My G2 AKA "The Donkey"

JcXtreme72

Ok guys here it goes. I had a '98 EZGO that I got with an opposed briggs 18hp motor. I got it cheap cause the guy never finished the wiring or fuel. I got it running in about 2 hours. Months later let a friend borrow it and he seized the engine. I put an ad on the local classifieds looking for a briggs 2 cylinder to put in my EZGO. Few days later a guy call and states he never saw the ad but his friend sent me the number. He told me he had a stock Yamaha golf cart engine that ran perfect. I told him I was looking for a briggs twin but on a whim I asked what was wrong with the rest of the cart. He replied nothing but he was willing to pull the engine for what I was offering up in trade. I told him I'd do it for the whole cart. 3 hours later he shows up with a stock Yamaha G2. I put a battery in it and to my surprise fires up with out hesitation and backs off his trailer. I was hooked. First thing I did was add a trailer hitch ball on the back to help move trailers around the yard. We also used it daily to run our son to and from school daily who at the time was in preschool. We also would load it up in the trailer and use it over at the horse boarding property. It's fun to unload it from the trailer and instantly hook the same trailer up. It stayed that way for about 2 years with me adding a stereo here and there and some lights from a riding mower.

Attached Images

	Photo-0039.jpg (145.1 KB, 0 views)
	Photo-0029.jpg (397.8 KB, 0 views)
	Photo-0037.jpg (499.4 KB, 0 views)
	Photo-0013.jpg (543.5 KB, 0 views)

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

JcXtreme72

Well it didn't take long to find BGW and see what you can REALLY do with a golf cart. I stumbled across a thread started by a fellow member named Pachanga where I saw his awesome idea to add some altitude to a G2 golf cart. I went right to Harbor Freight and snagged a 12" hitch tube and sacraficed the shelf off one of my 1/4" metal tables and made brackets and welded them to the tube. I used card board and decided I wanted 9.5" of lift, 3" wider and 3" farther forward on the front end to clear the 24" tires that came on my EZGO that the motor blew in. I sold the stock tires for a surprising amoung and used that to buy a set of shocks from a Honda TRX400EX (Side note I'd recommend TRX450R shocks. They are remote shocks with better springs but were way out of my price range.) No laughing at the tie rods in the pics my it was my friends idea and we have a bet as to how long they will last. Unfortunatly for me its working great so far. I do also plan on adding supports on the Pachanga lift between the a arm mounts but haven't had a problem in 3 years. Now that it was up on 24" tires I ordered a performance jet and rear clutch spring from CPP. It made quite a difference and I enjoyed my cart even more. On Youtube you can watch videos of us taking it out camping and in the snow pulling idiot friends on the hood from a Saturn for a sled.

Attached Images

	Photo-0073.jpg (411.6 KB, 0 views)
	Photo-0071.jpg (475.2 KB, 0 views)
	1336529672537.jpg (47.4 KB, 0 views)
	1339810521798.jpg (59.3 KB, 0 views)

JcXtreme72

A few weeks after I got the lift done and tested I found another gas powered G2 in the classifieds for cheap with no motor. But it had a great body and a bed! I made him a crazy low ball offer and loaded it up for $58. I put the bed on and use it all the time. I then sold the other G2 for a bit more then what I paid so I was happy about that too. After that I moved to Vegas and had to leave it behind for almost a year. Then When I finally got it down to Nevada I was staying with family in a small town in the middle of no where Nevada. It wasn't running right. Leaving it sit for a year and then the move kinda left it's mark. An exhaust stud broke off in the head and I couldn't get the darn thing running right. Working on it one day a neighbor asked for help with a Polaris quad. His grand kids slammed his low hour 2004 Polaris into a tree and bestroyed the frame. So I offered him a 1986 Honda 4 wheeler I got years before for $20 and got running. I yanked the engine out made some motor mounts and now the Polaris engine sits below the seat of my golf cart. Oh I forgot to mention I kept the rear axle off the other G2 I bought so I had a spare axle to use to mock up and fab engine mounts. The Polaris motor is oil cooled and even came with it's own fuel pump. It went in way easier then it should. Starts great runs strong and is now jetted for the open element filter and supertrapp muffler. I do need a shorter belt. It's seriously about 2.5" too long. But Napa has been great about helping me with that. I used a $10 ignition key from Autozone. I took the steps off the Polaris and put them on my golf cart to help my short wife climb up. About that time a friend showed up and said he had some lights from a warrior with the mount that he was going to throw away. I wired them up and high and low works perfect! SCORE! I mounted them to a tube push bar I bent up real fast. I took the rear rack off an old Honda quad to use as a front rack. I also pulled the ceiling console out of my wifes wrecked '99 suburban and mounted it on my cart. I replaced the rear ac controlles with 3 12V outlets. So I have dome lights, sunglass holder and outlets over head now. It's no where near done but it's useable. My wife and I added it up and with the stock parts I've sold and the deals I've made we are actually up $148 by owning this cart and that includes getting it. I can't find the pics I took of the engine install but here are some of it after out having fun and testing the new motor out. Theres more to come and soon paint. I've got a cool idea for a paint job. Oh last note. after I first put the hitch on it I was using it to park a trailer in our back yard, patted the dash and said "That'll do Donkey, That'll do." My wife hasn't let me live that down and the name has stuck. I'll find the pics of the engine install and post those when I can.

Attached Images

	IMG_20140628_174242.jpg (174.3 KB, 0 views)
	IMG_20140628_174257.jpg (167.5 KB, 0 views)
	IMG_20140628_174306.jpg (117.9 KB, 0 views)
	IMG_20140628_174314.jpg (143.1 KB, 0 views)

cgtech

Man, i love that thing. I'll give ya' another $148 for it....

JcXtreme72

Thanks. I like it a lot and use it pretty much daily for work or play.

JcXtreme72

I kept the rear axle off that other G2 I got and sold. I just pulled it apart and I'm planning on welding the gears. Any one got any tips? Should I heat them first or just go at it with my lincoln arc. I'm planning on going slow and burning hot. And if anything goes wrong I'll have the stock one to go back to.

danman97

if you are able to i would place bolts in between the gears so if your welds do fail over time there are still bolts lodged keeping them from moving. another option is simply slowly filling the gears with a ton of weld.....up to you

MudHog

Once you drain the oil, use a torch to burn away any residual oil. You need clean metal. Don't preheat the metal, just burn the oil to clean. Then fill in the areas on the spider gears and also weld the spider gears to the carrier. A MIG machine would be best to reduce the slag. After welding, use a small magnet to get any slag/buckshot.

JcXtreme72

I agree mig is the best but I don't have access to one. After cleaning the oil I will be taping and covering areas to protect them from slag. Plus I'm not afraid to spend time cleaning slag up to make sure it was done right.

slonomo

Spray it down with carb or brake cleaner to remove the bulk of the oil. I would preheat it, if you don't you'll risk some cold starts and bad welds. If you preheat, you don't need much, prob just burning oil off will be enough heat, but I'd clean the oil off first to remove most of it.

Remember, welding the diff is not the "right way" to lock a diff, so there is no right or wrong way to do it. Basic welding 101: clean metal, warm metal, good welder, work the puddles. With a diff it's about welding all the spider gear teeth that are in contact with each other and not ruining any other parts.

Good luck!