Which Cart is easiest for body swap?

[rockfordpi]

I am looking to upgrade some carts with new bodies, tires, maybe lift kits, etc.
I have never done this before and I am looking for the easiest/best one to start on and also give best value.

I have 02 Yamaha Gas, 07 TXT, and 2000 club car DS gas and electric. I am going to use the doubltake bodies.

Looks like the Club DS is the most solidly built (and ugliest) one and might be best for off road upgrades? Not sure how hard it is to remove and replace that body.

[meimk]

The Yamaha & the Club Car are both pretty straightforward. With either one it's more time consuming dealing with what ever accessories you've got (rear seat, roof, windshield, lights, etc) than the body itself. I find the riveted panels on an EZGO to be kind of a pain, but some people don't mind them so much.
For longevity sake I do like the aluminum frame of the Club Cars. The Yamaha and EZGO are both steel so they will rust at some point.

[HBR]

Originally Posted by meimk

For longevity sake I do like the aluminum frame of the Club Cars. The Yamaha and EZGO are both steel so they will rust at some point.

And that is why I have always bought CCs. But the ease of maintenance catches up when the frame cracks. I noticed a couple of broken welds on our gas cart. I would trust my welding capabilities on steel frame repair, but I dont even have the right equipment let alone skills to make an aluminum repair.

[LakeNut]

X2. I have access to A TIG welder, but no the skill to do aluminum. At least in Texas, (nothing to generally accelerate rust) I'd rather have to fabricate a steel replacement for some portion that trapped water, or had an acid spill than try to fix aluminum.

[rifter]

I prefer EZGO and Yamaha because of the steel frame, it's easier to modify, which I do plenty of and easier to repair. I've had Club Cars come into my shop with cracks all over the frame, I'm sure the carts were abused but we all do at some point. Some of the Club Car models "run backwards",, clutch is on the wrong side (to me). Just my 2 cents. And another thing, I do miss Texas but I'm not leaving Florida.

[rockfordpi]

Originally Posted by meimk

The Yamaha & the Club Car are both pretty straightforward. With either one it's more time consuming dealing with what ever accessories you've got (rear seat, roof, windshield, lights, etc) than the body itself. I find the riveted panels on an EZGO to be kind of a pain, but some people don't mind them so much.
For longevity sake I do like the aluminum frame of the Club Cars. The Yamaha and EZGO are both steel so they will rust at some point.

This is exactly what I needed to know. I will start with club car aftermarket spartan body, I have several I need to swap, so I will see how it goes and hopefully learn something that can help other members in the process.

My TXTs are not in that bad of shape, so I think I will just clean them up and save them for after the DS and Yamaha if I don't sell them all in the interim.

[BrewCityMusic]

Originally Posted by rifter

I prefer EZGO and Yamaha because of the steel frame, it's easier to modify, which I do plenty of and easier to repair. I've had Club Cars come into my shop with cracks all over the frame, I'm sure the carts were abused but we all do at some point. Some of the Club Car models "run backwards",, clutch is on the wrong side (to me). Just my 2 cents. And another thing, I do miss Texas but I'm not leaving Florida.

Just want to second this - I wish I had a dollar for every crack I've seen in CC frames and welds over the years, I'd have a place in Florida AND Texas by now, LOL. Keep in mind, rust can easily be thwarted before it gets out of control, but a structural failure is a much more immediate and finite situation until it's repaired. If You're going to go with a REAL off-road suspension IE Long-Travel then (even though I am a die-hard EZGO guy) I would lean towards Yamaha, the way the rear ends are set up You can easily replace the shocks when doing the lift to something with more travel and a better ride, with EZGO's it's generally going to involve quite a bit of fab work to get a truly non-back-breaking ride out of your rear suspension ...

[PingEye3]

I have now completed installs on a CC 2006 Phantom body and on two Yamaha Vortex bodies. Double Take does have a quality product. Everything has fit to a tee. Installed the full light harness on both of the Yamaha's. Excellent light kits as well. I think you will like the Spartan on the DS. Be careful of sharp edges on places that are not normally reached by hand when installed and the area for motor/controller access. I took a sanding block and cleaned up the areas around the head and tail lights and the controller access panel, on the second and third bodies. That is my only complaint and it is a small one. Best place to purchase them is thru Revolution Golf Cars / David Hicks.

http://www.revolutiongolfcars.com/phantom-bodies

He has the EZGO Spartan and Yamaha Vortex available as well, though they are not shown on his site.