Build Your Own Go Kart

To build your own go kart you will need patience, lots of time and some mechanical skills, you will encounter frustrations, problems and it will take you longer than you plan (It always does) to build your own gokart.

One more warning if you want to build your own go kart because you think it will be cheaper than buying the same sort of go kart brand new, then think again, building a go kart from scratch will always be more expensive, but the actual building of it always makes up for the cost and frustration.

If you have ignored my warnings and still want to learn how to build your own go kart, then read on. Building a go cart in the backyard with your kids or friends is a fantastic project that is best shared.

You will learn some great skills, become more mechanical, enjoy the shared time and most of all gain the respect of the neighborhood as you zip around on your gocart creation.

Your first consideration should be space, where are you going to build your go kart ? A well ventilated garage is perfect, your average garage floor area should be sufficient, but remember you will need this space permanently for a few months at least as you can't keep putting away and pulling out your tools and kart parts etc while you build your own go kart.

Used Go Kart Engine

As you always build a go kart around it's engine, you will need to find a good running and powerful used engine. Your go cart engine can come from several sources, the most popular are snow mobile engines, dirt bike engines and the most common, lawn mower engines. If you want a bit of power behind your diy go kart then look for used engines of 8hp or better.

The best converted engine for a gocart is a used air cooled engine, nearly all small engines are air cooled, the engine is cooled by the rush of air around the cooling fins encasing the engine when the engine is running, if you wish to learn how to build your own go kart an aircooled engine is perfect.

When building your own go kart the best used air cooled engine is a used motor cycle engine. As a used motorcycle engine already has a clutch and gearbox they require a lot less additional work in converting them for a build your own go kart project. They are not easy to come by but are perfect for a go kart conversion finding one, ideally a air cooled one will take many hours and much frustration off your project.

The only problem is if you want to build a go kart with a used motor cycle engine, you will find that used cycle engines are built to go fast and have low torque but this can be fixed by adding a torque converter.

Welding Your Go Kart Frame

If you want to build your own go kart from scratch then you will need to weld your go kart frame together and cut and bend the steel for the go kart frame as well.

First of all ask this question. Do I know how to weld ? If not. Do I know someone who does who will do it for me or with me ? Will they help for the required amount of time, you are talking many afternoons or weekends of someone elses time !

If you know how to weld and have a welding unit and mask then you are set. If the whole welding the go kart frame thing seems too intimidating then i suggest you buy a ready made go kart frame off the internet or from ebay, this will save you a lot of time and will probably end up costing around the same.

The easiest and most practical welder to use when building your go cart frame is a MIG welder and preferably an INNER GAS MIG welder, they are cheaper than other welders and far more simple to operate. Most of them run on 120v so just plug it in and you are away.

If you want to build a go kart using a MIG welder then you must have the correct welding safety clothing and UV welding helmet. Without a good uv welding helmet the uv light emitted will blind you and you will get terrible weld burns without the correct safety clothing on. Go here for more info on how to build your own go kart