Help with an old go-kart

[catfishblues]

So I picked up an old Manco Red Fox off @Caver Dave yesterday (finally!) I'm hoping to get it together for my son't 5th birthday in May. Cheap is the order of the day here. I'm not asking for handouts, but I don't know anything about who to ask or where to go for parts.

So far, it needs a motor, clutch, tires, and half a wheel. The drive wheel is an old Manco split rim aluminum wheel. The inner rim is cracked bad, too much metal missing for me to repair it. I'm not married to the wheels, but I haven't figured out what works as far as a cheap replacement. It's a 6-bolt sprocket and pattern on the wheel. Is there a Harbor Freight alternative? I think their $5 wheel and tire combo should work in the front, but not sure about the back. I was wondering if anyone else had successfully used a substitute for the pricier kart wheels.

I'm just trying to build this into a putt-around kart. He's 5 and a little distractable, so I don't want him in a fast kart just yet. The old 1-wheel drive will be just fine for now. I just want to get him in something soon. He keeps begging for a Power Wheel, and I don't want to dump money into one of those just to have him grow out of it in a year or two. I'd rather have a kart that he and his little sister can grow with and help Daddy repair and modify over time.

TL/DR: I'm fixing up an old go-kart. I know it's not rocket science, but if anybody here has some knowledge they've picked up on their own projects over the years, I'm all ears if it cuts down on my head-scratching time. Thanks, y'all!

 

[a_kelley]

so I don't want him in a fast kart just yet

do a chain drive reduction with an idler shaft. me and a couple buddies built a custom trike for his 5 year old, and it goes 7mph tops, 2hp briggs powers it with a chain clutch -> big idler / small idler -> rear. used a limited slip rear diff out of like a toro mower with ~12-14" tires. that's the cheap way out if you can find a used mower shop with parts at pull it yourself prices. that being said, those chain drive toro/craftsman rear engines are getting pretty rare. (and done that way with the idler just pop the idler off, resize the chain and realign the motor and it does 25) and top speed would be governed not by the HP/torque but rpm and reduction.

on the same note i've seen some one wheel peel karts that have the sprocket mounted on the shaft (get a plate bored to shaft size and holes punched to match the sprocket and weld it to the shaft and bolt on the sprocket. easy enough to do yourself if you have the patience to get it true enough.) and the rim keyed onto the shaft like a mower, with the undriven wheel just spinning on the other end of the shaft (which leaves option to key the other wheel and drive both). or instead of keys, you could thru bolt the rims to the axle.