any idea what brand?

Harquebus

Well-Known Member
#2
Ah, it looks like you have the bare bones skeleton of a Mini Cars®, manufactured by F.W. Associates, Inc. and about 1970-1980's era.

They all had car, van, Formula 1, etc., bodies and were designed for promotional use. They were not "go karts" in the traditional sense but were only designed to go about 10-15 MPH. You can tell they were meant for low speed by the basic quality of the frame and the steering linkage [very "janky" and low-precision]. Sold and marketed mainly to businesses that needed a way to show off their brand. I think the Shriners were among the few who utilized them in parades and such. I think a 3 HP Briggs and Stratton engine was the standard powerplant.

Here's a link to one that had a Bricklin body and was restored.... http://bricklin-sv-1-build-history.com/photo_16.html
 
#3
That was cool. I think I remember seeing some. It looks like someone welded some extra stuff on the frame. Now I know why. I saw a YouTube video of some guy fixing up a 50. go kart and it was doing really high speed. It looked just like this one but no body.
 

Harquebus

Well-Known Member
#4
Yeah it looks like some Bubba parts were added at one point.
F.W. & Associates wasn't the only company that made karts with bodies. Manco made a few back in the day too, and a few others like Carter Brothers. You can tell the frame had a body by the side 'nerf bars' or outriggers designed to support the body. They usually had support pieces front and rear also.

I'd fix it up and beef up the steering with heim joints/adjustable tie rods for starters.
 
#5
sounds good,the video showed them put a live axle and a new steering.I can't help wondering how big of wheels will work with a 5 hp b&s.
 

Harquebus

Well-Known Member
#6
It's all about your gearing, but how big of a tire do you need?

Ideal gear ratio is 6:1 but tires over 15" tall usually require a torque converter/CVT.
 
#7
I was just going to look for something a bit bigger. I didn't realize about the torque converter. I'm guessing 13 to 14"? I understand about the gear thing I have a 4cylinder 5 speed ranger with 33" tires. I didn't think about the clutch being weak. I was thinking about something that would go through snow, maybe 4-6"?
 
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