Todd Hildebrandt's Journal

Kind of excited to see the package by the door when getting home from work. Took them in the shop and looked them over.

Started working on the front wheel never having worked on a cycle wheel before. I basically busted the inner bearing leaving the outer race in the hub and drove out the outer bearing. Here is where I saved my own bacon, I clamped 2 small vice grips on the of the race where the notch in the hub is, then tapped it out with a drift. Wiped down the hub and measured it at 37mm.

After looking over the rear wheel and not seeing a bacon saving notch a new plan was hatched. A drift was angled through the hub just catching the opposite bearing. Tapping with a small hammer the bearing started to move, the drift was then moved to the other side to work it out evenly, L-R-L-R. Easy peasy. Second bearing was tapped out using a 3/8 drive extension. Wiped the hub down and thought about the mods needed for mounting.

Feeling good so far. Tomorrow the other pair are scheduled to arrive. A little nervous as the hubs are fully assembled. More patience and learning.

I came to be fascinated with cyclekarts about a year ago. It was after looking through google and you tube for some offroad karts and collecting some parts, then up pops up Dennis' videos. HOOKED! There are 2 old trucks I am working on presently that are close to done ('49 Chevy & '46 Dodge). But I keep thinking about these machines. Last Saturday I was able to find two pairs of Honda wheels, 1969 & 1970.

So, what do I have presently? Predator 212, cheap TAV2, pair of buggy seat springs, a front axle that I think is too thin (about 1/16th inch), a go kart rack&pinion, front spindles (think they are 5/8 bolt),rear hubs, Honda wheels 2 front & 2 rear w/junk tires, pedals, disc brake, sprocket (can't remember tooth count), rear bearings w/3 bolt cages, and couple steering wheels to choose from.

Now for the vision. I have an old tractor nose and hood from an Allis Chalmers Stylized WD45 with some rear fenders from a couple old trucks ('50 Chevy or '50 Ford) that would make nice rear bodywork. Been thinking of copying the Old 27 chassis with a little variation, 23" wide front and rear. That should work with the sheet metal I have. The thought is it would like a county fair racer a farm boy would have assembled.

Still need to locate some things, but this is a slow build. That said, I am sure dumb or repetitive questions may follow. Advice is always welcome and like my kids, I reserve the right to ignore it.

Thanks for a great forum! Now its time to build, the AC45 Special.