Intro

First of all let me tell you something about my background. Graduated with a computer science degree from the California State University, and currently working on my MBA at University of Delaware. Ever since I was kid I had this gift of taking things apart, and building something else out of it. Basically I love working and building stuff, and if it has engines then even better. One more thing, English is not my first language so please bear with me. Of course, this following description is not the only way of building an off-road go-kart, it is just my idea and approach of doing it. With this I am just trying to share my experience so that it might help someone else in building a go-kart. One day I was watching Junk Yard Wars on TLC (go-kart challenge), and came up with the idea of building my own off-road go-kart (buggy). At that time I was looking for a project and was toying with the idea of building a vehicle. I have this thing that I like to pick a new project every year or so and build or learn something new, as if I dont have enough things in my life. So that is how everything got started. First of all building an off-road go-kart is not for everyone. It takes a lot of time, tools, energy, work, and money. My advice is not to build one from scratch, simply buy one from someone, and then fix it up. Building a go-kart from scratch takes a lot of time and money. I am not trying to scare you I am just stating the facts. I naively decided to build a go-kart from scratch not completely understanding how much time it will take. So consider yourself warned. It is a great project to do, and very rewarding for people that like to build stuff. But just to give you an idea how expensive it can get, I will list the tools that you will need: welder ($300-$500), grinder to cut steal $70, good drill $50, plus some other small tools as well ($100). For a go-kart you will need an steel($100-300) ,engine ($300-400), seats ($100-200), clutch ($50-100), brakes ($50-100), seat belts ($10-100), differential, shocks ($30-100), tires ($50), etc. As you can see, it quickly becomes an expensive toy. Price will vary dramatically depending on the type and complexity of a project, and your shopping tactics. You will need a place were you will be able to work during the next 3-6 months. A place where you are welcome, and you will be able to keep your stuff and tools all over the place, a dry and well ventilated place with a concrete floor. You also need neighbors that will not mind all the extra noise (I am so lucky that mine did put-up with me), please be courtious and dont work on the go-kart after 9pm. Another huge pain is a steel dust that steel produces; it is very hard to clean up.

ENGINE
Now lets start talking about building a go-kart. First you need to get your hands

on a good/powerful engine. A go-kart should be built around the engine. You can get a go-kart engine from several different machines. This will depend on the local availability. For example, for people that live in colder parts of US, you can get cheap snowmobile engines that can be converted into a go-kart engine. And for others, you can probably get your hands on salvaged bikes or lawn mower engines. You should go for engines over 8HP. Here is a list of some possible engine donors and there benefits and drawbacks. First lets divide engines on water and air cooled engines Air cooled: Nearly all smaller engines are air cooled. Cooling is provided by the wind which cools the cooling fins around the engine when the vehicle is moving at a fast pace. So they are not made to run in one place. These engines can be clearly recognized by their large cooling fins. They are the best ones to have as you don't have to be messing around with radiators. Air cooled engines are simple, but should not be run for a long time in one place. (VW bug engines are most well known air cooled engines). Water cooled: These systems use fluid which runs through the engine for cooling. This liquid runs to a cooling radiator. A fan may also be incorporated to cool this radiator if the vehicle is stationary. With water cooled engines, revs can be kept high without the risk of overheating. That's basically the only advantage. Water cooled engines are more durable but they are more complicated since water system needs to be setup, and if system does not work, engine is in trouble. Simply too complicated for a project of this type. Engine donors: Motor-cycle Engines: These are the most versatile engines for use on go-karts and off-road vehicles. With their gearbox and clutches they require little messing around with. However these are not easy to come by, but for the fortunate few you're in luck! Whether it is a two-stroke or a four, small or big, it still is the best option. You can use up to 80% of bike for your go-kart project. The easiest way to build a go-kart is to use a motorcycle engine. Problem: They are made to go fast, therefore have a low torque. They are not cheap over $500, some of them are water cooled. They can take a lot of space. If you don't want to overcomplicate thinks then this is a way to go. If I was doing my project all over I would use motorcycle engine. Lawnmower Engines: Lawnmower engines are usually somewhere within the region of 3.5 - 18hp, which is fairly powerful. However these engines are slow, producing between 3500rpm and 4500rpm. The good side to this is that they produce plenty of torque to get a kart in a motion. They are also very cheap and readily available. Problems: They have vertical shaft, and the wheels are horizontal. They require a lot of adoption and messing around.

"If only we could just put the engine on it's side". If only!. However this is not the best of ideas as you risk top end failure - piston seizure etc. The problem is the fact that the drive axle (power shaft/ crankshaft comes out from the underneath of the engine. Producing vertical drive, however our rear axle turns in a horizontal axis. And it is this problem of getting the power from the engine to the rear wheels. So, if you are planning to use this type engine make sure you get your hands on some type of adapter. If you are getting engine from a lawnmower riding tractor then make sure you get a differential. Other small vertical shaft engines: Many of these engines come from leaf blowers and similar machines. They are great engines, and since they have vertical shaft they make things less complicated. More powerful ones can be bought in small engines stores, but they are not cheap. They are perfect engines for building a go-kart, the only problem is that they are not cheap and you need to get your self a clutch as well. Snowmobile engines: In some parts of the US these can be cheap, and they have a lot of torque. Problem: they are made to run in colder weather, so heat is a big issue during the summer. Car engine: There are few versions of go-kart that use Mini Mores engines (only in UK), Fiat 126, VW and etc. They are great engines, have plenty power and torque. Problem: not cheap and very heavy, probably too heavy for this type of car. Need original transmission, clutch and etc. It is hard to find a small car engine that will fit a go-kart type car, most of these are too large, too powerful, or hard to find. Jet Engine Yap, jet engine. You could build one your self as well. :-) "Go with a style" DiY project website Other possible donors: * * * * * * Chain-saw Engines Generator Engine Moped Engines Generator and Water Pump Engines Reclaimed Go-Kart Engines Rotavator Engines

Horsepower of engine:

In this case size does meter :-) For most of the go-karts 5-8 HP engines is a minimum. 8HP engines can push a go-kart up to 40Mpg, of course everything depends on you gear ratio. To find the top speed for your engine use this calculater [link]. If you get engine over 10HP you can create a larger gear ratio. This way your go-kart will have more torque and clime hils with no problems.

WELDING
Welding: People that have welded stuff before are in great advantage when it comes to this project. If you have never welded then you should buy a book on welding. They have some in Home Depot or try www.bn.com. I am not going to go in to too many details on how to weld, just an overview. I would also advise you to take a class in your local community college on welding. Welding is very dangerous, you are working with hot steel and high electrical power and improper use can get you third degree burns in seconds. Or even turn you into a large charcoal. I would also like to note that I did not have any previous knowledge of welding before of this project and was able to learn to use MIG in few days. You need to choose which type of welder you are planning to use. There are four types, ARC, MIG, TIG, gas. ARC (stick): Since this is one of the older type of welders, they are quite cheap. ARC welders can be bought for about $100 in many places. They work great, but their welds are not so clean. It might take some time to get used to working with ARC welder. You need to learn to move your hand away from yourself and down all at same time. It takes time to get used to it. An important thing to watch out when buying it is if it 110V or 220V, and its duty cycle. MIG: These are very popular ones. MIG welders are divided in two. One type is inner gas welders, they are cheaper, easier to learn because of their simplicity, but can only weld some types of steel. Most of these run on 120V so you can just plug it into your house outlet. There is no cycle time like in ARC so it can also make your job go faster. Most of these can weld up to 1/ 4 inc steel (plenty for this and many other projects). Inner gas welders can be converted to gas version by buying some adapters. The other type, is one with Gas tank attached to it. It can weld almost any type of steal, plus it makes cleaner and nicer welds then all other listed before.

I am using inner gas welder made by Lincoln called Weld Pack 100. It works great and it can weld up to steel. It took me only a day to learn how to weld, so it is the easiest one to learn. Just look Best way to start is to practice, welding cart is very useful and great way to start at bubble behind a spark, and make sure it is big enough. Also pay attention to heat and speed settings. They start at $300.

TIG: TIG is the strongest welder that you can get. It is used for airplane

construction. As you can imagine they are not cheap. They start at $800 and run on 240V. For a project like this they are simply overkill. GASS: This is oldest way to weld. It works great, but it will take you a lot of time to learn how to use it. Problem is knowing when metal reaches a perfect temperature: too low will not weld strong enough, and too hot will crystallize steel and make it week. One big plus is that it can be used for cutting steal as well. They start at $100 and are portable. If you are new to welding, like me, you could build a rolling tool box to get used to the welder itself. This is a great practice, and perfect place to store a welder, a fire extinguisher and other tools. I advise you to build one like mine. [picture] MOST IMPORTANT: you need to wear proper welding protection clothing. This dramatically depends on type of welder that you are going to use. For most of the time, you will need long pants, long sleeves shirt, hat, ear and eyes protection, welding gloves and most importantly welding helmet. You need to buy a good welding helmet ($50-100) the UV light produced by welder will make you blind in no time. And your face will be burned by UV-lights produced by welder. These skin burns can cause cancer. Also need a well ventilated area, on concrete and dry floor. And most importantly need to find a place were you will feel comfortable working like table, chair, lights, fan (can get hot), and etc.

FRAME
The goal of building a go-kart is to build it as light as possible, but still build it strong enough to take abuse. This can be hard to do, and some engineering background could be helpful. All of my go-kart frame is built from Carbon Mild steel. This steal is lighter and stronger then plain steal. I used 1 1 /2 .096 tick for most of my frame, and .065 for A-arms. Now when I think about it 1 1 /2 . 096 is over kill, and probably a bit heavy. But at the time I was buying steel I was thinking since I am placing a larger engine I might need 1 1/ 2, now looking back I think it is a bit much. You should look in your local yellow pages for steel and metal suppliers, call around, they all have different prices, and some only sell to companies. Majority of steel is sold in 20 fool long peaces, so plan accordingly (transport). You could do some research and find what type would work for you. I decided to go with mild steel because of its price, and durability. Other possibility is Cron-Molly, but it is not cheap, and it needs a special technique to weld it. You need to decide what type of steal you are planning to use, round or square. Pipe (round): I used a pipe since I like the way pipe looks on a go-kart. But round steel is too hard to work with. Its a pain to join peaces [picture] (might

need a tool moncher about $80), and you will need a bender to bend it as well. Benders are not cheap over $150. If you can get your hands on one then go with pipe style steel, if not think hard if its really worth it to use round steel. Square: It can be cheaper, and it is much easer to work with. But some people dont like the way it looks. You decide. If you still want round steel you should consider making it easy on you, and build a main frame with square and then rest, more visible parts, with round steel. If I was to do this all over again this is the way I would do it. Most important: make sure you weld frame well. Few times welds have given way from abuse, and hard rides. So make sure you take your time and make the frame strong, and supported on several points. After first few rides carefully look over your welds and make sure that they are all ok.

SUSPENSION
If you are planning to take your go-kart off road you will need some type of suspension. Some people make go-karts with no suspension, and install large tires. The idea is that large tires will soften the ride, I have never driven one like this so I can not guaranty anything. If you are planning or trying to make a gokart as simple as possible, eliminating suspension will make your job and total cost of the go-kart much less. A lot of already pre-build go-karts that you can buy from many stores either have no suspension, or on more expensive ones include only one form of suspension. You have to know that suspension complicates go-kart tremendously. For that reason many people chose not to have one or to have only one on the front. Most important part of suspension is travel distance. It is distance that tire can travel (up/down). The larger the traveling distance is the softer the ride is. Dune Buggies, use very long arm to achieve maximum travel. Also try to get you hands on some type of shocks, either from motor bikes or go-kart type. I used go-kart type since bikes are too expensive. Shocks can run you from $15 to $100 each. Everything depends on gas inside the shock. Some of the cheaper shocks ($15) have only one spring, this makes ride very bumpy. This is a break down of shocks and weight that they can support. [picture] Let me list few possibilities: (I am sure that there are many more, but this is what I can think of right now. If you know of any and have pictures email me): Note: entire front end should be tiled 3 degrees back, to spread the forces of impact better. [picture] Front: No suspension Very simple to build, but not for off road go-kart. [picture] Trailing arm Older cars used to use this system. Problem with this is traveling

distance that tire can travel, based on available space. But they are very simple to setup [picture] Single A-arms They are simple to build, but they dont ensure that all of tire threads will stay on ground. Also a lot of pressure if put on that single arm can be a problem [picture] Double A-arms All of todays cars have some type of double A-arms system. They ensure that tires grab dirt all the time. They are very complicated to setup, and you should make top one a little bit shorter. Read my plans section for more info. [picture]

Back: This gets very complicated, since drive setup and power to tires needs to brought. Back suspension can be divided into solid and independent suspension. Solid axle suspension: No suspension Very simple to build, but not for off road go-kart. [picture] Axel setup You can do this ether by mounting axel on square base that will hang on back of the go-kart. Problem with is that that you need a way to secure a chain so it does not fall off the axel or the engine when ever you go over a bump. [picture] This is very popular setup. Engine setup Simpler to build, since you dont have to worry about the chain falling off. You mount the engine, clutch, and axel on square peace of metal, make if hang on the back of the go-kart. Problem with this is that engine gets shaken all the time. [picture] This is very popular setup, but most people decide to remove it after some time. Problem: Problem with solid axle setups is making sure that axle does not get bended from all the forces on it. If it does, chain will keep falling off the axel sprocket. Other problem of solid axle is that when one back tire is in the air so is the other one. Almost all of new SUVs are switching to independent axle. Independent axle suspension (very complicated to setup): Double A-arms All of today cars have some type of double A-arms system. They ensure that tires grab dirt all the time. They are very complicated to setup, and you should make top one little bit shorter. For this you will need to use U-joints. [picture] U-joints - some people use U-joint instead of chains. This is great setup but unfortunately expensive. I think that each u-joint is about $50, if you get them off an old car that is great You could even try using CV joints from the old cars. Trailing arm Older cars used to use this system. Problem with this is traveling distance that tire can go. But keeping chain from falling off is very complicated. This is what I am using [picture] Problem: Problem with independent suspension is to make sure that chain stays on. This can get very complicated and though to build. You are twice as

likely to have problems with this then the solid axel setup. If the chain falls off on every bump, it will drive you crazy.

STEERING
This used to be one of the more complicated things to setup on a gokart. But since I discovered a [link] setup it made my life simpler. Problem with steering is that a lot of force is needed to keep both of wheels aligned. They both push away or toward each other at same time. So construction needs to be as strong as possible. Here are few ways to setup on: Steering rack from car [link] This is what I used, and I love it. [picture] You could use steering rack from any non power steering car or truck. Just make sure you get u-joint part as well. Chain setup [picture] Build you own - [picture] Can be expensive since all of the linking parts cost. Any plastic bucket type seats will work. Even old school plastic seats will work. Some people get seats from old cars. Problem with this is that they are made from fabric, and will get dirty in no time from all that mud and dust. I decided to get Jaz seats ($50 each). They are fiber glass bucket seats, and can be used for many projects. Make sure to get seats that will fit and provide protection to riders.

You need these. They are a must. You could either get car seat belts that are 3 point harness. Or buy 4 or 5 point seat belts used for racing. E-bay is a great place to find cheap ones. If you have money then get a 5 point seat belt. For starters, I got 3 point car seat belts since they where cheap, $10 each. FIY: professional racing belts can be used for races only 2-3 years from manufacturing date, after which they expire. These belts can be found on ebay for a great price.