Beats the hell outta my super low '78 Ford van go cart thing. But my van does have a buzzard on the side and your's doesn't. Hah..........Cool.
Even it was off topic (which I don't think it was), your "mini-rod" is VERY COOL. I get a lot out of seein' stuff like this. It's creative ... and let's face it ... what makes this hobby (lifestyle) so much fun is the creativity part.... Of course, it's also fun to haul ass.
Hey man, any updates? I'd love to build something similar for my son. Come to think of it, I've got a 10 hp engine from a riding mower I could use...hmmmm....it would be the gokart version of a big block.
I have a differential from an old toro riding mower (the diff is made by Tecumseh, and they still make them), it has a sprocket for a #35 chain, all you would need is a couple of bearings for the axle to mount to the suspension/chassis, I'll put up a pic later on, I'll donate the diff/axle to the cause if you pay the shipping which shouldn't be too much. Let me know.
I remember a long time ago seeing someone use a wheelbarrow to make a recessed fire wall on a mid 1950's chevy truck, it looked pretty good.
Thats toooo damn KOOL ! She is a lucky kid to have a dad that cares enough to to fun stuff like that.
I have a bunch of ole Popular Science, etc. magazines from the 40s and 50s. It was very common back then for folks to create small front-engined cars (the term go-cart had not yet been coined) that used Model T rears and Model A trannys. These cars were built for kids with a little one-lunger up front, three speeds and reverse. Kewl. My little daughter spotted this thread and now she wants one, too.
Years ago, back in the mid 50's, my dad built a go-kart for us kids - frame was out of square tubing and it was powered by a old ford generator and a battery -wish I still had it - it was the hit of the neighbor hood. That body is looking good as well as the frame - Lucky kid.
That is great thinking! What an awesome way to get a quick and simple, not to mention great looking miniT! I asked my parents for a mini rod when was about 12, I was told to make my own. By the time I turned 18 it had an 1100cc motor in it.
Wow, I can't believe you posted that. Last night at 1 am I was in the garage, running an old MoPar generator off of a battery to see how well it would run. Looks like it could work! Do you remember any details about the car your dad built? I assume it had a v belt drive. Was it a six volt generator running off of a 6 volt battery? About how long did the battery last? Was the go cart capable of climbing a slight hill? My little one has been checking out the go carts on this thread and she has already informed me of the ones she thinks are the coolest. Since she is very young, an electric go cart might be best for her. Hmmm I can run a motor up front, spinning an alternator, to recharge the battery. A hybrid go cart! LOL
Dang it... there was a wheel barrow with a flat tire on the curb by a trashcan on my way into work that I almost pulled over to get. There was some crazy looking dude sitting on his front porch staring at it and I didn't want to get into it with him though... After reading this post, I should've just snagged it. lol
That looks great. I'd like to do something for my kid along simalar lines. I found this one being built for the illegal soap box derby. I'm thinking along these lines with a 2 cylinder snow mobile motor with a belt variable belt drive. maybe?
I saw that the other day looking for radio flyer- carts. Pretty cool. http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/more-than-two-wheels/5588-radio-flyer-hot-rod-wagon.html
I am currently working on a tot rod project involving a mini 32 roadster body and the 500 watt drive axle out of a mobility scooter. I am hand bending the frame rails out of light wall 1x1 square tubing. As I am letting my 3 year old son make most of the design decisions it will have bobbed horns and be channeled down over the rails. Body will most likely be black suede, but he (the three year old) might have other ideas. I plan on using the steering shaft and spindles from a go kart supply house and need to figure out what to do for a front dropped axle. A couple of quick questions: What tire and rims are you running? What are you planning on doing for the front axle? As I don't have a bender I am considering having a local shop bend one out of either 1/2" or 3/4" heavy walled DOM. Front will be radius arms w/ coils (from a mini electric scooter) and rear will be 4 link and coils. I wanted to run leafs but haven't been able to source any leafs that are small enough. I'll have to put up some pics once I get the frame welded up (couple more days). Thanks for any info!
that is a very cool mini rod start . when my younger brother and i were young ( about 20 something ) we bought a go cart frame , extended it a couple of feet , added golf cart tires and wheels on the front and huge ballon tires off of a honda big red out back . we then threw on a yamaha 360 indura engine . the coolest part was when we added the hurst shifter to the left side of the cart to bang the gears . i don't recall what diff we had , but if we dumped the clutch to try and do a burn out we would wind up having to replace the spider gears . ah , memories
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