Look at What This Father is Doing With This GoKart

"Jesse Shaffer" (7esse) 12/19/2014 at 19:50 • Filed to: None

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This is a five horsepower, four-stroke, chain-driven, single speed, mad, mad, speed machine. It'll do 25mph, in fact, with my shivering ass a 150lb fully grown man-boy gripping and tugging at the pseudo-pro pleather wheel on a slightly less than level grade. This thing only has one purpose, and therefor it is a genuine, albeit pint-sized, racecar. It isn't being rigged readied for next season for someone like me, though. I have a feeling it's going to go a lot faster after it's unwrapped under a tree this holiday season - and rockets straight out the front door under the control of someone less than 1/3 of my size.

I want to be very clear that I had nothing to do with the thought process or decision making procedures that went in to the concept, design, nor execution of this vehicle. I'm not even necessarily saying that I know the people behind what this is, but here it is

I mean, who has the time to unbox and construct a hot-wheels garage playset (no matter how great that is too, yeah, yeah, anyway) when you've newly acquired your own racecar?

A big focus point for the first sector of the track in regard to getting a racecar ready for a new driver is to get that driver's seat ready. That's exactly where this father began on a project for his daughter. Not being the equestrian type, this girl early on decided she would rather drive than ride. As her first driver's seat would be considerably smaller than the seat that hers replaced, it didn't reach the original seat's mounting brackets. So, the first step became creating a sub-floor.

The sub-floor would mount directly to the original seat's mounting bracketry and be secured through multiple points on the chassis.

With a sub-floor in place, already previewing a bit of next season's livery, the seat is secured to both the subfloor and directly to the chassis for more rigging redundancy. High-Strength Stainless Steel straps were banded around the chassis and bolted directly to the sub-floor, running through the seat mounts. Brackets were constructed and bolted directly to the seat frame and then on to the sub-floor of the car.

Extensive quality assurance tests were completed over countless seconds of suspending the entire chassis from only the seat, midair and periodically shaken in both turbulent and calm conditions.

With the chassis and seat having passed through internal tech inspection, the only thing left is to adapt the rest of the car to the driver's requirements, such as height. The pedals will need to be moved to a more appropriate location, as they currently do not permit optimal operation for the new driver's stature. After all, she's six.

A few minor touches and a more thorough livery update are still needed, but it won't be long before a little girl finally gets a present she always wanted: her very own racecar. Will it hold together past New Years? Who knows. Is it better than a pony, anyway? Hell yeah.

photocredit: xmarkedspot with permission from the race team.

written by Jesse Alan Shaffer, former Director of Information Technology and Network Analyst for Pittsburgh Technology Management @xmarkedspot

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Jesse Shaffer 12/19/2014 at 20:04

7

Appears like you've already got slicks on there!

shop-teacher > Jesse Shaffer 12/19/2014 at 20:11

7

That's a pretty brilliant use of an old car seat. Upcycling at it's finest!

Cebu > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 12/19/2014 at 20:15

17

Slicks=bald tires now?

sw33t then my ratty old fiesta is a formula 1 car

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Cebu 12/19/2014 at 20:17

4

Lol, I was going along with the racing theme but sure, you've an F1 racer!

PS9 > Jesse Shaffer 12/19/2014 at 20:44

22

Next step: Hellcat swap

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:27

6

Yes.

Poundingsand > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:38

0

AND it'll baby!

beearrzed > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:42

4

needs moar rollbar

DjM1390 > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:42

0

Good for him! I'd be afraid of all the safety nannies in my neighborhood who would call the cops on people for allowing their kids to have something so awesome.

toecutter (so grey, I gotta wear shades) > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:45

0

My parents bought a used golf cart once, to use at the campground they summered at. The thing is, it was a gasoline powered Harley Davidson golf cart. (I didn't know they made these because, not a golfer). Well, my dad, being an old-school gearhead, disabled the governor on it. I swear, that thing would do forty miles an hour. On those golf cart balloon tires, you would actually be shitting your pants, while laughing uncontrollably. It was that scary/fun.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:45

12

Someone give this man his Father of the Year award!

AdmiralAkbar > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/22/2014 at 16:48

3

And it looks so much comfier than the standard plastic kart seat.

MetaKnight2k > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:48

0

My son would die to get something like this. Unfortunately I think he would also die after getting into something like this. He is also 6, and not sure he's really capable of handling anything more than 2hp, let alone 5hp.

RallyWrench > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:50

7

That's a much safer seat than the one on the similarly executed 5hp go-kart I had as a kid. Mine was an old plastic school chair with no legs, like this, bolted right to the chassis:

Sonex > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:53

0

If it were me, and mind you this disregards ALL of this child's safety, I'd strap a 36hp or 40hp Bug motor in and let her rip.

It will either be crazy awesome (and blisteringly fast), or it will rip the cart and child in two.

EMWhyte > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 16:57

0

a friend of mine is building something very similar for his son. Different frame & suspension, but it is also chain driven with about 5 HP & a similar top speed.

EMWhyte > PS9 12/22/2014 at 16:58

0

lol, the torque would probably flip it over on top of you. That or just snap the chain.

CobraJoe > RallyWrench 12/22/2014 at 16:59

2

That's really funny, my home made gokart has the exact same seat.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:01

0

After all, she's six.

Months?

Arominus > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:01

16

Build a roll bar for it. Seriously.

Prophet of hoon > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:01

0

Pretty flippin awesome... I, too, like the repurposed seat; I'll add that my first seat was more akin to the plastic, stolen desk chair than to anything that resembled safety.... of course, the motor from my 'kart came from a motorcycle my dad gave me that I outgrew - so safety wasn't really a priority in my family.

Jesse Shaffer > Arominus 12/22/2014 at 17:02

1

That's the first thing I thought. Her head doesn't clear the seat right now, but it's only a matter of time before that's a must.

Scootin159 > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 12/22/2014 at 17:12

7

Kinda my thoughts - they already build standard go karts with proper classing and safety gear for as young as 5 year olds:

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:16

2

Try turning it over and dropping it on the top of the car seat to see if it will deform. Then decide. Other than that, I love the safety seat concept!

Mr Joshua > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:38

3

What's the clutch/gearing setup ? More pics of this please. I have an old Briggs and Stratton around and a 6 year old son and I'm getting excited.

Dave-O > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 17:57

1

badass, but am I the only one who's going to point out that that seat it way too small for a 6 year old? That style usually cap out at 4 years old or 40-50 pounds.

Joe Ransom > Scootin159 12/22/2014 at 18:15

0

Thank you for posting this. Between traditional kid karts and the myriad of other ready-made karts available, this makes me sad to see celebrated. I'm a broke-dick and I managed to cough up the grand for a used kid-kart for my sons 6yr old bday.

The post and the whole "hey-lets-gather-round-in-my-buddies-carport-drink PBR-and-cobble-together-a-deathtrap-for-my-poor-kid" is cringe inducing.

One thing for certain - if you strap the kid in, build at a minimum a roll-bar hoop. If you go un-belted like a traditional kart, then roll minus the cage. and please tell me the "sub-floor" is plywood...

Jesse Shaffer > Dave-O 12/22/2014 at 18:16

4

She's tiny. She should get a year's worth of hoonage out of this setup! Her head doesn't even clear the top of the seat, yet. Otherwise it'd have a roll bar, for sure.

Rand0nS > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 18:58

1

That's cool, my daughter will be ready for this by 6ish. At 6 months I had her riding around in an RC low to the ground high chair and at 1yr I made her an RC power wheel.

Braking-Dad > Scootin159 12/22/2014 at 19:03

0

Exactly, cheap prick should be buying her a real kart.

anduril3019 > Scootin159 12/22/2014 at 19:05

0

Sure there's proper setups out there. But even used, abused, and outdated your looking at $750 plus (not to mention time and expensive parts to get it back up to snuff). My guess is that he paid about $100 (or less) for the cart and was able to get it up to "race spec" with some plywood and odd bits lying around the garage. I paid $75 for exactly the same cart and fixed the throttle with a piece of all-thread and a used cotter pin and fixed the plastic desk chair racing seat with some fender washers and proceeded to have a blast, while still searching for an outdated but fun "real" race cart.

TwoFortified > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 19:25

0

Humbug. Call me when it has a turbocharger.

Trolololol

Joe Ransom > anduril3019 12/22/2014 at 19:34

0

I'm not doubting for a second that given a couple hundred dollar bills we all could cobble some shit together from craigslist, drink, and be merry all the way while drifting through the wal-mart parking lot.

But this is specifically for the kids, and the author's own child no less. A bike helmet and long pants oughtta cover it, right? Hey Suzy, make sure you have your flip-flops on and long hair flowing, go ahead and hop in sweetheart :)

Jesse Shaffer > Mr Joshua 12/22/2014 at 19:36

2

It's single speed and chain driven - so no transmission. The 3rd pic down shows the "drive-train." Harmonic balance pulley with a sprocket drives a sprocket attached to the solid rear axle.

The dad has been looking at ways to slow it down - but all I could come with is blocking the throttle pedal from full depression. You can't re-gear it to go slower, or the sprockets will touch.

Kylemaro > Mr Joshua 12/22/2014 at 19:46

4

chain driven, single speed. as in it will go as fast as she revs it lol

LAScott > beearrzed 12/22/2014 at 20:25

0

Add a second set of pedals closer to the seat. Connect them with some flatbar and bolts.

That way a taller driver can still drive it. You'll be more comfortable in a bigger seat too. Make that a quick change set up...

everyonejustcalmdown > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 21:14

0

Centrifugal clutch? How does it come to a stop without running?

To slow it down, you need to limit the throttle. Can be accomplished on the carb with a set screw, or by un-adjusting the throttle cable itself.

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0

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GBond > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 22:55

0

He could make some restrictor plates to go between the air cleaner and carb with different hole diameters to adjust quickly to her skills.

uofime > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 23:22

3

you can add a restrictor plate, NASCAR style

Over-Heated > Jesse Shaffer 12/22/2014 at 23:24

0

I hope my daughter will want to do things like this!

mgimbo > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 00:37

0

In my former life, I was a recreational go-kart engineer. I'm pretty sure the company for which I used to work built this thing originally. It uses a centrifugal clutch, which has pucks that expand into the clutch drum at a certain RPM. We bought the clutches from a company called Hilliard.

Andrew Elias > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 01:15

0

You can't modify the throttle/opening/cable length?

Andrew Elias > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 01:18

0

Dude, it's a serious must. That car seat was not designed for that application AT ALL (They're mostly for front and rear impacts), and has not been tested for rollover strength. I could easily see the plastic base cracking on a 25 mph rollover. It might not look cool, but you should at least look at a removable roll cage. Something welded on and cut off later or something. Jesus. It should look like a tiny Polaris until she gets very used to it. I'm picturing something like

Andrew Elias > Scootin159 12/23/2014 at 01:21

0

Isn't that like $2000 worth of Kart and Gear in that picture? These karts are to tear ass around the yard and do drifts in the gravel driveway.

Andrew Elias > beearrzed 12/23/2014 at 01:22

0

Seconded. Especially for a first real motor vehicle.

Shiro > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 08:57

0

Careful with that. Having had extensive experience with the go karting industry I've found that just restricting the pedal can be easily outsmarted. Depending on the direction the cable is run, a well placed heel can provide additional throttle/excitement.

The carb throttle lever should have a stop screw on it which will aid the pedal stop in restricting speed.

MDTaddi > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 09:22

0

In the running for father of the year! May you win!

Meatcoma > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 09:51

1

I would also use a more appropriate cotter pin than just a bent nail.... Just sayin'.

drdude > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 10:18

1

to slow it down properly, change the speed limiter spring. There is a "paddle" that is blown by the impeller attached to the crank. When it is pushed away with air, it overcomes a spring, and closes a butterfly valve behind the throttle.... This is also how your lawnmower doesnt over-rev and explode.. same engine, only horizontal shaft.

Changing it will limit the max RPM of the engine.. and the speed.. BUT will allow WOT from a stop, so they can still pull away fast and fun.

Phil_L > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 11:02

1

That's not a harmonic balancer - it's a centrifugal clutch. I spent many hours as a kid ripping go-karts and minibikes apart, and then learning how to get them back together again...

BoostedBlazer > Scootin159 12/23/2014 at 12:54

1

Pfft yeah, they're $3,500 or better too... where as this is probably no more than a grand.

Jesse Shaffer > Phil_L 12/23/2014 at 13:56

1

Cool! Now I know.

Arominus > Jesse Shaffer 12/23/2014 at 13:57

0

I doubt the seat will take the force of a roll over, get busy on it asap. Teach her safety matters.

Scootin159 > BoostedBlazer 12/23/2014 at 14:00

0

You guys are paying wayyyy too much for your kid karts:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-Kart-K… ($900)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kid-Kart-3… ($950)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KID-KART-/… ($1100 OBO)

and that's just in 30 seconds looking on eBay. If you source locally you'll likely be able to find an even better deal on one that's already setup well for whatever nuances your local track has.