Hey guys, I've been going over the site for a day or so, and have searched and searched, but couldn't find any info that pertains to exactly what I'm thinking of doing.
What I have is an old Yerf Dog go cart (I think it's called a Spiderbox). I bought it for my daughter as a project we could tinker with, but since she's only 6, I think I'm going to be doing all the work while she jumps in and out asking "can I ride it yet??"
Anyway, it has the usual 150cc GY-6 style engine on it, but the final drive has been butchered to death by the PO. When I went to look at it, I noticed a complete lack of any lube at all in the gearbox. He was insistant that the final drive wasn't supposed to have oil in it because it had never had any, and it was that way when he bought it, but then he couldn't explain why the bearings had failed in spectacular fashion.
So that being said, I got the buggy back to my shop and got the engine running, but the final drive, I believe, is toast due to his ham-fisted attempts to remove the bearings. That, coupled with the fact that I have a heavy disdain for reassembling things that others have taken apart (and have most likely lost a few important parts), I am really leaning toward yanking this engine and swapping to the HF 6.5 HP Predator engine onto the buggy. It's either that, or buy a used mystery engine that may be no better than what I have, or buy a new GY-6 style engine on eBay for ~$400 shipped. Electric start and lights aren't a major concern for us. I'd just like to make it reliable and rideable for her.
I understand that unless I fab up something, I'll be losing the CVT, and will have to make due with a traditional style centrifugal clutch. Top speed isn't a huge concern because she's only 6 and I'd rather keep it slow for now, and possibly play with sprocket sizes later on if needed. I'd rather lean toward low end torque than higher-RPM horsepower anyway.
I'm a machinist, so fabbing up a jackshaft and welding up a new engine cradle looks like it would be fairly easy and straightforward enough. Has anyone else here ever attempted this, or better yet, successfully done it?