Have you upgraded a Caroche?

sharkbot

Hello All,
I am new to the forum and new to golf carts. I have just acquired two electric golf carts for managing my property. One in is a 1970s Club Car Caroche and the other is a mid-80s EZ-GO Marathon. I want to update the brakes and electronics on the Caroche because I drive on very hilly terrain and need lots of torque and lots of stopping power because I also pull a trailer with firewood and brush from time to time. Speed is not important and is very dangerous for me given the terrain. Right now the Caroche is all stock except for a lift kit, large tires, and a dump bed on the back. I would like to upgrade to a PWM motor controller for better battery life, possibly a new motor for more torque, and new front disc brakes. The rear brakes work fine but not when going down a hill, they just lock up and the cart slides all over the place.

Has anyone updated the electrics and brakes on a Caroche before? If so, how did you do it and what did you use? I am thinking the front brakes are the most complicated upgrade for me because I do a lot of work with robotics and think I have the electronics figured out. Is it blasphemous to update a Caroche? From what I see online, it appears they have somewhat of a cult following and vintage appeal. I really just want to turn it into an effective alternative to a Gator, that can be used and relied upon for heavy duty use. If you are a current Caroche owner and need parts let me know. I would be willing to send you anything I replace. Thanks for your help!

BGW

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shadowman

you should be able to upgrade it if you want but if its a running cart it may be worth trying to sell it......might bring enough to buy something newer and already upgraded .....you know the cult following they have should make it worth something to someone but if not you should have no trouble upgrading the electronics.......as for brakes they sell a front disc brake kit but you,ll have to find out if it will work on it.......i don,t see why it wouldn,t......................

sharkbot

Thanks shadowman, I was thinking about that too...I do like the frame, tilt bed, and hitch that is on it now. I was wondering if getting a newer cart and adding a lift kit, tires, tilt bed, hitch would be cheaper than just doing the electrics and brakes on the Caroche. I am thinking I could get a new motor, brakes and electrics for about $1400. Problem is that the brake kits sold by Jake's don't seem to be compatible with the Caroche, unless I do some modifications. I don't think I could get a newer cart and make all modifications for under $1400. Hopefully somebody out there upgraded a Caroche, or I am going to take your advice and sell it and upgrade the EZ-GO Marathon I have.

TahoeDawgZ71

Never upgraded a Caroche. Believe it or not as a dealer technician in Augusta GA for 11 years now, I've NEVER seen a Caroche in our shop.

shadowman

David, you don,t know what your missing.......really sweet old carts when they are intact and decent shape....not very hard to work on just old buggers.......................................

TahoeDawgZ71

I know I want to convert one to modern technology bad. Just waiting on the opportunity.

sharkbot

It has been a while, but I have made some updates with more to come...I was having trouble finding a motor that would fit the Caroche's rear end so I decided to send the motor in for a rebuild at Plum Quick. I just got the motor back today and will be putting it on with an all new controller setup. Anyone have recommendations for a controller? I want to run 48 volts and be able to handle 500 AMPs. The Caroche is a resistor cart so I am replacing all the coils and solenoids along with the wiring. If anyone is looking for Caroche parts let me know.

After the electrics are in, I am going to put on the front brake kit from Jakes and try to replace the steering since there is a lot of play in the stock one. If you have any ideas or experience with a Caroche upgrade let me know. Thanks!

Aaron

shadowman

talk with scotty he can set you up with everything you need......................

sharkbot

Hello,
Here are some updates. I have the cart stripped down. The new Plum Quick motor is in and I spent a bunch of time just learning the ins and outs of the cart. The guys at BuggiesUnlimited and Jake's helped set me up with all new electrics (500 AMP alltrax controller, HD solenoid, HD F&R switch, PB-6 to replace throttle, all wiring and resistors) and a front disc brake kit with new offset flat bell rims and tires. I also purchased new hub kits for the front tires to fit with the spindles from Jakes. In case you guys are wondering why I am putting this much effort into a 33 year old cart, it is a lot of fun :) and the Caroche frame is way more beefy than any other cart I have seen. Take a look at the pics, the Caroche frame is basically two long I-beams in a v pattern. I have these directly connected to a hitch so I can tow trailers around on the farm. The front brakes are required for me because I have a lot of hills and it is dangerous with just back brakes, plus the hub brakes on a Caroche are kind of a pain. I am keeping them operational...does anyone know how to adjust them? I really just want to use the parking brake but the pads rub against the hubs and I haven't been able to figure out how to bring them in a bit so the hub turns freely. Lastly, the other major area I plan to improve is the steering. The previous owner lifted the cart and custom welded arms on the spindles in order to connect with the stock steering tie rods. The steering was really sloppy and the cart turned like a bus, requiring many turns of the steering wheel to turn sharply. I plan to use the new spindles and get new tie rods. Hooking the tie rods closer to the king pin should result in more responsive steering, and getting new tie rods will also clean up some slop because the old ones had rusted and the ends had a lot of play. I will keep everyone posted as the new parts come in. Again, if you have experience with the brake shoes and how to adjust them, I would appreciate any info. Thanks!

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shadowman

don,t take this personal but i,m kind of curios you mention a few places you got parts and they helped you? any reason you didn,t buy parts from site sponsers? i,m sure they would have had everything you needed and good chance they would have saved you a few bucks.......just wondering..................................