Restore An Old Go Kart

Article by Mark Trotta

The go karts that we baby boomers grew up with as kids have become very collectable, and in restored condition exchange hands for a surprising amount of money.

Aside from nostalgia, reasons for the surge of interest include affordability, mechanical simplicity, and ease of transport and storage.

The three basic types of vintage go karts are the yard kart, the race kart, and the car body kart.

Yard Karts

The most common of vintage kart is the yard kart. These typically have a flat frame with no side supports, no roll cage, and no suspension. Power was originally from a 5-horsepower or less small engine.

Yard karts are usually one-wheel-drive only. They were not designed for competitive racing, but rather for use on private property, a vacant parking lot, or around a neighborhood.

Vintage Race Karts

Similar to classic muscle cars, the reason that vintage race karts are so rare today is because most were thrashed and abused throughout their lives. Very few complete original examples still exist, and if you find one, they sell for good money.

Most vintage race kart motors were two-strokes, with Mcculloch and West-Bend being two of hottest engines of the day.

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Dual-Engine Karts

Back in the early 1960's, before there was the technology to get more power from a single-cylinder gas engine, the hot set-up was to add a second motor to your race kart.

Vintage dual-engine karts had the highest performance of their day, and today command the greatest value.

Vintage Kart Identification

Because they were easily swapped from one to another, engines don't help to identify what you have.

Visual Identification

If your kart has scrub brakes, it's likely from the 1960's. If your kart has disc brakes, it's likely from the 1980's.

Most post-1980s models will have a VIN or serial number on the driver or passenger seat frame.

In cases where a serial number cannot be located, you can often identify an old kart through pictures. Jump on the internet, google "vintage go kart" and start searching!

Also keep in mind that it may be a home-built kart with a custom frame. Look closely at the welds - manufactured karts generally have smoother welds than home-built jobs.

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Vintage Small Engines

Many old go karts and mini-bikes were originally fitted with either a Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh 4-stroke flathead engine.

These old single-cylinder motors were, and still are durable, reliable and easy to repair. Compared to rebuilding a modern car engine, it's an absolute joy working on a small gas engine!

Tecumseh Flathead Overhaul

Crankshaft, connecting rod, valve seats, cylinder bore, piston and rings are covered in Tecumseh Flathead Engine Build - Part One

Sheet metal restoration and gas tank repair are covered in Tecumseh Flathead Engine Build - Part Two

Ignition, carburetor, and finally, engine start-up are covered in Tecumseh Flathead Engine Build - Part Three.

Car-Body Kart

Several years ago, my wife bought me a Manco Corvette kart body for Father's Day. The previous owner had it hanging from a wall inside his house for 15 years before he decided to sell it.

Car body karts are almost always made of fiberglass, and for that reason, most haven't survived as well as this one had.

The plan was to find/build/adapt a frame for the Corvette kart body.

Read: Ford Sport-Trac Review by Owner

After a year of fruitless searching for a correct frame, I thought about modifying an existing kart frame. But I didn't want to hack up a perfectly good frame.

"Plan C" was to build a go kart frame from scratch. Unfortunately, this would have been too much of a project in itself. And from a financial standpoint, it wouldn't have been profitable time-wise.

So, after several years of moving it around from garage to attic to garage, I listed it on ebay. The buyer gladly drove out from another state to pick it up.

This NASCAR #3 kart was posted on my local CL in 2019. Even if you're not a fan, this would certainly be a worthwhile project.

When complete and restored, vintage car-karts often appear at major auction houses like Barrett-Jackson, some have sold for $5,000+.

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Go Kart Overhaul

Restoring this vintage go kart took me a few months of weekends and about $250 in parts. Supplies included several spray cans of primer and top coat, and about $25 of hardware.

Vintage Go-Kart Build

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Partial List Of Vintage Go Kart Brands:

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Where To Buy A Vintage Go Kart

Buying an old go kart locally is always best, as shipping is very costly due to their size. They're most always on ebay and FB marketplace. As always, beware of scams - if the ad sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you ever find a vintage race kart frame for sale, in any condition, grab it. A substitute engine can always be used to keep the project moving forward while you search for a correct motor.

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Best Gas For Small Engines

Unless you will be using it up within two or three weeks, avoid buying ethanol-blended gas. Non-Ethanol fuel is much better for small engines. If you don't need a lot, consider canned gas, which is convenient but more expensive than pump gas.

Shop: Four-Cycle Canned Fuel

Shop: Two-Cycle Canned Fuel

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