How to Build a Indoor Racing Kart

How to build an indoor go-cart. You'll learn to plan for what you want to do with it, what design you want, and budget for your plan.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• clipboard and paper
• pen or pencil
• preferably internet access
• welding experience helpful but not necessary
• access to one or more automobile junkyards
• cash for the budget you will set, depending on your use of the cart

1. Write down the budget you have to spend on your new go-cart. Also jot down whatever you can think of for what you plan to do with it. Are you making this for a 2-year-old, and you just want a cardboard box with fake wheels? Do you have a 7-year-old who wants an electric vehicle to drive around the house? Do you have an indoor track so you can build big? Are you wanting to buy a kit-car for go-carts, or are you wanting to design it more yourself? The variations are infinite. And, how much time are you willing and able to invest in this? Write it down. If you don't write it down, then it will not happen -- unless you are simply planning on purchasing a kit-car go-cart.
2. If you've decided to purchase a kit car, then this article will not help you; all the instructions are included. You need to purchase parts from the parts list in the instructions. Just Google "kit car" and you should find some companies. Also, there is at least one other "how to build a go-cart" article on ehow.com other than this one.
3. Cardboard-box go-carts are easy. Just whip together a big empty cardboard box, cut a hole in the bottom so your munchkin can stick his feet through the bottom, and draw pictures of headlights on the outside of the box, and pictures of wheels, and that'll be enough.
4. Electric go-carts are harder. You can get some metal from a junkyard, you could purchase two used bicycles and attach them side-by-side, you can Google for a go-cart frame and build from that. If you build from scratch and you have no engineering experience, then it would be good to take your plans to an engineer to check for safety and viability. That's gonna cost you. But it's safe that way. You can get used or new electric motors on the internet. For metal for the frame, you can go to a local metal shop and ask them what sizes and types of metal they have. You'll want good metal (not cast iron because it breaks easily; not metal too hard because it becomes brittle; not metal too soft because it bends too easily). You can get square hollow tubes for your frame; you can get round hollow tubes; you can get solid also. The metal shop knows such things. There's a metal hardness scale (they rate the hardness of metal with numbers). I'll bet the metal shop can suggest a good number. For all parts for your go-cart and for anything else for that matter, visit www.thomasglobal.com for addresses of companies that sell whatever you are looking for, like wire, wheels, anything. It's a comprehensive unabridged site that has everything. Search your neighborhood on trash day, for used wire and used small wheels that you can get from their trash for free. If you want to do it for cheap, then it's not going to look perfect, but it can work. Get your welding gear and start welding and cutting something for fun. Or, you can hire a metal shop to build something to your specifications from a drawing you made. If you're young, make sure to have a grown-up help, because their experience will be needed for success. But make no mistake: Whoever tells you that you can not do something, is someone you should avoid; you can do anything in this world that you want to do, if you break down your project into small enough parts that you can handle it one part at a time. This works for anything you can think of, that you would like to do. If you want to eat an elephant, get a knife and a fork, cut one piece that fits your mouth, eat it, and then do it again. Surround yourself with people who will help you with what you do not know; stay away from people who tell you to stop or that you can't do it, because I promise you there are many people like that. Avoid them like the plague. But you need a grownup who will help you, not talk you out of it.
5. Gasoline engines are the most dangerous, because you're dealing with gas which can blow up and be very bad. You can get everything you need for parts, by looking up company addresses near you, at www.thomasglobal.com. Ask people who have already done it, if they will tell you how they did it. If you have any people you know in your neighborhood, that you can simply go over to them, strike up a conversation with them, and ask them for their knowledge without annoying them or staying too long. Be prepared to get dirty; welding and everything is going to be dirty. "Just do it" works for shoes, and "Just do it" works for building your go-cart. Just get in there, draw something, cut metal and weld metal, drill holes for the wheels, look at cars and see how the steering wheel turns metal rods underneath, and you copy how that moves, only it will be smaller. You were looking for exact plans from me? Then purchase a kit car like I said way before. Go for it and start dreaming -- and start doing what you dream!