The following is just a guide to help you follow the manufacturers instructions which are included with the kit. |
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The kit comes in three boxes. Start by upacking all the contents and organizing them on a clean working surface. The first thing to do is prepare the bare metal parts such as the frame for paint. Once the paint dries you are ready for assembly. Here we have installed the spindle bracket first. |
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These are the front wheel and tires ready for assembly. It's very helpful to add a very small amount of air in the tubes before putting everything together. The air will take the wrinkles out of the tubes and help prevent pinching the tubes when the two piece rims are bolted together. |
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After the rims and tires have been put together we add air to seat the tires on the rims. |
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We add a nylon spacer to the spindle before putting the front rims on. |
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Here our helper is installing the first rim onto the spindle. |
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A nylon locknut is used next to secure the rim on the spindle. Tighten the nut against the rim and then back it off a little so the rim will spin freely on the spindle. |
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Here are the components for the tie rods. |
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We have assembled the tie rods according to the instructions. |
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Mount one end of a tire rod to each spindle. |
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This is the steering support and steering shaft assembly. |
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Here is our steering shaft with the nylon insert and two locking collars. Don't let the collar on the right slide down as far as we did in this picture. We ended up having to sand down our steering shaft in order to slide the collar back up shaft to it's position. This locking collar should be positioned just below the splined portion of the shaft until you are ready to lock it in place. |
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We placed the steering shaft into the frame. |
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Now we slid the steering support over the shaft. |
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Next we use a rubber mallet to tap the steering support into place. |
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With the steering shaft and support in place we slide the locking collar up and secure with the set screw. This is where we had trouble earlier because the locking collar slid down the steering shaft and we couldn't slide it back up. We had to sand off the paint, slide the collar back up and repaint the shaft. |
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Now the bottom locking collar gets positioned and secured the set screw. Next we bolt up the tire rods to the steering shaft. Turn the shaft and makes sure everything operates smoothly. Some karts we built required us to bend the steering support a little so it would bind on the steering shaft. Installing the locking collars in the proper position will prevent too much up and down play in the shaft. If you can pull the shaft up and down with your hands once the steering wheel is installed you will want to reposition the locking collars to eliminate the slop. |
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We bolt the hub to the steering wheel. |
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We covered this splined section of the steering shaft with tape when we painted it. This allows the steering wheel hub to slide on easier. Here we have installed a retaining clip on the shaft. |
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The steering wheel is on the shaft and has been secured with a hex bolt and cotter pin. |
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Our steering system is complete. We will later set the toe by adjusting the tie rods. |
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Here are the rear bearings and flangettes that will be installed next. |
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The flangettes surround the bearing and get bolted to the frame. Notice the bearing is positioned with the set screws to the outside of the frame. Install this assembly on the right side of the kart. Just keep it finger tight for now. |
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This is the adapter that will be installed on the left side of the kart with the bearings and flangettes. |
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Here is the assembly in place on the frame. |
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We slide the adapter in place next. |
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Now the brake assembly slides onto the bolts next. |
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Here is the rear sprocket, hub and hardware. |
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The rear sprocket has now been assembled. |
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You will start the solid axle installation from the right side of the kart. Slide the axle in the right side bearings and just past the motor plate. |
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Now you will slide the sprocket assembly onto the axle. After the sprocket assembly the bake drum will go on next. |
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Then the axle goes through the brake assembly and left side bearing. Here you can see we are measuring to ensure our axle is centered in the frame. Once the axle is centered you can tighten the set screws on the bearings. |
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Now we are installing a key to lock the axle and brake drum together. We always install these keys with a little loctite on them. They have a habit of coming loose and falling out. The loctite keeps them in place. |
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We tighten the bearing and flangette assemblies. |
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We slide the brake drum up against the brake backing plate. Then we pull the drum away from the backing plate about 1/16" and tighten the set screw. |
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Here we have the rear tires and wheels ready for assembly. |
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The tubes have been placed in the tires and a little air added before installing the wheel halves. |
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After everything is bolted together we add air and seat the tires to the rims. |
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The rear tires have been installed onto the solid axle. |
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Here are the parts for the control pedals. |
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The throttle pedal has been installed. |
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Now we have the throttle rod and brake rod. The longer one is the brake rod. |
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The brake rod has been secured to the brake pedal. |
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The engine is mounted. |
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The chain guard goes on next (not pictured). Once you have installed the chain guard you can slide the clutch on the shaft with a key. Use a bolt to secure the clutch to the shaft. |
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Align the large sprocket with the clutch sprocket using a straight edge. Once you have the sprockets align you can key the large sprocket to the solid axle. Don't forget the the loctite on the key so it does not come loose later. |
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This is the throttle rod and throttle cable components. |
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The throttle rod has been installed on the throttle pedal. |
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The return spring slides onto the end of the throttle rod. |
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Here we have installed a hex nut on the end of the throttle rod up against the return spring. The throttle cable components have been installed too. |
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We use a vice to bend the seat mounting brackets per the instructions. |
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The seat mounting brackets are placed on the frame rails. |
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Now the seat is bolted to the brackets. |
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The seat bracket bolts have been tightened. |
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The brake rod has been bent a little so it can travel through the frame without obstructions. A clevis is threaded onto the end of the rod and secured to the brake cam arm. |
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Now the throttle linkage kit has been installed on the engine. The throttle linkage is not supplied with the go kart kit. You can purchase the kit on our website. |
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The throttle cable has been inserted through the throttle rod and secured with a wire stop. |
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The kart is now complete. Now we add engine oil, gas and go for a test ride. Please contact us if you have any questions about your go kart build. |