With NHRA Nationals at BIR this week and me having nothing to ride since I recently sold my Zuma, I got the itch to throw something together to putt around on up there. I've always wanted to build a "barstool racer" type toy...so I decided to build one last weekend. We leave tomorrow night so the timeline is tight...no time for bells and whistles (okay, maybe some bells) - just wanted something simplistic. It's not quite done yet, but thought it was worth sharing for chits and giggles and thought some of you might get a kick out of it... It's not the best pic, but this is what I started with (ugly green one on the right). Just a bare bones homemade go kart frame with steering column/linkage, 4 wheels and tires, a rear axle that has a sprocket on it, and a ghetto seat. It was cheap and a big head start on the project. First thing I did was pulled the column out and routed it behind the front "subframe" instead of underneath it so that I could get the column essentially vertical. I cut the steering column brace to be modified later... Before I sectioned the frame to shorten it, I needed a stool so I could work out the seating position and where everything would be. Picked this nice Craftsman stool with backrest from Sears on sale. Mocking up the seat. I realized it was a bit too wide and a little too tall for my liking considering I'd like to keep the rubber side down all week up there So I cut the legs off of my brand new fancy chair. It actually fits damn near perfectly to this frame Now that I had seating position figured out, it was time to cut her up. I cut the front end off then cut about 24" out of the middle. I used 3/4" threaded rod as structural reinforcement. Welded her back together. (Subie is not impressed with my welding skills) Fabbed up a new steering column brace. I don't have many pics past that point, but I welded the floor back in and then rattle can painted the frame. I robbed the bars and throttle cable off an old CR80 parts bike. The throttle cable was too short so I merged it with another one that I had laying around. Fun fact: I used the "sleeve" of an aluminum rivet and crimped the piss out of it to join them together...it actually worked nicely! Got a second hand Honda GX120 from a buddy on a trade for some powder coating services. Runs great. Only 4hp though, but that will probably be plenty. I opened the case up and pulled the governor gear out of it and also rigged up the throttle cable to work correctly. And the mostly finished product!
The rig has yet to move under its own power as of yet. I have a 10T centrifugal clutch coming for it today so I'll slap that on quick and cut the chain to fit. I also need to figure out brakes! I have a good idea on how to rig up a simple hand brake lever so I'm going to try to tackle that tonight. I think it's coming together pretty well considering only having a few days to work on it so far. Hopefully she'll be rippin' wheelies (or not) soon!
If you can find a Torque-A-Verter instead of the centrifugal clutch, you'll have a much better time. The only "problem" with centri-clutches is that you are either full throttle, or off throttle, they don't like partial throttle situations, and will burn right up if you aren't laying into them. A Torque-A-Verter (or CVT) will be far more streetable in the long run.
FYI, if anyone is looking to build one of these, or something like it, I may be willing to sell off the go-kart I have in its current state (not running, CVT needs sorted)
Well...the kart was pretty much a bust. Had issues with the sprocket alignment due to the way the frame runs underneath the motor mounts. Finally got that sorted and then my throttle cable came apart. We partied with a few NHRA crew members one night who brought me an assortment of rivets to our camp the next day to recrimp my throttle cable. After that was all fixed the clutch burnt up in no time (see Readymix's reply above). The reason it cooked it so fast is that the axle doesn't have any bearings in it (just a steel shaft through two eyelets) so it was binding up like crazy. Still had fun throwing it together in a couple of days and gave me something to tinker with during down times up there. I have one year to make it functional again and improve upon what I've got. I will definitely look into the Torque-A-Verter that Readymix mentioned. RIP barstool racer. 8/13/18 -8/18/18 Still had an absolute blast up there again this year. I highly recommend going at least once!
Mine's the 03, so I don't think it's as bad as the 02 from what I've heard. Either way, seems like everybody hates on the 5 no matter when it was made. But I've got 211k on it and have had zero issues so far, so I don't know... Run it 'til she dies.
It was only a glass transmission if you tried to do 5000rpm clutch dumps. It is AWD, you don't need to start your drag race at the top of the rev range. MNelson is referring to the ****nose that bought my old car and somehow trashed the PPG straight cut gears, then told us all that the stock 5 speed was stronger anyway. Which, of course, is pure idiocy.
It's that time of the year again...Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at BIR next week!!! Last year's Barstool Racer was pretty much a bust. Constantly fixing **** and ultimately the centrifugal clutch was cooked before I was able to put any real miles on her. In comes the new platform for 2.0...a 110cc Chinese youth ATV. This is with it pretty much stripped down, didn't take any pics of it with the plastics and everything on it. Motor had a hole in the top of the head and the frame was broken, but it had the bones that I needed. Side by side with the OG Torque converter installed on the same motor I used last year - Honda GX120 (3.5hp) Yada yada, cut a bunch of crap, welded a bunch of crap, and viola! Still needs a paint job, a lighting solution, probably some fenders in the front and a partial floor so I don't run my feet over. It's FAR less sketchy to ride compared to last year's rig. And the torque converter is KEY! The thing just works - no slipping clutch - it just hooks and goes. Probably tops out about 15-20 mph and isn't fast enough to wheelie from a dig so I shouldn't get into too much trouble with it! Although...it does a pretty nice standing burnout if I hold it in place. Should make nice campground cruiser.
This is awesome, I like looking at these carts almost as much as the rest of the cars in the paddocks at track events.
After looking at the vehicle in question, I thought it both coincidental and ironic that these words appear in the opening sentences.
Was just up there for Powercruise. You gonna be back in the zoo? There's a mini dirt circle track out there. I suggest checking it out with your new cruiser.
Yep, will be in the zoo all week. We camped right in front of that track last year if it’s the same one I’m thinking of - was near the big burn pit area. She sits pretty low though because I wanted to get the CG as low as possible so it’s not as tippy. It won’t be much of an off-roader :/
Well she was a success and nobody died riding it all week! It actually exceeded my expectations! I never really got to post updated pictures after it was done, done. I added two 10w LED headlights, a tail light, and a 20Ah battery to the kart to power the lights. Also welded a muffler onto it to quiet it down some. And oh yeah, RON CAPPS rode it Wednesday night when he was down hanging out in the Zoo! Definitely one of the highlights of the week...that I remember...because I recorded it lol. Capps went on to win the Top Fuel Funny Car class on Sunday - coincidence? I think not. That win could only be contributed to him taking the bar stool racer for a rip earlier in the week! I posted it to Youtube and had a little fun with the thumbnail Yes, I was slightly intoxicated during the filming of this video. Pics of the finished product... The high temp paint on the muffler couldn't stand all the horsepower
