Ball park on building a cart

dchance

After lurking through this site. This looks like a lot of fun. I tend to think you don't even need to be a small engine mechanic to build one.

For those of you that build them, what are some of the must do's when fixing one up and what is a ball park estimate on $$$ that normally is put into a cart?

BGW

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golf cart man

Personally, the carts I have built I always strip them down. Replace what needs replacing and clean up the frame. Paint, seats,wheels and tires, lights, windshield, some accessories (varies with each cart).
You could go crazy with lift kits, rear seats, anything you can think of.

I'm sure like most on here I start out with a small budget but it usually blows up 2-3x what I thought it was gonna be. You'll get addicted.

As far as cost, can vary depending on what you want. I have put as much as $2-2,500 in fixing up costs for a cart but some on here have spent thousands more.

smokindawg

You can do as much to one or as little as you want. The costs will be dependent on your abilities as much as anything.

If you can fab, you can do a lot more to a cart for a lot less. A lot of mods can be built in a small home garage and the parts and pieces of metal or other materials can be purchased/traded for from scrap yards even. But keep in mind, sometimes it's not the best thing (safety wise) to cut corners. You can also have a lot of fun making your own lift kits, bumpers and other things that provide function as well as good looks.

If your in a hurry you'll spend more than if you can take your time and search out used parts from others builds.

So it's hard to say what you'd spend. It can also depend on the type cart you start with as much as what you want the finished piece to be.

Unforgiven

General rule,...the ole saying speed is money,..so just how fast do you want to go? this is the same in restoring golf carts, show trucks/cars, and boob jobs

Like Smoken and GCM said

On the mod side of a cart,..it's all how you want it to look, what you going to do with it. I've built 2 carts and still think of myself as a novice. The one thing I do take pride in is that both was a low cost build. You can order wheels, lifts, bumpers, seats and keep your cost under $1500. A lot of that is bolt on stuff, can be done over a good weekend. New big block and cradle, exhaust, bolt on.

My Marathon build I've been planning and collecting parts for better part of a year now. Cart $30, donor atv $1200, Tires rims-$100, paint-$100, hardware-$50(I used stainless where I could), metal- mostly free.

And I will add and upgrade over time,..as some have stated here "Your never Done"

Bubba75

I bought my first cart two months ago, and it has been crazy ever since. Had been thinking of getting one for a while and started by looking for a good deal at a used cart. Wasn't really concerned with brand, but knew it was going to be gas because I knew I'd be using it camping for nascar with no electric other than generators. After that it's all what you want to do.

I will say that after the lift combo and rear seat I had already matched what I spent on the cart. And since then everytime I get a spare moment I'm searching for what I want to do next., and I foresee a big Block in my future.

Guess my biggest recommendation would be to look at some of the builds around here,search the vendors to get an idea of what you want and can afford,then hit the local ads used dealers and Craigs looking for your cart.

I've had a blast,and haven't even scratched the surface.

dchance

thanks yall. sounds fun. as far as what I would look for, I think it would be fun to take older carts or carts that someone is trying to dump and fix them up and possibly resell. I basic things like lifts, wheels, tires, cosmetic add ons and any fixing of the mechanical end as needed to a stock motor or minor mechanical mods. if you put say $2500 into a cart I would think you could easily get more out of it and have fun in the process

BrewCityMusic

The numbers I use are based on TXT's / Workhorses (which as You know are pretty much all I build anymore) ... I generally try to find cart buyouts that include carts with bad engines, etc as it gives me a better set of numbers and expectations to work with, and I have a basically NEW cart when I'm done instead of dumping money into something that may or may not have been well-maintained, likely has a ton of hard hours, etc ... That $2000 cart that looks great and seems to run OK (once I tweak the governor it'll have more speed and power, hmmm ....) generally in short order will show wear and shortcomings that can come back to bite You, generally to the tune of a couple hundred dollars at a crack.

Engine and Drivetrain $1000 - for that budget, I can install a brand new, warrantied performance motor, rebuild the driven clutch and/or convert to 28 degree, new Belt, and consumables (air filter, brakes, etc) - if there is leftover cash here, you skimped somewhere, LOL. If the goal is a fast cart, adding $300 for a set of 8:1 gears is definitely money well spent, but keep in mind the 28deg clutch AND shorter belt are a MUST to keep performance where it should be.

Body and Cosmetics $1000 - generally I budget $200 for seats, $300 for Paint, $100 for Lighting, $200 for Brushguard/rear bumper/receiver, and $200 for misc trim, flares, and other dress-up as needed. THIS is the budget that gets shot to he!! really fast if You don't have a solid plan ahead of time, LOL. Watch for the small stuff that will get you in the long run, shock guards, dash, bagwell liner, etc - many of these parts look good at first glance but once the rest of the cart comes together start to show their age, etc compared to the new stuff - and can add up FAST if You want a consistant, top-quality look. If a body component (as listed above) is damaged, do the research BEFORE buying, certain things that seem small enough turn out to be a real pain, fast such as bodywork, etc.

Lift and Suspension, etc $1000 - for a basic 6" lift kit, decent 12 or 14" rims and 23" quality tires, generally a rebuild of the steering box if needed, springs if needed, etc. With almost all lifts, You have to figure in wheel spacers, even with offset wheels if You want the width to be the same front and rear (add $50-100) - Add $200 if You're looking at top-shelf rims (Fairway Alloys, etc) - again, this can get away from You REAL fast. If You're looking at a Long-Travel cart, just start out by doubling the budget, You'll spend it getting the rear end to play well with the front, correct spacing, etc (although it's WELL worth the extra bucks) ... Just a hint, always replace any worn bushings NOW while You're into the project, and You'll ensure years of happy, hassle-free riding.

Add in the cost of a clean, used cart that fits the bill, and the total budget generally comes in around $4k - but again, these numbers include basically brand new EVERYTHING including a full warranty on a new motor, not to mention it's a performance setup that will behave perfectly and run circles around any stock cart, lifted or not, out there.

For a specialty cart such as an MPT or Workhorse, generally You can add about $500 as some of the commonly damaged or worn parts on these can be a bit spendy (mainly due to limited aftermarket availability) ... I tend to not budget for any of the stuff that really adds no resale such as rear seats, stereo's, cheesy cargo boxes, etc - I don't use them personally and if someone wants that stuff on a cart then I can either install it for them when they buy the cart or they can do it themselves.

Hopefully this helped, there are a lot of ways to trim the budget but over time You'll learn that doing it ALL the RIGHT way from the start involves a lot less overall labor and cost than poking everything that goes wrong with a stick over the course of time.

Unforgiven

Local guy here in central Miss, has been working all summer stretching a marathon. He hit me up this weekend to buy him out,.........I'm thinking

Problem with CL is everyone has caught on to the BGW craze to mod this things. A POS is going for no less than $1000.

Thing to do is drive around and find one parked off in the weeds, then hit them up to see if they want to sell, or haul off. I missed 2 ezgo's last summer for $50, just because I couldn't never catch the guy at home. I could have sold batteries for $120,....

smokindawg

Forgiven, you can still find deals on Craigslist if you watch and check daily. Then you have to be ready with cash in hand to fly there before anyone else.

I bought a G2 in good condition body good, no rust on frame and wiring all complete (Although I didn't need the harness) for $350. Motor ran but smoked bad and the driven clutch is worn out. But overall in good shape and perfect for my build. Price: $300. So decent deals can be found. Sometimes even great deals.

pachanga90

Also stop by smaller golf-courses,alot of them own their carts,and may have older or damaged carts sitting around.My Dad got a nice G16 that had some minor damage from a course for free once.It never hurts to ask.Craigslist is good too,and this time of year, alot of people sell cheap to avoid storing them for the winter.Always remember that a low price doesnt always mean junk,and a high price isnt always getting you a better package.Around here a mint,clean stock cart with lites and a rear seat sells for $2000-$2500(late 90s-2004 or so),as a reference-point,although this can vary with location.Hope this helps.