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| Posted: Mon Apr 19th, 2021 01:45 pm |
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1st Post |
chickenlova
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Hello. I recently decided to get back into working on vintage karts. I recently picked up a saw that has a west bend 580 on it.
My question is. Is the west bend 580 that came in chainsaws enough power for a go kart? Are they at all desirable or able to be made into a kart motor. Hoping somebody can let me know if this would be a decent motor to install on a kart or if it’s better not to install. Also wondering if I decided to go with a Mac motor is this motor or it’s parts are desirable to other karters. So that if I decide to go with a different motor wondering if I could sell it or parts to offset the cost of a mcculloch
I appreciate anybody who might hel shed some light on my questions
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| Posted: Mon Apr 26th, 2021 09:44 pm |
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2nd Post |
bigmoe
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i RAN WB 580 IN THE SIXTIES. Is this a three port or a five port. easy to tell on the top and bottom of the motor there will be two covers that cover the 4th and 5th ports. They have more power than the three ports. They are a tough motor ran one several years with out any large problems. Moe
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| Posted: Mon Apr 26th, 2021 11:20 pm |
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3rd Post |
Christopher Brown
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I apologize for my ignorance but would you have a picture to show me the top and bottom? When I took the muffler off I only counted 3 ports
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| Posted: Mon Apr 26th, 2021 11:39 pm |
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4th Post |
bigmoe
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Those 3 ports are the exhaust. The five port refers to the intake ports. If on the crankcase there are covers with screws holding them on. Those covers are on either side of the crankcase. There are if I remember correctly 4 screws holding on each cover. If you don’t have two covers one on each side then your engine is a 3 port engine.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27th, 2021 01:09 am |
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5th Post |
| Posted: Tue Apr 27th, 2021 11:17 am |
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6th Post |
bigmoe
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That 3 port will push your go kart fine. The output shaft may be hard to find a sutible clutch for #35 chain .
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28th, 2021 12:17 pm |
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7th Post |
Terry Armstrong
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Christopher,
Big Moe has given you good advice on the West Bend 580. They are a very durable engine and also very desirable for vintage karting. I have recently bought some partial engines that I will build for a minibike.
As for the crankshaft PTO side, most of the 580 kart engines had a 5/8 inch(?) diameter straight shaft with a square keyway cut into them and they stepped down to a threaded end. Your 580 coming off a chainsaw may have a tapered shaft with a threaded end.
Jim Donovan at Max-Torque clutches can make you a clutch and probably already has made some for these type crankshafts. Look in the "search" under Members and you'll probably find Jim Donovan. Shoot a PM (personal message) to him along with pictures of the crankshaft and dimensions.
If your 580 has a straight shaft like I described above, there are lots of clutches available.Most of the kart engines with West Bend 580's came with either Comet or Mercury dry centrifugal clutches, which can still be found on ebay (used).
If you go to the "Vintage karting association website you will find lots of information on West Bend engines, clutches, etc.
Good Luck and have Fun!
Terry
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28th, 2021 01:40 pm |
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8th Post |
bigmoe
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Just a quick word of advice.
1. DO NOT USE ENGINE MOTOR OIL TO MIX WITH YOUR GAS. The carbon deposits are very hard and will score up the exhaust side of the piston.
2. Use a good quality 2 cycle oil to mix with your fuel. the deposits are soft and will not hurt your piston.
3. I believe the mix ratio is 16 to 1 16 parts fuel to 1 part oil.
Have a great time running your go kart.
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