Michael Richard's Journal

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 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.

It's just been too darn hot to get much done, but on the one day it was tolerable I did get started on the rear frame, motor mount. Some gusseting, measuring and brainstorming. Camera is junk but it serves. Temp humidity index of 111 degrees yesterday. Humidity was so high I should qualify as a certified underwater welder. Jeez!

Well I didn't really accomplish a lot today with a temperature humidity index of 105 but I did mess around on setting up the rear frame, started a motor mount, and re-clocked the TAV to 10 0'clock. However this black thing sitting in the back of the shop keeps beckoning me to do something diabolical. LOL

Made up the panhard rod today, got the mounts welded and set up the side play. Everything clears, and mounted so that when Kart is a mid travel panhard will be level.

It's just too hot, and then thunderstorms so I goofed off a bit with the build. I got the brackets fabbed for the pan-hard rod, the plates for the foot pedals, and cleaned up some stuff that looked a bit ugly( no the car, not me). Had a piece of cardboard laying around so I carved it up and played around with it. I think the upper body line will be lower than this, but like I said, just goofing off.