[Kartbuilding] Go Kart Chassis Materials?

[Stephen Burke]

Hi Alex,

Check the following:
1. Is it air-cooled or water cooled. If the latter, make sure you have the 
radiator and all parts required. An air-cooled engine is much easier to 
work with.
2. Check the weight of the engine. You can get some engines 300cc which 
are quite light. You can then get 200cc engines which weigh a tonne.
3. Check the physical size of the engine. You may have to make extra 
room and adjustments on the chassis to fit the engine.

On small karts, I have used 100cc two-stroke air-cooled engines for a 
motorbike. These have a manual clutch and 4 gears.
See:
http://www.kartbuilding.net/gallery/v/Off-Road_Kart/DSC04640.JPG.html
http://www.kartbuilding.net/gallery/v/RacingKart_Sold/Rear_Right.jpg.html

Best of luck,
-steve


On Thu, 19 Jan 2012, Alexander Thomas wrote:

> Hi Steve
> Thanks for the quick response. Just another question. What capacity engine would you recommend. We have found one for a price we can manage but it has 270cc. Is this too much for a home built go kart
>
> Regards
> Alex
>
> On 18 Jan 2012, at 19:10, Stephen Burke wrote:
>
>> Hi Alex,
>>
>> Do you plan to paint/spray the kart afterwards? Typically you wouldn't paint over stainless steel.
>>
>> Stainless would be nice to use, however it costs much more compared to mild steel. Also it is harder to weld stainless steel together.
>>
>> Stainless steel would be a little stronger and lighter compared to mild steel. Therefore if you wanted a lighter chassis, stainless might be good to use.
>>
>> All said and done, most karts are made from mild steel. It is cheap, easy and quick to weld.
>> It might be better to spend the money on a good engine, wheels and axle bearings.
>>
>> Best of luck,
>> -steve
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 18 Jan 2012, Alex Thomas wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>> A couple of friends and I are planning to build a go kart from scratch. We are wondering what material you would suggest building the go kart out of. At the moment we are thinking of using stainless steel for the chassis, but are unsure of whether it is the best material to use. We have a relatively low budget, but we are willing spend more if necessary.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Alex
>>>
>