"spongehead" wrote in message
oups.com...
I did some searching in the news groups but didnt quite find what I was
looking for. I would like a project for me and my 10 year old son,
he's quite crafty with his K'nex and legos always making some weird
contraption along with the old pc parts and vcr's. So I thought it
would be nice to move on to something larger scale, like a go kart or
something similar. I know that horizontal shaft engines are easiest to
convert and I should be able to find an old roto tiller or something
similar, but have no idea how to make a working drive train from motor
to wheels. I was thinking of making the frame out of wood and
re-inforcing with angle iron since its much easier to shape.
I was hoping that theres some diagrams or pics out there and maybe a
few helpful hints



Most of them use a solid axel supported by ball bearings which can be
ordered from places like McMaster-Carr. Normally a sprocket is then bolted
or welded to the shaft and a chain connects that to a centrifugal clutch
mounted to the motor shaft. Simple and generally robust.

Make sure you design the steering and layout carefully so the weight is
ballanced and the cart stable, I've ridden some that flipped very easily.