggs 1 1/2 hp engine, but when the 2 3/4 hp engine from the David Bradley garden tractor showed up, it literally spun the tires off the rims.
I did fail to mention the motorized flexy racer that i threw together using the 1 1/2 hp briggs. I took a old flexy wheel and removed the tire. Bolted this to the left back wheel on my good flexy racer and used it as a pulley. With only one V-Plex clutch, we set the flexy up direct drive using a v-belt. We discoveded really fast that it had performance issues.
1. You couldn't operate it by yourself. Someone had to push it off.
2. Sitting in an upright position, you couldn't operate the flexy's "brakes."
3. It would go like hell in a straight line but was almost impossible to turn as the center of gavity was way too high. A bit cramped in the driving position as well.
I contemplated building a plywood box for a motor mount to be able to lie down on the flexy under the engine but never put that idea into motion.
pnd
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| Posted: Tue Nov 23rd, 2010 12:04 am |
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11th Post |
Chip Bering
Member
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"Hey Guys!
You guys sure bring back memories of some downhill racers I built as a kid. None of my racers had an engine, but the building skills I learned sure helped in the long run. My Dad taught me to use small hand tools"
Karting has been very good to me as well-taught me driving and mechanical skills, sportsmanship, etc.
Das was in the track announcer's/timing/scoring booth after he dropped me in the pits with the kart and tools. I went to start the 580 West Bend and he saw the rope pull right out of the re-wind starter. He always felt bad leaving me on my own: He asked over the PA if I was OK and I gave him the "ok" sign as I grabbed the needed tools, took off the recoil starter, and wrapped the loose rope around the pully and started it by hand, the rest of the evening, on my own! I was 12!
Coaster karts: had the described board, 4 wheels and foot steering, no brake. Grew up in Cincinnati, OH, lots of hills. Took a run down the big hill and the far side rise slowed me well, using 4 lawn mower tires with bronze bushing wheel "bearings".
Went well, speed ok. Took the machine back home, was looking around: found our two two wheeled "hand trucks". Cool, air tires, ROLLER wheel bearings: mounted them instead of the hard tires/bronzw whhel bearings.
Staged at the top pf the hill: all well, the release, ok, rolling, faster, and faster, just blew by the old wheels max speed, kept accelerating, going faster and faster: what did I get myself in? faster, faster, light on the foot "steering", ok the far side of the hill is approaching, going up, and up: finally slowing.
Conclusion: roller bariings are MUCH faster than bronze bushing wheel bearings!
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