Learn me Shifter Karts

Those of you who race -- Does it make any sense to transport a kart in the back of a minivan, or should I plan for a small Harbor Freight/Northern Tool trailer?

I like having a trailer because I don't like smelling gasoline from the non-evaporative-emissions-controlled fuel system the whole way to and from the track. I also like having the room in the car to put my tools (currently up to four boxes) without worrying about them tipping onto the kart.

The small trailer needed for karting is inexpensive even if you get a good American-made one with all LED lighting and all shielded wiring, running on speed-rated tires. One ticket for a burnt-out light plus the insurance surcharge will make up the entire difference between a cheap one and an expensive one!

If your race team has three strong people tall enough to lift it to the roof, a roof-rack is even better. If you don't, it's a pain!

HEY NOPERMITNEEDED. ..

That cl 700$ margay briggs kart I told you about has reduced his price to $600. I bet 5 Benjamins would buy it...

Just sayin'

Plus I'll throw in my 2 egines,clutch and half dozen Sprockets I've go laying around. You can pick up side pods for $30...I think I have a fg nose. Put up or shut up

I'll throw it in my truck and meet you in Columbus ms on my way home for Christmas

Oh yeah. I think I have an electronic memory tachometer with head temperature gauge. I throw that in if I can find it. And I think I have a foam neck brace if I can find it

There was an article a few years back that mentioned back yard karting and the website grasspass.org. The website appears to be pretty much vacant at this point. I was wondering if people are using automatic or shifter karts for this? Can the same margay karts that were mentioned earlier be used for smooth dirt track racing?

thanks

In reply to Murphy:

I don't know exactly what you're talking about as far as smooth dirt track racing. But in these parts most dirt track oval cars are somewhat sophisticated and set up for a left turn only with offset chassis and asymmetric wheel base. That being said we bought a much used but serviceable lto dirt track car roller with all body work etc for $350 locally

If I was to get a kart to Autocross, I would run a "Super Stock" Animal or World Formula with a 4 Cycle chassis like a Coyote or Margay. To jump right into a Shifter or ICC kart would be a bad idea even with my experience. Itll be cheaper to start in a Briggs too.

Is there a price guide or buyers guide for these things? Prices are all over the place.

MattW wrote: Is there a price guide or buyers guide for these things? Prices are all over the place.

Caveat: my foray into karting was on a whim with a buddy of mine. Neither of us had any race cars at the time to fool with and because there was such a nice little facility in our town we picked up a couple of obsolete cars really cheap to play with. It was all for E36 M3s and giggles and we knew we weren't going to be competitive. We were just there to have fun and see what we could do with worn-out toys. We had no interest in diving off the deep end and making the financial commitment 2 B frontrunners. We had fun and peddled with them for three seasons. So I'm not an expert by any means.

That being said I have no knowledge of any type of price guide. We were relying on the locals who were welcoming us and new we were willing to come out and play with less than competitive cart. We usually ran mid-pack or worse but like I say it was a lot of fun. We built our own Motors Andr relied on D experienced guys to give us pointers. It's probably like dirt bikes as far as pricing. The price of obsolete motocross bikes are all over the place depending on condition and bolt-on parts.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Here's advice from a nearly 40 year old guy with three kids, mortgage and all the student loans. Just f'ing start something. Stop all this mental masturbation and do something. You can change your mind or kart or car later.

Sage advice.

The silence from NoPermitNeeded re my offer is deafening

Ovid_and_Flem wrote: HEY NOPERMITNEEDED. .. That cl 700$ margay briggs kart I told you about has reduced his price to $600. I bet 5 Benjamins would buy it... Just sayin' Plus I'll throw in my 2 egines,clutch and half dozen Sprockets I've go laying around. You can pick up side pods for $30...I think I have a fg nose. Put up or shut up I'll throw it in my truck and meet you in Columbus ms on my way home for Christmas

sorry man, just saw this now. I really wish I could do this, but the guy who was gonna buy the porsche stuff just backed out on me, so I've got no funds. However, this being said; I will still see what I can scrape together this week.

In reply to NoPermitNeeded:

LOL. Just busting your chops a little bit no permit. There is an autocross at Talladega Grand Prix race track on December 4th. You ought to go up there and introduce yourself and maybe volunteer to work the event. Have you ever been to an scca autocross event?

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

No, I've never been to one; I'll see if I can go, I've got mono right now so the chances I'm let out of the house are slim.

Sorry your under the weather. The one coming up is at Talladega grand prix race track....a neat little road race track there. Not the superspeedway NASCAR \RACK. I think it's about 50 miles from Bham. Maybe you'll feel better by the weekend.

BTW Birmingham SCCA does run kart classes based on their website results...I did note that the only person running formula Jr A Kart was a chick

Hope you feel better

Ovid_and_Flem wrote: BTW Birmingham SCCA does run kart classes based on their website results...I did note that the only person running formula Jr A Kart was a chick Hope you feel better

perfect Just kidding, mostly.

Yeah just got the bloodwork back, out for another 3 weeks... ugh. I keep up with alot of the stance-bros in bham and all they've all got their panties in a twist because they just opened a drift circuit really close to Birmingham, only dedicated track in the southeast. Which has got me thinking about drift missile possibilities; not that I need anymore hairbrained ideas.

In reply to NoPermitNeeded:

Fantasizing about builds is something we all do at times.

Hmmm....set of 4 kart slicks that will last two autocross seasons: $120.00.

Set of rear tires that last 2 drift events maybe: $400.00

Hope you're a trust fund baby or your mom owns a tire shop

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

Fatherest thing from a trust fund baby, but my friend's dad owns a tire shop. I think before I invest in buying a kart I'm going to give the leagues at Autobahn a shot.