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#Post#: 13918--------------------------------------------------
"DESPERATE DAN" - the third cyclekart!!!!!
By: Ian F Date: September 28, 2025, 4:38 am
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[attach=1]This is the third cyclekart I have built, which is for
a great friend of mine Ian Smythe ;D
Some of you may already know him from other kit car clubs and
previous CKGB events where he has marshalled and been deputy
Clerk of Course.
Ian is a very busy chap, whilst I am now retired, so it made
sense to build a cyclekart for him :D
As with the previous two cyclekarts, this build would start with
a doner kart. A suitable kart was found on marketplace, which
had already been built into a drift kart, so it already had a
Hyundai 212cc engine with the correct output shaft and a Vevor
TAV. It also had a 30mm axle, axle bearings, rear wheel hubs,
sprocket carrier, brake disc carrier, vented disc, master
cyllinder and caliper. Up front it had a steering column with
pitman arm and mounts, steering wheel, pedals, front spindles
and C brackets for the spindles. It also had track rods, where
the rod ends could be re-used although new longer track-rods
would need to be made. Cost of the kart was £300, but it was in
Devon, whilst Ian lives in Walsall. Ian is a heavy-plant
engineer so he spoke to the person that covers that area and
asked if he could pick it up for him? Coincidentally, this
person had also been after the same kart! as he wanted the
wheels and tyres. So the kart was collected and delivered in
exchange for the wheels and tyres ;D
After 226 hours of construction, the cyclekart is now finished
and was collected yesterday. So this is a retrospective build
diary!
#Post#: 13919--------------------------------------------------
Re: "DESPERATE DAN" - the third cyclekart!!!!!
By: Ian F Date: September 28, 2025, 4:59 am
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The inspiration for the cyclekart was a genre of cars rather
than a single car. Around the 1920's many dirt ovals or wooden
board tracks were constructed all over the USA. Various
motorcycles raced on the board tracks as well as the cars, and
many racing cars were simply stripped out Model T Fords, with
either tuned our larger replacement engines. Often the engine
coverings would be retained, a simple single seat added, plus a
round fuel tank behind the seat. This style is easy to
replicate for a cyclekart, and it can be mounted on a simple
ladder chassis using 3" x 1" rails as per the Stevenson
formulae.
The Model T fords had a transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring at
the front, so this meant Morris 8 leaf springs could be used
(they are too stiff for a pair of longitudinal springs). The
Model T axle has an I-beam appearance, so a home-made axle was
made in a similar fashion to the ones on Granville Nixons CK and
Jay Pratts CK. This used box tubing with some wider strap
welded to it at top and bottom. Simple radius arms were then
made from tube and Triumph Herald suspension bushes.
A hollow 30mm axle (lighter and stronger than a solid 25mm axle)
was used at the back, but this means the pit-bike wheels need
their hubs reaming out as they are generally about 29mm. A new
axle was bought as the axle on the doner kart only has the
keyway slots where they are needed on the kart. A new axle was
bought with full length keyways, which then allowed central
fitment of the engine.
The engine is mid-mounted (IE ahead of the rear axle) and a
jack-shaft was made by Jim Tanner, using the same pit-bike
sprockets that Tim Wheater uses to provide a compact
installation.
A crude measurement of the weight using a bathroom scale one end
and some blocks of wood at the other (then swopping them around)
indicates a weight of approximately 105kg.
#Post#: 13920--------------------------------------------------
Re: "DESPERATE DAN" - the third cyclekart!!!!!
By: Ian F Date: September 28, 2025, 5:06 am
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If your wondering why the wheels are blue, Ian and I spent many
years circuit racing either as opponents or as part of the same
team. One of Ian's cars was a Ford Fiesta powered by a
turbocharged Ford Cosworth, and converted to rear-wheel-drive.
The wheels were painted with the leftovers from when he sprayed
that car. This fits in well with the Desperate Dan theme as he
has a red shirt and blue denim trousers.
Here's a photo of Ian in the Fiesta giving me a hard time in an
allcomers race at Donington Park many years ago.
#Post#: 13921--------------------------------------------------
Re: "DESPERATE DAN" - the third cyclekart!!!!!
By: Ian F Date: September 28, 2025, 5:18 am
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Desperate Dan has a few little features on it to add some
interest.
The fuel tank is thanks to a skip-dive at Santa Pod last season
and was previously a can of VP Race Fuel as used by the
dragsters. This had a piece of exhaust pipe bonded to the tank
topped with a 3D printed period looking filler cap made by Jay
Pratt.
An old woodworkers hand brace was bought from a stall at the
National Kit Car Show earlier this year for £3.50, and this was
used to make the starting handle. The piece of wood that goes
in your palm was used to make the steering wheel boss.
A nice old speedo was bought at the International Beaulieu
autojumble a few weeks back for £5, then cut down and bonded to
the dashboard.
The dummy exhaust is your typical repurposed waste water pipe
and fittings.
We liked the look of the old brass plant-sprayer that Terry has
on his Darracq as a pretend fuel tank pressurisation pump, so
one of these was found on marketplace for £8.
The kart steering wheel was strung to make it look more period.
The battery is housed in an old wooden jewellery box from a
car-boot sale for £5. This replicates the wooded tool boxes
many of these cars had in period.
#Post#: 13922--------------------------------------------------
Re: "DESPERATE DAN" - the third cyclekart!!!!!
By: Ian F Date: September 28, 2025, 5:49 am
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The attached PDF has various notes relating to the build
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