84 Marathon resistor cart project

[rlw]

I finally got some pictures of my '83 Marathon resistor cart. I also talked to my neighbor with the shop - he's going to let me work on it there this winter. Turns out he doesn't heat the shop, but builds a room out of tarps in it, then heats the room with a propane heater.

He's got a 2000-something electric club car, so he's familiar with carts. Looks like I hit the jackpot for expertise and facilities.


Here's my (other) neighbor's TXT cart next to mine.


Here's another view - she's pretty beat up, but she RUNS (poorly)!!!


Lots of knicks and bruises in the past 28 years, but fixable.


Under the seat - batteries are all catty-wompus - barely held up by the tray.


This is the BEST part of the battery tray. The rest of the tray has pretty much dissolved - there are a couple of 2x8s holding up the other batteries.


Rusty, but working, stock series motor.


Beeper, solenoid, wiper board.


Here's a close up of the hole in the corner of the battery compartment (near the driver's left knee). The battery tray gave way, causing the battery to lean/rub against the compartment wall, and ate a hole in it. Will have to fix that up with something when we get it all apart.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to get it over to the shop sometime next week and start the tear down. I hope to get lots of photos as things progress.

I'm going to do this rebuild as cheaply as I can. What's the old saying? "You can have it fast, cheap, or good. Pick any two." - I'm going for cheap and good, and will probably take all winter to do it.

RLW

[rlw]

Well,

I'm an idiot. When I started this thread, I hadn't had my customary 4th cup of coffee yet. It's an 84 resistor cart, not an 83.

Is there any way for a moderator to change the "83" into an "84" in the thread title?

Otherwise, I'll abandon this one and start a new one, if that's the right procedure.

Duh!

RLW

[juzplanekrazy]

Hit "EDIT" then go to " GO ADVANCED" you can change your title there and repost.

[rlw]

Originally Posted by juzplanekrazy

Hit "EDIT" then go to " GO ADVANCED" you can change your title there and repost.

Not seeing an EDIT button on the post - even tho' I'm logged in. Hmmmmm.... Could be there's a cutoff time for editing a post - there was one on THIS post.

I'll just start a new thread if a moderator doesn't pop by. By the way, "Advanced" lets me change the title on THIS post, but not on the whole thread.

RLW

[scottyb]

Believe me there is no noticeable difference between a 83 and 84 Marathon... Besides a mod will come along sooner or later and help.... So what are the upgrade plans?

[rlw]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Believe me there is no noticeable difference between a 83 and 84 Marathon... Besides a mod will come along sooner or later and help.... So what are the upgrade plans?

You're assuming I can "plan"

First step is to get over to the shop and set up a tarp canopy that I can heat in the winter. Next is to get the cart there and yank the batteries. I'll bring the batteries back here, put 'em in the basement, and see if I can rejuvenate them. I've been checking them after each use/recharge cycle - looks like I've got 2 pretty good Trojans (6.35-6.41V after charge and 6 hours rest). Another two batteries are running around 6.25V, and the last two are junk - 6.05 and 6.13V after charge and rest. I'll use the last two for my mad scientist experiments. I have noticed a slight improvement in all the batteries after charging each time. If there was a way to post a spreadsheet, I'd pop it here so folks like JohnnyB could look at it and give me some advice.

Once I have the cart at the shop, I'll begin to strip it down and assess the situation. I already know I'm gonna need to either fab a new battery tray, or buy one. I want to knock the rust off everything, probably need to weld some structural support to the frame where the battery trays were. My buddy will help me do some body work - bang out the dents in the body. I'll need to fix the hole in the battery compartment.

I've been reading other folks' rebuild threads - I'm leaning towards using Ospho to strip the rust, then prime and paint the frame, probably with rattle cans - I don't care what it looks like so long as the hidden parts are rust resistant. I'm also considering painting the hidden stuff with bed liner - some folks have used that. I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it.

Another possibility, body-wise, is to just replace the body. There's a guy about 80 miles away who has a plastic EZGO body on Craigslist for $75. Don't know if it'll fit, will defer to the hive mind here to let me know:



If I can make that fit, it'll probably shave some weight off the cart - I'm amazed at the gauge of the sheet metal in the body. Reminds me of my Dad's old '53 Packard! The plastic stuff HAS to be lighter.

Next step is to decide on an electronic controller. There's an EZGO dealer here in town, I might see if they'll let me go through their junk pile looking for a serial motor controller. If I remember correctly, the later Marathon models replaced the resistor with an electronic chopper. Of course, I'll need to fab some linkage at the wiper assembly to push/pull/rotate either one of the inductive throttles (ITV?) or a 0-5k/5-0kOhm pot, depending on the controller. The other option is to go with one of the AXE controllers for a serial cart. At someone's urging, I took a look under the floor mat. There's no access panel or box where the stock inductive throttle or potentiometer would go. I saw a thread here somewhere where they whipped up some linkage and a frame for the throttle where the wiper assembly lives.

There's a whole other pile of things I'll need to do - disassemble the brakes and rear end, clean that up and replace what needs replacin'. The brakes seem OK, but I'll know more when I get 'em apart. There's about 30 degrees of play in the steering. Imagine a clock face - I can put my hand at the 12 o'clock position and move the steering wheel to 11 o'clock without moving the front tires - 360/12 = 30. Could be the pinion gear in the rack, could be the tie rod ends. Won't know 'til I get it all apart.

I'll need to replace the tires - they look to be original - the two on the front actually have some tread, but the back tires are just about racing slicks. They're 18", I read here somewhere that you can go up to 22" without a lift kit (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong).

I bought a top (without the support posts) off Craigslist. It looks to be from a TXT. Hope I didn't overpay for it ($40). I was thinking of using EMT conduit to build a frame to hold it up.

This may end up uglier than it started out. I'm going to try to stay pretty low budget - the local EZGO dealer has a 90's TXT for $1600. I'll look pretty stupid if I spend $2000 on this '84!

I've got my work cut out for me, that's for sure. It may end up being the most expensive $290 bargain I ever had!

I plan to post my progress here, and look forward to suggestions and wisdom from you guys...

RLW

[rlw]

Looks like a moderator fixed my thread title - THANKS!

RLW

[madoc1]

scottyb at carts unlimited has a prefabbed kit for your speed controller. hope this helps. and, yes the edit time is only about 30 minutes. i use frequently, like now. the txt boby can be adapted to a marathon cart, but is not easy. pachanga did it and he also stated that he thought the weight difference between the metal and plastic was minimal.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by rlw

..............I'll use the last two for my mad scientist experiments. I have noticed a slight improvement in all the batteries after charging each time. If there was a way to post a spreadsheet, I'd pop it here so folks like JohnnyB could look at it and give me some advice.............

If you can save it as a PDF file, it'll post the same way as you posted the pictures (JPG files), but if you only replace two (or four) of the batteries, the new ones will quickly assume the characteristics of the remaining older ones in the pack.

If you are on a tight budget, you might be better off getting six less expensive ones than just getting two or four T-105's.
Lots of people around here say they have good luck with cart batteries from NAPA, Costco and Sam's Club.
Check out the Battery comparison in the Stickies for part numbers.

The trick is to service your batteries (Clean, water, check cables) monthly and when you're finished, toss a $10 bill in a Mason Jar.
Then when the batteries need to be replaced, you'll have the cash for a new set.

A mad scientist experiment for the two junkers might be to connect them in series and put a 12V car battery charger on them and let them cook at 2 to 6 Amps. (Be sure to monitor electrolyte level and don't let the plates become exposed.) When (if) the terminal voltage while on charge reaches the maximum the charger will put out or 15.6V, disconnect charger and measure the individual battery voltages after they have rested for 6-12 hours.

[John89]

I am putting a 4" lift on my 89 EZGO . Is there anything needing to be done to the steering ? I am doing this rebuild on the cheap end and have really learned alot from all of you.