# A bit of fun - Karts finished!



## jadboog (26 Apr 2013)

Have spent the day building a prototype go kart from scrap wood ready to build a flashier model. Nice bit of fun for a Friday off work!

Will try to do a WiP for mark 2.


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## Gary Morris (26 Apr 2013)

Nice one! I've been mulling over making one for my nephew, asked friends and family to look out for some wheels 
Can you post some pics of Mk2 please?

Gary


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## Richard S (27 Apr 2013)

Looking good but I think you may have trouble steering it, soapies like these rely on the forward pressure of your feet on the steering axle to stop it from turning in on its self under forward momentum, if that makes sense. I would shorten the main spar and do away with the intermediate footrests.
Richard


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## Graham Orm (27 Apr 2013)

Richard S":1kcznxpp said:


> Looking good but I think you may have trouble steering it, soapies like these rely on the forward pressure of your feet on the steering axle to stop it from turning in on its self under forward momentum, if that makes sense. I would shorten the main spar and do away with the intermediate footrests.
> Richard



+1 on that. 

Also that broom handle will be great for pushing but also great for collecting passengers on the way down hill, you may need to shorten it. (Or sit it in deep notches that the pushers can lift it out of when all pushing is done).

 Good stuff. I vote it the best project on here for 2013! :lol: Looking forward to the development designs. :wink:


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## Russ59 (27 Apr 2013)

Brings back childhood memories, used to make these as a kid back in early 70's.
Remember making hole for the front bolt to go through with a red hot poker just come out the fire :lol: Hard to get pram wheels now though.
As others have said, needs shortening so you can steer with your feet. Nice though!!


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## bodge (27 Apr 2013)

What Russ said!
That put an instant smile on my face with happy memories of sawing up prams shortly followed by skinned knees and elbows. You just don't see these nowadays.
Thanks for sharing jadboog. 8) I'd be very interested in seeing the WiP for a mk2.


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## Graham Orm (27 Apr 2013)

bodge":1thd90l1 said:


> What Russ said!
> That put an instant smile on my face with happy memories of sawing up prams shortly followed by skinned knees and elbows. You just don't see these nowadays.
> Thanks for sharing jadboog. 8) I'd be very interested in seeing the WiP for a mk2.



Made me smile and glaze over all at once! Do you remember the excitement at finding a discarded pram?


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## Russ59 (27 Apr 2013)

Big pram wheels for the back and small pushchair wheels for the front all held on with bent over nails :lol: :lol: 
Bit of wood nailed to the seat that touched the tyre to act as a brake.

They dont make em like that anymore


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## Graham Orm (27 Apr 2013)

Ha! Bent over nails! I progressed to mole grips for a gear lever on an old Honda 90.


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## Phil Pascoe (27 Apr 2013)

I rode ten miles home one night on my KH250 with the throttle cable wrapped around my right hand - great fun!
Incidentally, these carts in my part of the world were called "dandies". Absolutely lethal. Or they were the way I built them.


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## jadboog (27 Apr 2013)

Thanks for the comments all. 

We built it to enter a Scouts competition on a racetrack in Pembrey. The rules require 5 people to push and one to steer, hence the long dowel at the back. The Kart will be painted black, have some sides installed and decorated with flames. 

We tested using your feet to steer but found that they got in the way when you turned - we were limited by the axle length as we bought the weels from gokartdaddy.com. Nonetheless, we will make the next one shorter. 

We built it in the front of my friends house - we had at least 4 people stop and give us advice as we were building, all reminiscing of better days - the red hot poker one came up, but I don't think I've even seen a poker for over a decade!


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## brianhabby (30 Apr 2013)

What a brilliant & fun project, would definitely like to see Mk2.

Is there any way you can find something to make a longer front axle, then you won't trap your feet when steering it. 

It was great reading all the reminiscing above, bent nails, red hot poker, skinned knees & elbows. Kids today don't know what they're missing.

regards 

Brian


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## bodge (30 Apr 2013)

Graham, I searched for months for a discarded pram, it was like a decade of Christmases all at once when I eventually found one! Spent about a week sawing off a set of wheels with a hacksaw blade that was about as sharp as a butter knife.
Russ, my wheels were also fixed with the, then, technologically advanced bent nail method and fell off with frustrating regularity. There wasn't a spare nail for two square miles by the end of the summer! No such luxury as brakes, even rudimentary bits of wood. With hindsight, that probably explains the skinned elbows and knees.
I also progressed onto mole grips. I used a pair as a steering wheel to tow a car to the scrapyard! In my defence it was only half a mile.


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## bodge (30 Apr 2013)

jadboog":2pzw0e2w said:


> Thanks for the comments all.
> 
> We built it to enter a Scouts competition on a racetrack in Pembrey. ........



I think a lot of people on here would enjoy seeing photo's or footage of the event if you happen to get any, sounds like there is a lot of nostalgia on this one.


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## nev (30 Apr 2013)

:mrgreen: I nominate this thread for the 'Bringing back of best memories' award! =D>


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## whiskywill (1 May 2013)

Instead on extending the axle, why not insert a bolt in the middle of the footrest, to allow it to pivot, and add two steering rods connected to the axle?

A bit like this.


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## Racers (1 May 2013)

phil.p":15dihmos said:


> I rode ten miles home one night on my KH250 with the throttle cable wrapped around my right hand - great fun!
> Incidentally, these carts in my part of the world were called "dandies". Absolutely lethal. Or they were the way I built them.


Hi, Phil

I had 2 KH250s the first one I wrapped around a 50mph sign, walked away with out a scratch, but it wrote off the bike  

Pete


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## jadboog (1 May 2013)

Thanks Will, we had considered that design and may include it in MK2 ! 

Hope you haven't been too distracted from woodworking by doing some excellent drawing. 

Glad this post is doing well! Booked in another building session next Friday (10th) so will post some more pics then.


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## flying haggis (1 May 2013)

memories, memories   

they were known as guiders in my neck of the woods when I were a lad.


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## bodge (1 May 2013)

nev":18o7afxu said:


> :mrgreen: I nominate this thread for the 'Bringing back of best memories' award! =D>



Good call, I second the nomination.


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## Melinda_dd (1 May 2013)

My brothers found something iinteresting when I was a kid, in the stream behind our estate. ...
It was so corroded and rusted to something else they thought it was a landmine. 
So of course they did the sensible thing and carried it to the police man that lived round the corner! 
On opening his front door he went white and told my bro to place it in the middle of of field opposite his house.
He then called his boss and the bomb disposal team.... everywhere was taped off, there was police everywhere and took ages to secure and remove the said landmine.

Week or so later my mum asked our resident police man what happened about the bomb. ...
He replied he hadn't lived it down yet................. it was a rusted pram wheel!!!


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## jadboog (1 May 2013)

Best story yet!


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## John51 (4 May 2013)

As a 9yo all my summer pocket money went on 6" nails.  Might be an idea to fit stops to the steering axle, I have painful memories of getting my foot trapped.


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## Tom K (5 May 2013)

Nice prototype course what you really needed was a big old Silver Cross pram for ultimate speed (hammer) 
As others have said it really won't work without feet on the axle at the first bump the wheels will turn in tipping it over.
If you pare down the front axle board and nose there will be more room for feet.
Good luck and thanks for the memories!


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## Eric The Viking (5 May 2013)

I like Will's idea of a steering bar, but these things tend to oversteer horribly... 

... If you make it a parallelogram (rather than a trapezoid) - in other words with the connecting links angled (towards or away from each other) rather than straight, you'll introduce some 'gearing' to the steering. I'd go for slightly more foot movement = less wheel turning. Put blocks on the ends of the foot bars, so feet don't slide off in a crisis!

Also, using thick bungee cord or tension springs in a "V" shape (between the ends of the bar/axle and the centre plank), you can add bias, so that the steering wants to return to straight ahead. Both will make it easier to control.

I had a far-too-short time Kart racing as a kid - 175cc 3-speed Bantam engines, IIRC. We broke the gear shift at one point and hadn't got another knob - ended-up with a track-rod end welded onto the shaft. I also had the brazing on a frame tube come apart in a race. The front end went round the corner, the back end didn't - interesting, in the Chinese sense!

E.


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## whiskywill (8 May 2013)

jadboog":1notvkig said:


> Hope you haven't been too distracted from woodworking by doing some excellent drawing.



No woodworking during the day. I work as an engineer, in Cardiff, and welcome the distraction.


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## Gary Morris (8 May 2013)

My first go kart had 6 wheels, 4 at the rear and two to steer, I'd managed to get hold of a silver cross pram frame out of a skip. The axles were screwed on using metal hinges, two per axle; great times. I remember the Kwackie KH250 triple cylinder, I had an MZ 50, on the way to night school on a badly lit lane a mini made a right turn coming towards me, his engine ended up in the front seat and me in hospital, luckily they were uninjured.

http://www.kartbuilding.net/Wooden_Go-K ... index.html


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## Phil Pascoe (8 May 2013)

I think I thrashed my KH250 to within an inch of it's life - in 16 months I did 16,000 miles, and used six chains and five sets of sprockets. I still ran like a dream when I sold it.


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## Lons (8 May 2013)

Fantastic memories :lol: 

We used to build a fire to heat the poker and put some spuds in (pinched from the kitchen / garden or field), at the same time. The smell of burning wood as you pushde the poker through the timber and I can still taste blackend spuds with burnt skins 1/2 inch thick :wink: 

Always used nails as we couldn't afford nuts and bolts though usually managed to scrounge one for the steering pin and we learned very quickly to fix blocks to restrict the steering lock and avoid painful crashes. The posh ones had a wooden seat and brakes and we even built one with pedals and gearing. Didn't matter if you crashed and buckled a wheel as it was easy to get a replacement.

Happy days - I wonder if my son will allow me to build one for my grand daughter when she's older :-k 

Bob

edit: We called them "bogies" in Northumberland


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## Gary Morris (9 May 2013)

A few sites that may be of interest, talking about smells I can still smell the exhaust from my old 2 stroke.

http://www.tjproducts.net/page.htm
http://www.stormthecastle.com/how-to-ma ... o-kart.htm
http://tjproducts.net/
http://blog.kartbuilding.net/2010/01/28 ... n-go-kart/
http://kartbuilding.net/Wooden-Push-Cart/


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## Phil Pascoe (9 May 2013)

Castrol R?......I think that was it.


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## Gary Morris (9 May 2013)

I think it was you know, I remember it was a reddish colour, definatley Castrol.


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## Eric The Viking (9 May 2013)

Redex?

You used to get it from a dispenser with a plunger pump on the forecourt. One push gave about 25:1 for a gallon, and if you filled up awkwardly or needed more oil you had to guess. One of my mates had a Suzuki with 'pozi-force' automatic oil mixing. Gert posh, that.

E.


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## Phil Pascoe (9 May 2013)

I still use Redex once in a while in the car. It's not 2 stroke, though they may have made 2 stroke then, though.


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## Eric The Viking (9 May 2013)

phil.p":1fm0tmjl said:


> I still use Redex once in a while in the car. It's not 2 stroke, though they may have made 2 stroke then, though.



I think we're both right - engine cleaning additive, and something else for strokers.

E.


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## Racers (9 May 2013)

I used Bel-Ray synthetic oil in mine smelt lovely.

Pete


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## Phil Pascoe (9 May 2013)

Racers":7mj3nnhh said:


> I used Bel-Ray synthetic oil in mine smelt lovely.
> 
> Pete


  Funny, I just googled SI 7 before I saw your post. It's still available. It had a quite distinctive smell.


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## Gary Morris (9 May 2013)

when I had my first car a Mk2 Cortina GT 1600 British racing green, I poured some Redex down into each cylinder port. When she eventually got started, there was more smoke produced than an Icelandic volcano! You couldn't see more than a few feet down the entire length of Clapgate Lane. (a half mile stretch of road) Reminded me of 18th century London and Sherlock Holmes, happy days.


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## Graham Orm (9 May 2013)

phil.p":1beogrmr said:


> Racers":1beogrmr said:
> 
> 
> > I used Bel-Ray synthetic oil in mine smelt lovely.
> ...



I remember Bel-Ray reps wandering round the paddock giving it away when it first came out. (Bike racing). You had to strip your motor and wash out any 'R' (Castrol) that was still in there because when mixed they turned to something akin to chewing gum. I prefered to use R as when you got it on your hands it made your butties taste sweet.



Gary Morris":1beogrmr said:


> when I had my first car a Mk2 Cortina GT 1600 British racing green, I poured some Redex down into each cylinder port. When she eventually got started, there was more smoke produced than an Icelandic volcano! You couldn't see more than a few feet down the entire length of Clapgate Lane. (a half mile stretch of road) Reminded me of 18th century London and Sherlock Holmes, happy days.



I also had a Mk 2 Cortina 1600GT. The poor man's 1600E.


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## Gary Morris (9 May 2013)

Twin choke webbers and a pancake filter - heaven. Agree Graham, about the E - the walnut dashboard and central clocks looked lovely


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## jadboog (10 May 2013)

Hi all, another good day building the second kart. Made this one a little smaller, but put sides on it so we could go with a pirate ship design that one of the kids did. 

WIP (part 1):

1. Fitting the axle







2. Adding the wheels






3. Securing to scaffold board






4. Tapering the top end for the front axle






5. My 'hot poker' for the steering bolt.






6. Bolting it down






7. Base of the cart complete






8. Seat added






9. Starting the laminate sides!






10. Top brace for sides (will eventually support front push rods)






TBC


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## jadboog (10 May 2013)

11. Adding a front brace






12. Adding a post for front sides, planed roughly to match the angle of the front point






13. Adding the front sides - what a botch!






14. Progress so far today






15. Insides






16. Kart along with some window boxes we built for a local pub






And now over to you.... I'm looking to see if we can get a steering wheel on this one. I was thinking of putting a bar through the centres as below, drilling through it to allow rope to tie each side of the front axle, thereby twisting the rope and turning the wheels when you turn the bar (with steering wheel attached) - not 100% sure though - any suggestions ?


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## Baldhead (11 May 2013)

Eric The Viking":3o4tunvk said:


> I like Will's idea of a steering bar, but these things tend to oversteer horribly...
> 
> ... If you make it a parallelogram (rather than a trapezoid) - in other words with the connecting links angled (towards or away from each other) rather than straight, you'll introduce some 'gearing' to the steering. I'd go for slightly more foot movement = less wheel turning. Put blocks on the ends of the foot bars, so feet don't slide off in a crisis!
> 
> ...


I think your explaining "The Ackerman Principle" 

How can I remember something from a lesson on motor vehicle technology at college in 1976, yet I can't remember the jobs my wife told me to do before she went out this morning?

I have 3 grandchildren, you have got me thinking its time I made them a cart!

Lons, I too used the "Hot Poker" method to burn the hole in the planks, I remember running through the house after leaving the poker in the fire in the front room until it was cherry red, ah those were the days.

Now where will I find an old "Silver Cross Pram" I need some big wheels for the back axle.

BH


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## TJ79 (14 May 2013)

jadboog These are wonderful, the MK 2 is looking wonderful so far!


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## Boatfixer (15 May 2013)

Would it not be better to have the steering pivot point in front of the axle? I would have thought that it would make the steering less twitchy.... But I may well be wrong!


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## jadboog (16 May 2013)

Boatfixer - thanks, we've tried it front of the axle on Kart 2, so will be able to compare. 

Both carts are nearly finished, will be painting / decorating this weekend - ready for the race next weekend!


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## jadboog (24 May 2013)

Karts finally finished for the big race tommorrow!

The first was done up as a pirate ship:






The second we are dead chuffed with we did up as a dragster - got my mrs to do the decals on her vinyl cutter, dead chuffed. This was the original prototype which we shortened - as ever, the first prototype turns out better than the second but hey-ho, we're pleased:


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## Graham Orm (24 May 2013)

Excellent job! Swop you a go of my bike for a go.


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## DavidBlaine (24 May 2013)

Karts are actually the first thing I ever made out of wood when I was a child. I wish I had some pictures but my design was very similar to yours.

David


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## Baldhead (25 May 2013)

Nice carts, are you going to post a video of the race? 

BH


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## Orcamesh (25 May 2013)

Cracking work! I've been trying to lure my teenage son away from his addiction to computer games, i.e. get him to make one and use it! I've given up, there obviously is no life beyond the monitor...


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## John51 (28 May 2013)

For those having trouble finding wheels, alwayshobbies do wheels and axles:

http://www.alwayshobbies.com/components ... s#q=page.0


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## DTR (28 May 2013)

Briliant :mrgreen: 

Dare I show this thread to Doris? She's bound to want one :-k


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## jadboog (4 Jun 2013)

Well, not too bad. The pirate ship came 8/9 and the dragster game 3/8 - must be something to do with the flames. It's been a fun project - looking forward to starting it all over again next year!


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