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I'll have to wit till hes older and a better driver before I put some 'bull' horns on it, I'd hate for him to spear the dog. But I already thought of putting some exhaust 'stacks' on it for the fun of it. Maybe a small brush guard. Also thought about when he gets a little bigger putting a lift on it and some suspension so I can put some small lawn tractor tires on it. Of course then ill need to put a bigger motor which then means a roll cage. If I'm gonna do a roll cage I might as well put a little sheet metal on there with some decals and make it look like those midget race cars or a funny car. That's just the first few things I thought about but I'm sure I'll  find more to do late. :) 

Of course I do need to put a car horn on it so he can warn people before he runs them over lol.

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1 hour ago, Michael Cochran said:

I'll have to wit till hes older and a better driver before I put some 'bull' horns on it, I'd hate for him to spear the dog. But I already thought of putting some exhaust 'stacks' on it for the fun of it. Maybe a small brush guard. Also thought about when he gets a little bigger putting a lift on it and some suspension so I can put some small lawn tractor tires on it. Of course then ill need to put a bigger motor which then means a roll cage. If I'm gonna do a roll cage I might as well put a little sheet metal on there with some decals and make it look like those midget race cars or a funny car. That's just the first few things I thought about but I'm sure I'll  find more to do late. :) 

Of course I do need to put a car horn on it so he can warn people before he runs them over lol.

I seem to remember some sort of cliché filtering over to this side about gung-ho US citizens taking any small motorised implement and "slapping a V8 in there"...though maybe in this case it would be attaching the cart to the V8!

Alan

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10 minutes ago, Alan Evans said:

I seem to remember some sort of cliché filtering over to this side about gung-ho US citizens taking any small motorised implement and "slapping a V8 in there"...though maybe in this case it would be attaching the cart to the V8!

Alan

I assure you I won't be doin a v8 lol. I'm thinking small chainsaw or weed eater at first then stepping up to a small motor from a tiller. 

I know what you mean as I've seen plenty of people get carried away with something like that and puttin too much power in it. I want it to have plenty of power but it's still going to be controllable and relatively safe. Much safer than the four wheeler his grandparent bought him for Christmas last year (he turns 3 in July).

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9 minutes ago, Michael Cochran said:

I assure you I won't be doin a v8 lol. I'm thinking small chainsaw or weed eater at first then stepping up to a small motor from a tiller. 

I think a chain saw was one of the things thus powered!

Mind you I do have a woodman friend over here with a two man chain saw with a 2metre arm. Scary looking modest guard and bicycle handlebars on the nose!

Alan

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I was think of a chainsaw motor from a 16" saw. 

I got the wiring pretty much back together and now it works when you hit the throttle. I just have to figure out how to reengineer a charging plug and find a smaller battery pack if I decide to keep it electric (which is actually looking easier by the minute). 

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If the electric drive is an easy fix that'd be the way to go for now. Let's the boy develop some driving skills while you engineer putting a Huqvarna chain saw engine in it. If you check out the party and costume stores you can find rubber bull horns as seen on cheesy viking helmets.

By the time you could rebuild it into a proper sprint, funny or fuel altered model cart you could build one from scratch. bending up the frame is easier than making a cage. Just sayin. ;)

Frosty The Lucky.

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23 hours ago, Alan Evans said:

I seem to remember some sort of cliché filtering over to this side about gung-ho US citizens taking any small motorised implement and "slapping a V8 in there"...though maybe in this case it would be attaching the cart to the V8!

Alan

you can power that cart with a good battery drill ! no need for fancy wiring or anything ! Chuck up a small wheel then mount the drill so the little wheel rides on one of the rear tires for a friction drive . Next you need to make a Throttle this is nothing more than a bar on a pivot your throttle cable will pull to "Push" the trigger . If you look up Popular Mechanics archive you will also find that a car starter and battery will power this thing just fine without fancy wiring and run it for a day per charge.I have the 1955 Popular Mechanics Do It Yourself Encyclopedia there are 2 or 3 "Sidewalk Cars for Kids" in it but I don't have a way to share the plans with you .A weed Whacker engine will drive this little cart way faster than you want him going right now !My grandson has one on a 26 inch single speed bike and it will run close to 30 MPH with him on it my grandson is 17 and about 160 pounds .Another option would be a low HP electric boat motor adapted to the cart . I've seen the cordless drill used to power several "Electric Bikes" with good results and you can show him how to flip the forward /revers4e for power in both directions! a Brigs 3-5 hp will push it well beyond 20 MPH with the governor inplace and close to 40 MPH with it taken out . Chain saw engines will push it into the 60s ! For right around 90$ you can get a nice Honda clone 7HP engine from Harbor Freight these are always going on sale I've seen them as low as 59$ It'as one of the few "Good" power tools I've heard of from HF everyone seems to like them another 30$ will give you a new "Go Cart" clutch a throttle stop can control speed .

 

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23 hours ago, Michael Cochran said:

I assure you I won't be doin a v8 lol. I'm thinking small chainsaw or weed eater at first then stepping up to a small motor from a tiller. 

I know what you mean as I've seen plenty of people get carried away with something like that and puttin too much power in it. I want it to have plenty of power but it's still going to be controllable and relatively safe. Much safer than the four wheeler his grandparent bought him for Christmas last year (he turns 3 in July).

I've seen these powered with everything from a Maytag 2 HP washing machine engines to small rocket and jet engines ! it was common to see up to 4 chain saw engines in the early days of cart racing and just about every motor cycle engine ever made.

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Yes a gas motor will make it screaming fast but that's only if you allow it to reach full throttle and depends on the gearing too. I used to ride a bicycle 30+mph regularly when I was on my way to and from work as 20ish. Work was 15 miles away and I could get there in about a half hour, I just used the gearing to my advantage. This go cart doesn't have much in the way of gearing and weighs 50lbs before I added the two lawn tractor batteries and a custom frame to hold them in place then you add my sons weight (about 40lbs) and it's quite heavy. I did take some time to have the throttle fixed where he can't get to full speed even if he was to try.

I do appreciate your concern. I'm not trying to brush you off.

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A stroll along a new rail-to-trail conversion netted a bunch of old steel, including (in the lemonade cup fill of vinegar) four really old spikes that I think are wrought iron. (And, of course, the obligatory "We looked in your bag" note from the TSA.) Interesting to see how a really old rail line can have many different types and ages of fittings.

I've got plans for the spikes and clips, but anyone have thoughts about what the thick bolts might be good for?

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A couple of coil springs (1/2"-ish diameter stock), courtesy of my mechanic. The bottle opener I made him continues to pay dividends.

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Oh, and his #2 is saving me a  torsion bar from a suspension job!

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A friend of mine told me he had a "cast iron forge" that I could have. My son and I went to pick it up from my friend only to find that the only part that is cast iron is the blower that is rusted solid. This thing is heavy and took all three of us pushing and levering to get it into the back of my pickup. I am now wondering if I should just try to remove the blower (not sure what type of blower this is...they had an old coffee can with some flexible pipe on the top connecting it to a hole at the back of the concrete table) and try to get that functioning or just consider it an interesting piece of history. I am also tempted to salvage the steel in the frame work and break up the concrete and get rid of it...then there is a part of me that thinks I should find a spot to do some outdoor forging, hook a hair drier to the port in back and try using it. I am not sure about the concrete. I have seen how a torch can spall concrete and not sure what a hot fire would do. Suggestions?

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Is it definitely construction type concrete and not castable fire cement?

I have had experience of concrete spall from careless torch use too...but if the whole block is brought up to temp as the fire catches, it maybe okay?

If it looks burnt and well used that is good news...if there is no sign of scorching that is bad!

Alan

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Stopped at a garage sale while out and about today; fellow was a retired Farrier and tried to give me 4 used farrier's rasps and sell me a 6#? sledge head in good using condition for US$3.  I told him his prices were unacceptable and forced a $5 on him...I may try reforging the sledge into a fancier one using a friends press

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I was thinking a clock, but mounting it is the hard part. Im going to have a roofed in section of outside the garage for my forging and I was thinging I could hang it from chains from the beams. Any idea if that would work?

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10 hours ago, MrDarkNebulah said:

I was thinking a clock, but mounting it is the hard part. Im going to have a roofed in section of outside the garage for my forging and I was thinging I could hang it from chains from the beams. Any idea if that would work?

Two pegs (nails) in the wall to rest it on, and a hook ('nother nail) near the top to hold it back to the wall.

Alan

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