How do i build a go kart?

How can I build a go-kart from a 2 Stroke Honda engine?

• I wish to extract a 2 Stroke engine from a Honda powered electricity generator and use it to build a Go Kart. Any suggestions on designing, installation, tools are welcome

• Answer:

  This is copy pasted from a document I researched for my own project. Think of your kart as nothing more than a collection of five systems, listed here in order of importance: Brakes Steering Fuel Chassis/Drive train Wheel/Tires Let’s go through these one at a time and look at features you should include on your kart. A.) Brakes: Stopping a kart safely is your team’s number one priority because it is the key to driver, and spectator, safety.  A fully developed go-kart can reach 80 mph and is potentially dangerous.  Here at the Career Center, because of the race course design, karts rarely get above 25 mph.  Still, a kart MUST be able to stop quickly when the driver applies the brakes, and so this must be your team’s main area of focus. There are numerous designs for safe go-kart brakes, and rather than go into detail on all of them, we will present a range of effective brake systems that you should consider.  IF IN DOUBT, contact us for further advice, or contact a local go-kart shop (Competition Karting Inc. in Welcome, NC is very helpful.) Tire Friction Pads- In this system, a tube stretches across the rear of the frame just in front of the rear tires.  When the brake pedal is depressed, a rod actuates this tube to which are attached two small metal pads which press against the rolling tires, thus causing friction to slow down the kart.  This system is effective at lower speeds, and is acceptable from a safety check standpoint.  However, it is the least effective system. Brake Shoes and Drum- Just like a full-size automobile, there is a brake drum with internal expanding shoes that cause friction when the brake pedal is depressed.  This is a very good system that is simple, and reliable.  The pedal free-play should be checked, and minimized, before each race. Rotor and caliper- Also as found on full-sized automobile, a brake rotor is attached to the rear axle either directly, or via fitment to a wheel hub.  Pressing the brake pedal either operates a mechanical, or hydraulic, linkage to a caliper which then clamps down on the rotor.  This is the best form of braking, and can be adapted to any kart.  The down-side of the system is the expense.  This system is found on most racing karts. B. ) Steering: Steering is relatively straightforward on go-karts.  The wheel is connected via tie-rods to the steering knuckles on the wheel spindles.  Some tie rods actuate under the steering column, and some above it.  It is important to make sure that no matter what the arrangement the linkages don’t interfere with the driver’s feet or legs.  From a safety standpoint, rod ends should be checked frequently for tightness, and the front wheels should be adjusted for about 1/16th inch of toe-in.  Failure to properly align the steering gear will result in more tire scrub, which will allow for faster tire wear, and difficulty in steering.  We also recommend that all steering components be secured with at least lock-nuts, or even better, castellated nuts and safety wire. C. ) Fuel: The Go Green Go-Kart competition does not allow the use of any type of fuel other than vegetable oil, waste vegetable oil (WVO), or biodiesel.  We can provide your team a suitable amount of fuel on race day, though not for practice sessions.  A Career Center sponsored methanol kart, and a propane kart, may participate as technology demonstrators, but no other teams may bring karts using these fuels. All fuel must be stored in DOT approved containers, and the on-board fuel tank must pass safety inspections.  A fuel shut-off switch (petcock) must be VISIBLE and CLEARLY MARKED. Battery powered electric karts are encouraged to participate. D.) Chassis / Drivetrain: As you prepare your kart, make sure all the joins and welds on your kart are sound, and that there are no cracks or failures.  Electrical conduit, or mechanical tubing, has no place on a kart, and should not be used to repair failed tubing, or to build a roll-bar.  There are various welding methods for attaching brackets, or an engine plate, to a frame, and if you are not familiar, or skilled enough, to use these methods, please contact us at the Career Center and we will help you with these.  An engine plate bolted to a kart frame IS NOT SECURE. If you need to make, or relocate, an engine plate to fit the diesel engine, you can purchase a plate with mounting slots already punched out from either Competition Karting Inc, in Welcome, NC, or from Northern Tools in Colfax, NC, just outside of Kernersville. Use an engine plate welded to your frame to mount the diesel engine. Make sure the engine’s direction of rotation matches that of your driven wheel before you weld the engine plate in place.  You don’t want your kart going backwards!  Before welding, also make sure that you attach a centrifugal clutch, and chain to the engine, and run the chain down to the drive sprocket on your axle (or wheel hub.)  Take a flat edge (ruler), and make sure the chain lines up EXACTLY in the plane of the two sprocket before welding the plate in place permanently.  Failure to line up the chain properly will result in a snapped chain, or prematurely worn out sprockets.  Make sure, too, that your drive plate slots are exactly parallel to the longitudinal axis of your kart frame.  You will need to adjust the engine position fore and aft to tighten the chain after it stretches from use. Centrifugal clutch: the 6 hp diesel engine takes  a 1” bore clutch.  The 4 ½ hp uses a ¾”.   Once your drive train is in place, you must build a STEEL safety guard around the chain and sprockets so that neither the driver, nor crew, can accidentally get caught in the moving components.  The safety guard itself must be securely fitted to the kart so that it cannot shift position, or fall off, during use.  Failure to comply with this stipulation will result in your team not passing the safety inspection prior to the race. All engines (including electric motors) must have a VISIBLE and CLEARLY LABELED cut-off switch.  Electric motors need only have an electrical kill switch (available inexpensively at Harbor Freight Tools in Winston-Salem), while a diesel engine kart must have BOTH a fuel cut-off valve (petcock), AND an engine kill switch.  Since diesel engines do not operate with an electrical ignition, the only sure way to kill them immediately is by opening their decompression lever.  The engines provided by the Career Center have red plastic tabs on their decompression levers BUT THESE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR EMERGENCY USE.  You must rig a larger, more visible cut-off lever on the kart that can be accessed immediately by someone NOT in the kart, and the driver, too.  At the Career Center we have done this be running a “pull down” cable to the decompression lever that extends to a larger lever by the driver’s left side.  THIS LEVER IS A CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURE.  Failure to rig a suitable kill switch will disqualify your team from the competition.  WE USE THESE SWITCHES CONTINUOUSLY.  Please contact us if you would like help in rigging a safe kill switch. As a general practice, we recommend the use of lock-nuts on all components of the kart EXCEPT those connected directly to the exhaust system.  Best practice is to use castellated nuts and safety wire on any component subject to high vibration. SHAPE  \* MERGEFORMAT E.) Wheels / Tires As previously mentioned, you should try to use racing wheels with racing slicks, but these are not strictly necessary.  Treaded “service cart” wheels are used on many go-karts, though they work better on dirt tracks than on the tarmac which you will find on the day of the competition.  The bearings in “service cart” wheels have a very short life under competition loads and can even fail.  Typically a failed bearing will cause the wheel to flail on the end of the axle with some loss of steering control.  If you choose to use service cart wheels we recommend that you examine the bearings for tightness.  Replace loose bearings with go-kart rated bearings (Competition Karting, Inc.).  These are very inexpensive.  Make sure, too, that the bearings are well packed with bearing grease. The science of racing tires, weight / balance, off-set, camber / caster, etc., is beyond the scope of this monograph, but suffice it to say that if you build a competitive kart, you can win, or lose, depending on how your rubber meets the road.  Chemical tire conditioners sold at kart shops will promote adhesion, but are not commonly used at the Go Green Go-Kart Competition.