Direct Drive Question Dual engines

[steve cox]

i have a question about direct drive. i have been running direct drive on my karts for a few years now (7) Mc5.Mc6,Mc10 and i am going to run duals since the 2 engines are chained to the live axle should they both be at TDC  or one up one down

[Paul F]

I have read multiple times that both at TDC produces the least vibration. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try the opposite to see what it does.

[ted johnson]

I ran duals and triples direct drive for more than ten years. My triple even had two of the same modified Mc6's on the outside, and a stroked Mc10 in the middle. It did not make a rat's a$$ how the engines were synchronized. it ran like a B.O.O.H. anyhow it was hooked up. Don't worry about it. I won literally dozens of races with direct drive duals. If you look at my avatar photo, that same Go Kart 800 spent all the second half of its life as a direct drive dual, even though that early photo shows it as a single Mc20. Ted

[steve cox]

  158288963_10219702910945607_3970634045263545103_n.jpg (Size: 1.08 MB / Downloads: 22) thanks guys for the replies  i will try it both ways

[Terry Sullivan]

It might be a bit harder to start if both engines are on the compression stroke at exactly the same time.
I remember when my brother and I had to push start my dad with direct drive.

[ted johnson]

My triple would slide the rears even if you jammed it down hard on the asphalt. I only weighed 125 in those days. I sure pitied my Pop! The darn thing would catch and run out from under him every time. Sure was fun to drive, though! My ONLY competition was Dick Wyatt of Wyatt Enterprises in Cocoa, Florida. Dick had a new Rupp Lancer with dual Dick Collier (S&S Oil) 820's. He even had pipes. We were very evenly matched. We did not do time trials, but drew numbered balls out of a box. Whoever started in front of the other would always win. Since it got boring having Dick win half the time, and me the other half, I redid the 1200 with dual Mc30's and went back to B Super. No competition there, either, so I dropped back to A Super. Almost as much fun, and people to race with. Ted

[steve cox]

1. [attachment=4916][attachment=4916]we use a starting dolly  we fire up the engine start pushing the driver drops the kart down with the wheels turning the wheels are about a half an inch off the ground off you go
   

[ted johnson]

WOW, '60 Wasp! Pop had a '60/Mc10. My first Wasp was a '61/Mc20. We were Bug dealers, '58 until '63. If you look at my avatar photo, the first kart in the line is Pop's ;61 Scorpion. Charlie Craibe has that kart now with a 101D on it. I had a Ron Cubel restored '60 Wasp frame here, but no time to build it. I gave the frame and wheels to Joe Kanocz. Ted

[steve cox]

Ted you have had some great karts over the years

[ted johnson]

Yes, Steve. I started in '58 with the single A400 dead axle Bug with the super strong "Scrub-on-sprocket" brake. When you hit the brake, the kart went faster. We wore out shoes scrubbing them on the asphalt. Bug's second effort, the dual internal expanding band brake was no better. The Palmini hydro disc would at least stop the kart. We had a lot of fun in the early days. We had the aerospace workers as customers, since we were 35 miles from Cape Canaveral. Wyatt Enterprises, in Cocoa, was even closer. There were a lot more karters in the Orlando area than in Brevard County.
It really took the introduction of the Fields Max Torque clutches to begin the change away from direct drive. When I quit karting the first time, in late '63 or early '64, I was still running direct drive, and still winning with it. The clutch guys all ballyhooed the clutches ability to keep the engine in the torque band, but we still beat the clutch karts consistently. It took the oil clutches to truly end direct drive in America. The Euros had direct drive down to a science. Their engines were set up to run best direct. Also, the introduction of space chain was instrumental in making both clutch and direct much easier. Ted