Michael Richard's Journal

I had time the other day to sit back and really think this project through. After much consideration, and a few beers, I have decided to shelve this entire build. She's sturdy, but completely misses the point of the original genre. So I am redesigning on a new build, one which follows the norm a bit more, without being mundane. No hurry, and I just was getting less satisfied with the build as I went along. So out with the old, in with the new.

OK so here I go again. Time to start on the second iteration of my build. Hopefully with a lot more planning forethought, and common sense. But I learned a lot in the offing.These springs will make up the new quarter elliptical front end. I got them when I was in a local machine shop. They were just laying there covered in crap and dust. I asked them about these and they said it was from a buggy they were helping restore for a customer and he never came back and picked them up. So after laying there waiting on me for about five years, I asked if they would sell them and the nice lady replied sure, how does $5.00 each sound? Well it sounded just dandy and I threw them in the truck before someone changed their mind. So I have three, and have compared them and chose the two that matched the closest. I pulled together the first mount plate pair and dressed them up. They have a somewhat weird size end loop, but a 1/4 brass pipe fitting will fit handsomely with just a bit of sanding. So once again. Here I go. I don't consider the first frame and front end a failure. More like a training kart.

I'm really torn as to where this build will belong. For the most part it will copy a Fiat 806 Monza, but I will be cutting the length on the tail, and I just love the quarter elliptical front end. So is it a modified standard kart, a hybrid build, or a custom kart? Any thoughts? So it kinda comes out as a Fiat Miller? Anyway, for the most part it fits the suggested scheme of things. It's not like I'm going to Tieton in the foreseeable future. But I do want to play in the sand box with the other kids.

Started on the spring mounts and perches today. Sourced the material to make the spring clamps. So the perches are done, and spring cushions installed. I cut some medium hardness clear malleable plastic sheet and heated it with a heat gun to get it to mold into the spring perches. Worked really well and can't move them at all. The spring clamp (cover shown on far end of spring) will have tubing welded on each of the four corners for 5/16" bolts and will have a similar clamp piece on the bottom of the frame. The whole thing assembled should ensure the spring stays where it is mounted. Haven't gotten the steel in yet so waiting on it to ensure they are a close fit to the side of the frame tubing.

Steel is ordered and will be ready for pickup Monday. Ordered 24 feet of 3x1x.065 for $27.00 U.S.

You know how it is, you fret and scheme, and study and measure and, and, and. Well in starting from scratch I had in mind what I wanted to do, and a lot of how to do it. I wanted a quarter elliptical front end, narrow sleek body, L-O-W profile, and was hoping on simple. So I came up with a kind of mix and thought to myself, it isn't an actual replica of anything so I guess I will resign myself to the custom Kart garage.
Well hold on folks. I'm perusing the wide wide world of webdum and there it is. I mean seriously there it is staring me right in the face. She's a 1931 GN Martyr Instone Special. Seriously she's as if I designed the thing. So she's gotts ta be what she's gotta be. Now the enthusiasm just came back, the downs I felt on canning the last try are history and I gotta inspiration car. Boy do I!! Can't wait. And the frame steel comes in tomorrow. Woo hoo!!