I Built This to Fulfill a Childhood Dream: Vintage Style Go-Kart Build

I've built several karts with my kids, I figured it's my turn. Hope you enjoy the journey!
Learn to weld in my online courses: courses.timwelds.com
**Tools I Used**
Evolution Mitering Chop Saw (The best chop saw I've ever used): bit.ly/EvoS355MCS
More Affordable Evolution Chop Saw (I used this for years and it's great too):
bit.ly/EvoS355CPSL
HTP Welding Machines are some of the best I've used. They aren't the cheapest, but they may be the best value considering the quality, performance and customer service you get:
usaweld.com/?ref=timwelds
*Disclaimer: Metalwork and go-karts both have potential to be dangerous. This video is for entertainment and general information. Always do your research and work safely. TimWelds assumes no responsibility for anything you choose to do. This description contains affiliate links.

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Every man got that boyhood grin when you pulled out of the garage and drove away. Thanks TW. ps. 50 years ago, dad taught me baby powdering inner tubes makes them slide around easier inside the tire. Dad wisdom.

[@TimWelds]

It definitely brings out the boy in me, at least until I have to stand back up out of that low seat... Great tip with the powder on the tubes! I've never heard that before, I'll have to try it next time.

[@brucemadden1626]

That's been fairly standard for years with bicycle tubes so the tube doesn't get pinched so easily@@TimWelds

[@tedbastwock3810]

You sitting on the kart on top of the fab table made me smile, really made my day. Great build, thanks for sharing!

[@-DIYPRO-]

If you hear someone in the garage is just me using the tubing bender! 😅 Turned out awesome!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton! Let me know if you need to do some bending.

[@BobBlarneystone]

One of the great things about playing with your kids, is that you can relive some moments and also make others come true.

[@TimWelds]

Absolutely! They grow up fast.

[@summersoldier3311]

Wow! You've sure upgraded the tools in your shop! Nice going!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! It's my favorite place to be.

[@amcustomfab]

You torque things to spec like I do . with one ratta... And two tats..😎 P.S. those old school wheels are really cool. Great build

[@TimWelds]

Right on! I do like the wheels. Thanks Alex!

[@nightheron714]

Looks like great fun, Tim. One thing, I was taught that a "torque converter" is a type of fluid drive. What you have on your go-kart I'd call a variable speed belt drive, or perhaps a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Maybe it's a regional terminology difference?

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I agree with you on the terminology having grown up working on cars. The go kart/mini bike parts sites call them torque converters, so I just follow suit so that people can find one if they're doing their own build.

[@Samson484]

Damn. Did we all have the same childhood dream? Awesome video.

[@user-ru7jh5df9z]

Outstanding project- excellent job. Looks great!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@bransonred1]

I feel like a kid again watching this cart come together! Great job Tim. All kinds of great memories coming back from 40 years ago. lol Nice work.

[@josiahutah3712]

Way cool! Now onto the next childhood dream!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@ronniejohnson317]

Just found your channel Tim. I love the content. I have built a couple go karts and modified even more. I think you should have made the kart 4” longer between the steering axle and the steering hoop. When you get in, you are not settled. After settling, you will be cramped. The front bumper bar needs to be angled up to help protect your feet as a kart has a lot of vibrations and can loosen the bolts. Nyloc or castle nut should always be on the front. You do amazing work and I think it’s time to teach your kids how.

[@Hey_Its_That_Guy]

Nice build, Tim! Looks great!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@kennethtencza9209]

Very 😎, nicely done.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton!

[@danielchambers1958]

Man you have some great tools…… nice toy!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! It was a fun little project.

[@4speed3pedals]

If you apply Never Seize to the threads, the stainless steel fasteners will not gall. That product should be in your arsenal of tools. I have removed stainless steel nuts and bolts I used for an exhaust system after more than 5 years and they were exposed to rain, snow, and salt - no issues. Any bolt steel bolt installed in aluminum should have Never Seize on the threads unless you are using Blue Loctite - don't mix these 2 products it is senseless. The Kart turned out beautiful. All ages would like driving that. When I was about 14 or so, I was at Capitol Raceway Park drag strip in Crofton, MD. I had my mini bike I would use to get around in the pits and I was allowed to take it for a trip down the strip. 30 seconds quarter mile time, kind slow with a Clinton 2 stroke engine and friction clutch but it was fun. Anyway, there was a guy there that day putting on an exhibition with a 4 engined go-cart. He had 4 West Bend chain saw engines on the back driving one axle. He would accelerate off the start line and at mid- strip do a 360 spin then proceed across the finish line. When I picked up my time slip for the mini bike, they also gave me his time slip. He was doing 150 mph in the traps and only wearing a thin jacket and tennis shoes and he may have had a helmet on as the faster cars required them - no boots or gloves or leather suit. He did this a couple times that day. He was fun to watch. I still have the time slips.

[@TimWelds]

Great tip with the anti-seize! I had an old Rupp Roadster 2 mini bike that I would take to the local drag strip with my Dad when I was a kid. Good times. That 4 engine kart sounds nuts! I would love to see something like that.

[@4speed3pedals]

I think all my friends as well as I had the opinion that the 4 engine cart driver was nuts. @@TimWelds It was blistering fast though. He nver did a true drag race. I would imagine it accelerated so quicly that even in an 1/8 of a mile it would hit top speed.

[@justintasht1067]

Absolutely first class love it. You have some great skills for shore full respect 👍👍

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! It was a fun project.

[@dreamin47_]

Great video brings back memories of Pana Illinois , where they had go cart races in the town's streets. Some were dual engines.

[@TimWelds]

Those old dual engine karts are awesome!

[@poetac15]

Awesome project. Makes me want to build a kart.

[@ajoshmiller]

That is really cool! Thanks for sharing.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@andyb7754]

Very nice project. I like how you needed to torque the plate to the engine with a impact driver! LOL!! Great video, thanks.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I'm glad someone caught my subtle joke.

[@rock7282]

Now this cool! I’ve only dragged out and old mower. For some reason I didn’t even think of this. Thank you.

[@TimWelds]

Thank you!

[@jaredf5828]

Nice work, looks like fun!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton!

[@GaryT1952]

Excellent Tim! Amazing to see all the tools you have accumulated since the channel started....way beyond the scope of the average hobbyist but really entertaining nevertheless.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! The shop has evolved quite a bit over the years. In some ways it's fun, but in other ways just using the basic tools can be more fun.

[@anthonycabrera6318]

Awesome 💪💪 looking go kart 💯🤙

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton!

[@paulkurilecz4209]

Great project.

[@joseantoniomenendezdomingu1162]

YOU MADE AN EXCELENT JOB , I WILL BUY YOUR COURSES SOON , GREAT JOB , BIG HUG 👍🇲🇽

[@TimWelds]

Thank you very much!

[@tinytimevans2348]

As Nicholson said in Batman, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" I dream of a shop that I can outfit with these kinds of specialty items... crazy fun!

[@TRASHWILL]

How much tubing did you use? Looking at doing this myself and thinking a 21 foot stick is not enough.

[@ItsBarnabyJones]

Can you add links to all the parts used in this build and where you got them? Thanks.

[@heavyspam1]

very nice ✌️

[@randallhinds9463]

Where can I get a set of plans and parts kit to build my own vintage kart?

[@bb3208]

So I need a tube bender, a c and c machine and about 4000 dollars worth of other stuff to build my own go cart. Sounds like I’m buying one already built.

[@justaddwater1776]

Not really watch his other video on it this is a more complex design like for instance a c and c machine very easily could be replaced with a manual plasma cutter or a grinder depending but you could probably make that for about 2k with the right modifications

[@morepower3242]

You would be surprised how much fun it can be with a really simple cart

[@gabrielcaldwell4518]

Im with bb on this one. I literally searched "cheap go kart build" this was the search

[@yodasbff3395]

Nice cart 👍. I would have given my brother's left arm for one of those when I was a kid. 😬

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@lonerider5982]

Did you built yourself the various stands? I've got a chopsaw and I was planning to do one. A video would be interesting

[@AidanAidanz]

Im building a go kart soon but i dont know what tyres to use the go kart tyres are quite expensive from me can i use a heavy duty wheels or the kids push bike wheels?

[@georgesimpson3113]

On version 2.0 you'll end up making it longer, adding a suspension, maybe a little better seat...

[@travislee5044]

I am learning to welding. Do you have any go kart plans suitable for a beginner?

[@nicholasheward5719]

New to the channel. I love watching your videos! I showed my daughter a project that I worked on with an amazing team back in college of a formula hybrid racecar and she says we're going to build one. Do you have a bill of material and/or CAD file for this build? Love to be able to build this with her. I see that you have most of the material listed in your previous build but it would be nice to get the updated list for any changes.

[@TimWelds]

Hey Nick! It's great to hear from you! Those were some good times. I was thinking a lot about that car when I was building this. I don't have much of a CAD model, a BOM or parts list for this one, there was a bit of winging it going on. Compared to the other kart build on the channel, I used much better components for this one since I wasn't focused on keeping the cost low. Basically, I got on the GoPowerSports website and they had a vintage style kart kit with the frame and everything. I just ordered all the stuff that came with a few variations for personal preference. For the frame dimensions, there is a channel called Racing Psychosis with a video where he measures the dimensions on a vintage kart, and I just built it to that size plus a couple inches because I'm not super flexible. There's a site called kartfab that has some pretty good plans. I built an electric kart based of their frame design with my kids a few years ago. Feel free to reach out with questions or just to catch up. I don't get notified with replies to comments, but there's an email address in the channel bio that you can reach out with.

[@RogierYou]

Awesome

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton!

[@ttyR265]

...this build is really calling out for an old school McCulloch saw engine from back when karting started.

[@TimWelds]

That would be awesome! Right now, it sounds and performs a bit like a mower. I'm planning to mod the Predator engine, but if I could find a good vintage 2 stroke, that could be even better.

[@CraigHollabaugh]

I can smell the two-stroke exhaust from here!

[@JCWren]

That turned out really nice. How fast is it?

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! It goes around 30-35 MPH with this gearing and the stock governor in place. It doesn't run out of power, but hits the max governor speed and gearing. These predator engines can really wake up with a few mods, but they have a plastic flywheel, so I need to change that before I'd dare rev it beyond the stock 3600 RPM.

[@ChristopherJohnson-zd8sx]

Wow! Impressive work! How many horses and about how fast does it go?

[@azpcox]

Those harbor freight predators are 6.5 hp. I imagine 20-25 in the go cart before you start questioning life decisions.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! It goes somewhere around 30-35 MPH. These predator engines can really wake up with some mods, but I have the stock governor on it right now because they come with a plastic flywheel and I don't want it to explode at higher RPM. I don't really want more top speed, but I wouldn't mind a little better acceleration.

[@terrylarrybarry5696]

@@TimWeldsthe flywheel fan is plastic but the actual flywheel is cast iron and the magnet is the part that breaks off. Also if you are going to run it hard you will need a billet connecting rod because those will also break and destroy the engine

[@ZILAwelds]

Nice ! How many hours total did you have into this?

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I'm honestly not sure. This is a project that sat in the corner since the start of the year and I would tinker with on random afternoons about every couple months. You can see my attire change throughout the video with the warming seasons. If I had all the parts laid out to build another one, I think I could do it in 2 work days or so.

[@johnnylawson69]

Makes me remember the days I dreamed of a go cart.

[@TimWelds]

Absolutely! It definitely brings out the kid in me.

[@martiinYT1557]

Anyone know why the bad part of the weld wont come off because am new

[@RubenKelevra]

How's the spear called which runs from the bumper to the steering wheel?

[@TimWelds]

It's called a steering shaft.

[@morepower3242]

I’m 45 years old and I have a few small children 5 lol I recently bought a go cart from some local guy Put a comet torqueaverter on it and I was 8 years old again 😢

[@OBprinting]

do you by any chance have plans for this kart?

[@robg5513]

Do you think you could have made it without the ‘s bends’ in the frame?

[@fixplanes]

Wow... I need a 50k dollar shop first. Next?

[@TimWelds]

Except that you really don't. I've been building projects like this for many years, most of that time it was with cheap tools. $300 for an angle grinder, flux core welder and some basic mechanics tools can do the job. Either miter cut square tubing like my other build on the channel or just hire out the tube bending to a local shop. The tools I used on this are probably not more than $4k total, not including the CNC and welding table which you could do without on this project. My first kart build with my kids as an adult was done on two rickety wooden step ladders that I got for free.

[@maxe12003]

How much did this cost overall and what is the top speed?

[@TimWelds]

It's been a little while, but I think it was $800-$900 and I'd say it goes around 35 MPH. A big part of that cost was the special aluminum wheels, which were completely unnecessary, but I just thought they looked so cool that I had to buy them. Hitting a higher speed is just a matter of changing the sprocket or adjusting the torque converter. Speed is the easy part, handling is harder. This one was really made to look a certain way, though.

[@janjoson3843]

Lol most of us do not have the skill, space, nor the equipment that this man has. My kids also is yearning for a go kart.

[@TimWelds]

You really don't need much to build a basic go kart. I have a build of a very simple one on my channel as well. The first one I built with my kids was on 2 old rickety sawhorses with a lousy abrasive saw and a very basic welder. Square tubing with miter joints only. I've also had local businesses bend the tubing for me and that often isn't as expensive as you'd think. I do have a nice shop now that I've built up over the course of 15 years, and it's awesome, but it's not essential for most projects.

[@torowazup1]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼🤩

[@Fakken28]

Do I smell a channel giveaway?? 😃😃😃 lol totally joking. Enjoy it!

[@Earley405]

Gotta be an old video lol, its 140 degrees out everywhere lol. Fun build tho.

[@TimWelds]

It has been so hot lately. This project has been sitting in the corner of the garage since the start of the year and I worked on it when I had a minute every few months. You can see my attire change with the seasons throughout the build...LOL

[@Earley405]

lol yeah. I was like boy I wanna know what AC system he's using in there lol@@TimWelds

[@whiqeddik7615]

Oh fuck yeah man, thank you for this! Totally have to try this with the little guy, thank you! Stay well bro, you and the Kin.

[@TimWelds]

Thank you! It's a fun project.

[@azpcox]

“Torque everything to spec…”. You forgot to say “click”

[@TimWelds]

LOL! I knew I forgot something.

[@andrewhooper5645]

Can you make me one?

[@offtopicjes]

im building a cart as well, and am struggling to find wheels and axle set up. can i ask where you got these and how much it all was?

[@TimWelds]

I got it from gopowersports, it wasn’t cheap, but I don’t remember exactly. I’ve also bought parts from BMI karts and Amazon/ebay.