06-08-2020, 08:36 AM | #1 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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So it Finally Begins...
Hello, all! With all this extra time on my hands during quarantine, I've finally gotten around to working on the cart again! Only this time, progess will actually be made... Anyway, all I've done so far is tear the front down all the way to the bare bones except for the floor, remove the engine I had swapped in, attempt to remove the firewall, and laid out a rough idea of what I want for size. Due to the relative freedom of not having a rear body (as mentioned in my last post because of my teenage stupidity and lack of foresight), I'll be able to stance the rear out a bit with the 2" backspace wheels I'll be ordering. The front will have the opposite 5" backspace for SOME semblance of handling. As for suspension design, I'll be using a variant of double wishbone, utilising 1/2" bore rod ends. I'll be attempting to reuse the stock spindles and hubs, but failing that I have a few ideas for backups... Something that I find kindof funny is that I apparently mady my own Jake's Medalist/TXT block lift in the rear out of 5/8" steel bar back in high school for only $8 worth of otherwise scrap material. I'm still working out the details of the steering, brakes, and possible pedal relocation/modification... But everything else is pretty much taken care of!
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06-08-2020, 08:46 AM | #2 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
And because I forgot to add pics, here's what little progress I've made so far. One of the bolts holding the firewall/front seat support is VERY rusted in place, so that'll be fun... But, the wheels are 12x7 ITP Hurricanes, one pair with 2:5 spacing, the other 5:2. They are THE ONLY set I could find that had both... As for the tires, they will be Sedona Mud Rebel RT's sized in 25x8-12 for the front, and 25x10-12 in the rear. While yes, I *could* use 26x11-12's in the rear... I don't want to worry about breaking axle shafts at all.
Oh, and before I forget... I'll be using a Vegas Carts 625cc Big Block kit instead of a sled motor, and will be fabricating the entire front suspension from scratch. I'm pretty sure I know what to do for the geometry... But any and all comments and suggestions are welcome! My goals for the overall size are no more than a 90" wheelbase AT MOST, and no wider than 64". After I get the chassis running and driving, I'll be adding a roll bar/cage, lights, and if I can find one for relatively cheap a new cowl and rear cover. |
06-22-2020, 08:57 AM | #3 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
The tubing bender and notcher will be arriving at some point tomorrow, which is when the REAL fabrication will begin... But before I get to it, what should I do for a steering rack? I have a 14" one for a bigger go kart, but am thinking that an RXV one would be better, if for no other reason than ease of mounting.
ALSO, I'm having a slight issue with my Vegas Carts cradle install. The supplied rod ends and threaded rod are too long to fit the bracket in either orientation, and using a male rod end is also too long by about a half to 3/4 of an inch... Should I just cut the threaded part of the rod end to shorten it, or butcher the stock swingarm bracket to make something else work?0622200953.jpg0619200711_HDR.jpg0619200710a_HDR.jpg0618201355.jpg0619200710_HDR.jpg Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk |
06-23-2020, 09:01 AM | #4 |
Searching for The Way
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Medina, Ohio (NEOHIO)
Posts: 11,421
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
Looks like you got a pretty good start. For the front suspension, I like the idea of using something that is already designed and engineered for good performance. You could graft an atv front end in there and set it up height wise to match what you're doing in the rear. The double a arm/wishbone suspension really handles fantastic, especially with a rack and pinion steering. Plus you would get hydraulic disc brakes with it. I did this conversion on my Yamaha G1 and after 8 years of abuse it still works perfectly. On road or off, this mod transforms the handling of lifted golf carts.
https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=60848 |
07-21-2020, 06:51 AM | #5 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
Well, it's off to a bit of a rocky start... But I've gotten the Mk. II version of the subframe tacked together! The first one had basically EVERY POSSIBLE ISSUES IT COULD HAVE: out of square, uneven piece length, TERRIBLE accuracy... Because this is NOT an F1 car or space shuttle, I'm okay with up to 0.010" off, but a FULL 1/8-1/4"?! Had to COMPLETELY start over. With what I have done this time around, it should be significantly stronger all around. 0.120 wall tubing as opposed to 0.083, and having the main hoops slotted into the uprights instead of just crudely sat on top of. Out of everything, the part that I thought was going to be the hardest was actually pretty straightforward: making the spindles was as simple as boring a hole centered in a piece of 1"x2" boxed tube, and measuring up from the factory base of the spindle shaft then welding. My goals for today: get the lower control arm brackets tacked back into place (AND CENTERED), locate the steering rack mounting bracket (what a PITA THAT was to get square...), and possibly get temporary lower control arms bent to build a template for the real ones.
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07-21-2020, 06:54 AM | #6 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
Spindles and Mk. I with the part of the stock frame I had to cut out for clearance.0715201240.jpg0715201241.jpg0715201241a.jpg0717201947.jpg0716201746.jpg
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07-21-2020, 06:55 AM | #7 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
|
Re: So it Finally Begins...
Mk. II and steering rack bracket.0719201726.jpg0720201449_HDR.jpg0720201503a.jpg
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08-16-2020, 04:02 PM | #8 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
Been a while, but I've FINALLY made some notable progress! The chassis has been lengthened, and the subframe is complete! I just need to mount steering arms and shocks, then figure out how to do the tie rods.0813201004.jpg0813201703a.jpg0813201722.jpg0814201458b.jpg0816201618_HDR.jpg
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08-16-2020, 04:16 PM | #9 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 45
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
I'm currently having camber issues... Center to center, bottom mounts are 11-3/8", top are 13-3/4". Lower arms are 12-1/2" from pivot to pivot, upper are 10-1/2". At the bottom of the travel, passenger has about -1.8°, driver has about -2.2°, which isn't a great difference but is something that I can live with. At the mid point of travel, both sides have ZERO camber. At the very top, passenger has -1.2°, driver has -2.2°... Any thoughts or pointers are greatly appreciated!Attachment 2072880816201710a.jpg0816201710b.jpg
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08-16-2020, 07:37 PM | #10 |
Gone Loco
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: South Florida
Posts: 1,123
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Re: So it Finally Begins...
Interesting build...you're really going all out.
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