Go-Karting June 3rd

[PCH VIPER]

Fast Eddie and a bunch of the other Members that have karts will be at the Kart Track at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on June 3rd.

If you have a kart, come on out for some fun.   Don't have a kart? Come on out and check it out.  They generally do have karts for rent there at the track.

This is a great way to really get a feel for car control.

[1HOTACR]

 These Go-Kart posts remind me of my teen years.  High school metal shop projects,
                                      Car shows, good times.  >o

Vintage 1969:   Red Kart.. Yamaha Big Bear 305 cc engine (This was a monster engine back then)
                    suicide shifter, drum brake from the front motorcycle wheel.
                    Blue Kart   Briggs and Stratton 4hp. Lots of chrome.  Many trips on my "stringray" bicycle
                    to the local chroming shop 5 miles away.
                    Both candy apple paint and pin striping by Von Dutch   ^2

                        I always wanted to be a professional gear head.   Glad to be back with a great
                                                       group of  Viper enthusiasts <1
                   
                   

[PCH VIPER]

Love the Firestones !!

[Banzai Ben]

I'm in for the karting!  >v

Cool vintage karts Glenn!

[NK BREKR]

Very cool Glenn!  That must have been the "HotCC"

[kenalker]

I'm supposed to be doing taxes, but after reading Glenn's post, I had to go out and snap some shots of my old go-kart!  A few years ago, my dad was cleaning up and asked me to repossess it.  It now sits on my back porch awaiting an engine.  It had a 3.5HP (as I recall) Briggs & Straton chain-drive pull-start in it which is still in my parent's garage awaiting a hard-to-find part.  However, we've got a brand new 5HP Harbor Freight special sitting in my office as well; just need to find the time to put the kart back together so the nephews can enjoy it.

This kart is circa early-1970's - my elementary school years.  My dad made it from a bed frame (look carefully).  Many things in our family were hand-made from our clothes, to our cars (of which we seemed to have about seven at a time, including my dad's 1927 type 35B Bugatti replica on a VW chassis), to our first computer (months of wire-wrapping to create a machine that ran from cloned TRS-80 ROMs).

I believe the steering wheel on my kart was from an old VW (perhaps someone who recognizes the insignia on the horn will correct me) which was cut in half to clear my legs (perhaps after I grew).  The floor-board is a piece of plywood.  The pedals are old push-rods.  The tires were all solid rubber (like the rear right - I don't know where those fancy knobby pneumatics came from).  The seat is foam covered with the traditional vinyl we used for so may projects, like our bar stools.  The brakes are friction-pads; not sure where those came from (I always thought it would be fun to have disc brakes, but that required a live axle).  Many parts are made of threaded iron pipe and fittings.  My dad was always proud of the custom steering set-up so I've thrown in a couple of close-ups.  THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

In high-school I eventually graduated to a "bigger go-kart" (aka sandrail) - 5th picture (Lena and I towed this to Jawbone Canyon behind my built 1973 Ford Gran Torino 351C when she was probably 16 and I was probably 18; it is now on the same porch as the go-kart, awaiting repairs), and I eventually graduated to the biggest go-kart of them all - 6th picture.  Ironically, during my first Viper test drive (a 1992, as I recall) I will never forget the salesman stating "they ride like big go-karts"; I recall it was a pretty jarring drive like my original kart with solid suspension (less so in my current Gen2 GTS "kart").

[NK BREKR]

Very cool Ken!  I say your get the carts back in the swing of things, you have until 4/17 to complete your taxes this year >v

[VIPER28]

Count me in!!  <K

[Pacman]

I'm in!

[PCH VIPER]

Hopefully the weather is a nice as it was this weekend.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to get out there and try my hand at some REAL karts !

[Banzai Ben]

Mikey and I will be there with karts.

[Fast Eddie]

Dpower will be there on Sunday with 3 extra karts at no charge to use.    http://dpowerracingengines.com/

[Banzai Ben]

Dpower will be there on Sunday with 3 extra karts at no charge to use.    http://dpowerracingengines.com/

I think anyone that wants to drive will just have to pay the $45 track fee, though.

[Fast Eddie]

That's correct the track fee is $45.00 dollars.

[PCH VIPER]

I hope you guys are as prepared as Fast Eddie !