This car is going to need a name. Since Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is already taken I was thinking about something fitting for 7 and 5 year old girls. How about "The Clawmaster"?
We could go with any kind of style starting with a wooden soap box derby car to a Sherman Tank. But it is best not to waste a lot of time by starting a project only to find out half way in that it either does not fit together well or you just plain don't like it. I can speak from experience on this one. I just got through untacking a bunch of welds on something that seemed like a good idea at the time. A simple and inexpensive way to test out our idea first is by modeling. It is fairly easy to build a scale model of the project using balsa wood, card stock, paper, plastic or whatever you have on hand. So where do we start? I am fortunate enough to have access to a cad cam computer program that allows for making precise drawings that can be scaled and used to accurately produce the component parts for the model. These drawings can be translated into a DXF file that can be read by a CNC controlled knife cutting table that I also happen to use in my business. Now you can make perfectly good models without aid of computerised equipment but it takes a lot more time and artistic ability. Since I have chosen the Jordan F1 car as a design then I must find out some dimensional information about the car. One source book I use for such information is entitled "Race and Rally Car Source Book" written by the late Allen Staniforth. Allen passed away this year. The book is footnoted as a guide to building or modifying a competition car. I have no real interest in racing rather I am interested in designs that make a car handle in a predictable and reliable manner. Allan has a writing style that can take a rather dull and boring subject like suspension travel and turn radius and mix it with his matter of fact humor and personal experience that gives a bit of heart and soul to the technical aspect of automotive design. For instance in describing the ratio between track and wheel base he states "It usually falls within the 1.4 to 1.7 bracket but an ideal figure is like that of the ideal woman: hard to find and even harder to define." The ratio of 1.62 is known as the 'Golden Section' considered by some to be the ideal proportion visually. The Jordan F1 911 has a proportion of 1.665. Close enough for me.

I will not bore you with all the details of how the dimensions were determined. Just suffice it to say that the only dimensions of the Jordan F1 that I knew for sure were the wheel base and the Track. Wheel base refers to the distance between centers of wheels lengthwise and Track is the width across from center of tires. The wheel base for the full size race car is 114.1 inches and the Track is 68.5 inches. I first scaled these dimensions down to a size that sounded about right for children from 6 to 12 years old. In other words it would be too big for small 6 year olds and a bit cramped for larger preteens. Then I sized it down to a 1/8 scale for the model. There is a Web Site called Jimbob Wans Scale conversion calculator that will convert any dimension to any scale you dial in. For the rest of the dimensions you just have to look at pictures and do some test sketching until you are pleased with the way it looks. Remember this is just for a model and at this point any changes are easy to make.



This is a picture of the parts that have been sketched in the cad system. The next step is to convert the drawings to a DXF file.

We want the things we do to have meaning and relevance. Most would like to be remembered for something, hopefully good. I would like to be known for not being known for anything. A destiny well defined by obscurity. But now is the time to attempt something meaningful. So what kind of cart do we want now that we have the tools necessary for a project. One of the problems I have is confining my imagination to the resources at hand. I envision some kind of new and unique heretofore unseen design that is probably both impossible and impractical to produce. So how do we come up with an original idea? Well if you are like me then you have to look at existing designs. The formula one racers have always been my favorite. They look like a rocket ship on wheels and are fairly easy to sketch and modify. let's look at some pictures illustrating the evolution of racing from early 1900's up to the present. Steam powered cars were actually the first cars to be raced but we will start with the internal combustion engine era.Here is a race car probably pre 1900's. I am not sure what it is but it sure is one of them. The number seems a bit cryptic. You roll this machine and it becomes Satans' racer.

1901 Panhard

1909 Ford Model T

1926 Miller-Schofield (Now that's more like it)

1939 Maserati

1958 Ferrari 246 Formula 1

1966 Ferrari 312. Classic rear engine Styling.





And here is my favorite. It is a 2004 Eddie Jordan Formula 1 Race Car. I can definately get some inspiration from this car.

Few tools inspire the raw sense of accomplishment like the welding machine. I can be welding a simple 1/4" nut to a 1/2" piece of angle iron but as soon as I lower the visor on my welding helmet suddenly I am 30 stories up a sky scraper on a windy day welding steel girders without wearing a safety harness. Using a glue gun to stick pieces to plastic floral arrangements just doesn't elicit the same sense of conquest. There are many different kinds of welding machines as well as methods of welding. But why go into all of that now. All we want to do is weld some light gauge tubing together so it won't come apart. This can easily be accomplished with a MIG welder that uses 110 Volt house hold current. From my limited study of welding technology I actually remember that MIG stands for metal inert gas. The great thing about modern MIG welders is that you don't even need to use gas if you use flux core wire. We could talk about welding all day long but I am not a professional welder. I don't even consider myself a good welder. I am what the pros refer to as a dobber. Sometimes my welding looks like a drunk Dirt Dobber tried to make a nest out of molten metal. But I am interested in improving and if you have never used a welding machine before then that is the only direction you can go. Professional welders earn every cent of their paycheck because there isn't a much hotter and dirty working environment in most cases. It takes a lot of practice and skill to be a good welder. As in most professions some are just naturally talented while others have to struggle. I believe that just about anyone with average coordination can learn to weld low risk components acceptably. What I mean by low risk is something not to be used in a critical application like an automobile, trailer or a building structure. That is not to say that a simple go cart is not subject to dangers from deficient welds. But we are contemplating a low speed vehicle and not a high speed Indy Racer.

Prices for small 110 Volt MIG welders range from just over $100 to $1000. The cheapest machine is capable of doing lightweight welding as well as the more expensive machines. It is just a matter of durability. Here is an example of a lower range MIG welder that is perfectly suitable for light useage as required for a small Go Cart.

This is a Chicago Electric Easy Mig 100. You can buy it at Harbor Freight for about $150.00. I have owned one of these and for the money it worked fairly well. If the wire quits feeding then the fuse is probably blown. I sold it on E bay and got a step up.This is my Hobart Model 140. It is a mid range priced model and currently sells at Northern Tools for under $500.00.

Oh what shall we say about the lowly Pipe Bender. The all purpose pipe bender is a pipe dream. I don't know why anyone would want to dream about pipes anyway. But what we have here is a matter of using a round pipe versus a square or rectangular tubing. The terminology can be confusing. For instance, when is it a pipe and when is it considered tubing? To make it worse the term " tubing" can be applied to both round and square or rectangular cross sections. You may ask which is stronger? Some engineers say that a square tubing is just a pipe that has collapsed on four sides. So why even bring pipe into the equation? Why not just use all square and rectangular tubing so you don't need to bend any pipe? The answer is the same as always for us simple men. It is a challenge. It is a challenge to take a foe stronger than yourself and show who is superior. Or maybe it just looks better to have smooth cuves as opposed to obtuse intersections. At any rate bending pipe is a skill well worth mastering. But as I said at the beginning, there is no such thing as an all purpose pipe bender. That is unless you want to spend a lot of money. We want to have enough money to buy the other items we may need so here is an example of a very basic pipe bender capable of doing the few bends required in this project. It is available from Northern Tool and is a 12 ton hudraulic pipe bender. It has a bending die for 1/2", 3/4" 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" and 2" pipe. It sells for about $130.00. I have this model.

Metal is often thought of as a very hard durable material. And indeed it is. But it also lends itself to almost artistic conformity with the use of the right tools. Another must have tool is a 4 1/2" angle grinder. This tool is used to smooth any rough surface by removing metal with abrasive wheels. It can take a sorry looking weld and make it look OK. You can also use it to undo tack welds as well as remove metal as needed. This is a Dewalt brand model 28110 and currently sells for about $60.00.

You will need two different types of discs. One is a metal grinding wheel. It is much like a small grinding wheel. In fact it is a small grinding wheel. If you have ever wanted to pick up your bench grinder and try to force it into some odd small space that just needs a little bit of grinding then you will be wondering where the angle grider has been all your life. This is a Norton Metal and Masonery wheel for 4 1/2" angle grinders. Any brand will work but not all 4 1/2" wheels will fit all grinders. It may be best to take the grinder with you when buying wheels to be sure you get the right one the first time.

You also need a wheel made from stiff sand paper often reffered to as a flap wheel. They come in different grits. Generally the coarser the better. This is an Ace flap wheel 9716-002.

As I said earlier I am amazed at how much work can be accomplished with simple tools. It is actually possible to cut all of the metal in this entire project with a simple hack saw. Of course it is also possible to mow your yard with a pair of scissors. One way to look at the purchase of a new piece of equipment is taking into account what other jobs or projects it can be used for. So a Band Saw is not an absolute must but neither is a ratchet wrench. But they can make the work go much faster as well as efficiently. One source that I use for good reasonably priced tools is Northern Tool. Most of their tools are inexpensive (although not cheap as in "ain't no good.") Here is a nice little Band Saw that is a great addition to any garage workshop.

It will cut up to 4 1/2" diameter round stock, has a 3/4 horsepower motor, will cut horizontal and vertical cuts, and sells for around $225.00.

An alternative tool which can also work equally well for most metal cutting jobs is a chop saw. It is capable of cutting most strait cuts as well as angle cuts and in some ways it is easier to set up than a Band Saw. Since you would be cutting metal this is the time that it is worth paying a little more for the additional horse power. Here is a good choice for a chop saw.

This is a Milwaukee 14" Northern Tool model 6180-20. It has a cutting capacity of 5 3/8" Round stock or 5" Square stock. It sells for approx. $200.00.

You will also need a 14" abrasive cutting blade to cut metal. You can try using a wood cutting blade but it would kind of be like trying to use your wife's good sewing scissors to cut chicken wire. Here is a picture of the kind of blade you need. It is a Norton chop saw blade 14" Model 076607-89399-4.

Here is a cheap lawnmower.

Who is Joey? This is a question I often ask myself because, uh, I am Joey. Shakespear says, "To be or not to be?" That is a question alright. But what does that have to do with tools?
Good tools are like comfort food. The best of both worlds is having good tools and comfort food. I get a good warm feeling when I go to the hardware store. I get a specially warm feeling when I go to the ACE Hardware store near my house. They have free Popcorn. So here is my point. In a sense, a certain part of us is defined by the tools we posses. We like to showcase our tools with pride regardless of how humble or inexpensive. I am fortunate to have tools I have inherited from my Father and Granfather. I have Grandpas plumbing tools, and a railroad stave. Dad gave me his heavy duty ratchet set he used for working on the tractors at the farm. I am amazed at how much work can be accomplished with very simple tools. Of course it helps to have some skill as well. But isn't that part of the reason for attempting a project like this, to learn some new skills as well as create something functional and useful. So as with everything else, when it comes to quality and functionality you get what you pay for. Most all of us have the basic screw drivers, wrenches, hack saws, and drills. But in order to build a Go Cart it will take some aditional equipment. Since this project will require metal fabrication, you will need some items not found in the ordinary home garage. The following is a list of the main items.
1. Band Saw
2. 4 1/2" Angle Grinder
3. Pipe Bender
4. chop saw
5. Welding Machine
All of these items can be found in costs ranging from modest to rediculouse. I will attempt to give you the options for each item and the minimum performance capabilities required for this project.

Do I really want to do this? It is best to proceed in a logical manner. Some may say logic shmogic. Let's just gitter done. That is what I said when I started my latest project of assembling a Victorian Doll House with about 1000 pieces not counting the shingles. And believe me it is much easier to shingle a real house than a doll house albeit a little more dangerous. This is something I really wanted to do and I have been doodling on it for a year. But the point is that we will always feel better about things if we finish what we start. I will feel better mostly not getting the gentle reminders to finish the stupid Doll House already. So first of all we need to know what we need. Count the cost so to speak. Because good tools do cost money. But let's start with what kind of work space is required to build a Go Cart. I can tell you now that if all you have is the kitchen table then you may want to just consider the Doll house Project. A good place for fabricating metal is a covered port or garage. Something to protect against the elements. An ideal place is an enclosed garage with adequate ventilation. If you are like a lot of people then you don't have room in the garage for a car let alone some kind of project. But it really does not take a lot of space. All I have to do is finish up this Doll house and I am good to go.

Next you need to be aware of the tools that are required. I will make a list of what is needed and then give detailed suggestions on ways to go. As in most things there are many different ways to go about something. I do not profess to know the best way to do anything. There is good, better and best. I am aquainted with good and better. I was once introduced to best but he turned out to be an imposter. There is also "ain't no good" and unfortunately we will all run into him every once in a while. But the point is to learn to recognize him and run the other way. So here is how it works. There needs to be respect. Few among us know everything. My skills may appear elementary compared to yours. But if you will respect my less than perfect ways of doing things then I will refrain from making comments about your mother. But if there is any disrespect then whether or not your momma wears army boots will be the least of her worries. Fair enough?

Hello and welcome to Joeys Go Cart Paige. And yes that is the way I meant to spell Paige. Paige is my oldest grand daughter and I promised to build a cart for her and younger sister Ashlyn. If you are like me then you will see something that gives you an idea that you would like to try even though you are not sure it is within your capabilities. A similar thing happened to me several years ago. I saw an advertisement for a set of plans to build a backhoe you could tow behind your truck. http://ubuilditplans.com/webpage4_page2.htm It looked really useful. Sure! I told my wife, we have plenty of uses for it like, like, well maybe not so many. But it was very interesting and fun and I learned to weld and form steel and mill parts... more on that later. But here is the deal. I wanted to see if it is possible for me to give a step by step tutorial on building a motorized Go Cart that does not take for granted that we know anything. One of the frustrations I have when trying to follow instructions is just plain not understanding the wording or the graphics or whatever. I am amazed by the intricacies of the English language. I often misspell words or get them backwards. Did I misspell mispell. I don't know. Sometimes I will be at a loss to think of a very simple word that would convey the thought I am trying to, uh convey. At that point I may use ten unnecessary words.To make it worse I have poor hearing. I may belabor points that would seem of no significance to others. For instance, is it Go Kart or Go Cart. I could waste a lot of time wondering. I choose to spell it with a C. I am not a good speller. But I notice that the F key is located
just one space up above the C key on the key board. Just one slip of the finger and we could be talking about an intirely different project. It may be the minor details that throw me off. I can perform some task that seems to me to be fairly intricate and then miss something seemingly very simple. I can catch on to things really quick sometimes but then sometimes it may take a while. The first time I used the mouse on the computer it really didn't take me that long to learn you could just lift it up and reposition it when you get to the end of the pad. But I was really getting nervouse. There is a red line under that last word so lets try nervous. But that's what I mean. What would the detailed instructions look like to build a simple Go Cart. How many pages of detailed specs, drawings and instructions would it take. Could it be accomplished in a lifetime? I think it may be time to find out.

Oh yes and I must issue this disclaimer. Here it is. "Safety First". However a free society and a "risk" free society cannot coexist. There is a certain amount of inherent danger in fabrication. That means that some unintended harmful consequences may occur during normal ( I am trying to find the right word) doing of stuff. (Yeah that sounded really good). I, along with countless others can attest to this, sometimes with bodily scars as reminders. But that is just the way it is. When you put solid sharp things together with heat, gasses, splinters, electricity and pinch points then the stage is set for success as well as tragedy. Sometimes one may wreak more havoc dancing about the work space sporting a hot chunk of slag burning a hole in a wool sock that was not supposed to be exposed in the first place. But sometimes you learn a great deal more by being allowed to make a mistake or two. It is about learning what "not" to do as well as what to do. If you want more of a sure thing then perhaps you should stick with building a doll house. More on that later.