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i'll open this thread
#1
hi guys,
my name is david l and i have a vintage kart problem!!

it all started many years ago and has gotten way worse.
but along the way i've gotten to know hundreds of people and have more friends because of it.
fixing these karts can sometimes be difficult .
happily the forum is here to help me deal with this problem.
bwa ha ha
d Cool
Dave L.
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#2
A few caveats. Don't think you're running to win the Nationals. You're not. Don't get too serious. There's ALWAYS someone faster. There's ALWAYS someone with deeper pockets. There's nothing wrong with trying to recapture your youth. Remember, no matter how smart you are, how many "real" race cars you've owned and run, or how many years you've been karting, keep your eyes and ears wide open. These forum members are SHARP, and you can always learn from them. You can't always do all the things you could do forty (or more) years ago. Know your physical limits. HAVE FUN, and cherish the new and old friends you make along the way! Be careful listening to Dave! He's dangerous!!  Wink  Ted
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#3
Hi my name is Vic
I've been restoring and building minibike for years and just started with Karts I have a vintage Simplex that I will be restoring for some track time and to show off at the shows
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#4
Bigvic A welcome to the forum, and a word to the wise. We use first and last names on the forum. All of us want to know with whom we're dealing, so please, no handles. Good luck with the Simplex. Ted
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#5
I will change my name
Thanks for the heads up ted

(10-02-2018, 07:28 PM)Bigvic Wrote: Hi my name is Vic
I've been restoring and building minibike for years and just started with Karts I have a vintage Simplex that I will be restoring for some track time and to show off at the shows
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#6
Ted
I cant figure out how to change my handle
Can you help me?
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#7
Vic, that's a job for Dave Luciani! According to the above, you should be able to send an email request to: vintage.karts@aol.com Ted
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#8
I'm nicholas I'm from louisiana. I've had a cart for about 8 years now. Before I couldn't get any info on it so I'm trying again. It appears to be a 70s or 80s margay of some sort. . Thanks for adding me.
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#9
Paul in Alaska. I grew up in California where I got into karting and have been in a 20+ year hiatus since moving to AK in '97. First ride in a kart was one a neighbor was fixing for his friend. I have no idea the make but as I recall it was rear engined with a chainsaw engine that had been converted. I doubt I was more than 10 years old and he let me drive it around the street. He rode on the back in an attempt to keep me from going to fast, but when I turned around the bottom of the street he rolled off and next thing you know I was tearing up the street. I ended up hopping over the curve and on my parents lawn before he caught up and killed the engine.

In college I met a guy who built his own cars and raced at Bonneville (side story we ended up building a streamliner that last year set the record as the worlds fastest gasoline powered car at 384.7 mph)

Anyhow I got the idea I should build a laydown motorcycle powered by a kart engine. I scraped up a few bucks, went to Cambel karts and bought a K-88. Next thing I knew I had the idea I should race karts, ended up trading the K-88 back with an additional infusion of cash I ended up with an Emmick (I think an express) with a KT-100. Instead of having an appreciation for concentrating on racing one class and setting up a competitive kart I ended up dabbling for a few years and as I recall had the Emmick, an Invaded Pro-works 026, Hi-rev 125 (rebranded Invader), and a Trackmagic 80cc shifter. Engines that I went through were KT-100, Parilla TT-25, PCR 50/3 reed, K-35, Honda cr-80 and a Honda cr-125. Almost forgot, a friend gave me his '89 Invader Mirage frame that I ended up building as a 125 and added a third bearing support, still have it. I did end up a Mac Minarelli rotary valve and ran the Mirage up here a few times. Also at some point I traded through a Parilla SS-22, Hewland Arrow and an Atomik AKL-90.

As the Mirage now qualifies as a vintage kart (makes me feel old) I might need to find a period correct engine and get it going again. I ended up selling off all my engines over the years, so it's just a roller. There is also a chance I might be moving out of AK to a state that has active kart racing.

I'd love to get a 60's or 70's vintage rear engine kart and restore it with an early Italian engine.
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#10
Hi. Thanks for adding me. A couple months ago my nine year old stepson asked "Can we build a go kart?".  My ears perked up.  I said "Yes".

     When I was a kid we had a go kart.  Nothing fancy.  Just a one wheel drive with a 5hp B&S.  My friend Todd and I spent countless hours working on the go kart.  Our Dads always helped but for the most part they let us go at it unassisted unless we were stumped. There was no internet, just a library.  Racing go kart stuff was out of our junior high budgets and we wouldn't know where to get it anyway.  So we did things like have the head shaved down a little, fabricate a header, fit some stiffer valve springs out of a random junkyard motorcycle engine, smooth out the ports and eliminate the governor. We eventually built a better frame with a live axle and steering geometry that incorporated trail and Ackermann steering. I never really thought about it until years later how many fabrication and mechanical skills we learned because we had a go kart.

     So yeah, I was glad my stepson wanted to mess around with something like that. Fabricating from scratch was a possibility but first I called Todd.  He works in the recycling industry and every now and then sets something off to the side.


     A couple weeks later Todd shows up with two frames and a dozen or so wheels. One looks to be a racing frame from the 80s with a standard engine mounting pattern for a 5hp B&S engine.  The other looked older and through my interest in bicycles I was reasonably certain it was made of 4130 or similar tubing. So I was curious and after a few random Bing image searches I determined it is most likely a Bug Wasp.

     That brought me here.  I'll probably ask strange questions.  I'll put up some pictures when as we make progress. Thanks for having such a helpful site.

Brad
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