Hunt Buggy: Project Catorce

[93yellowclubcar]

This thing is gonna be one of the most thoroughly rebuilt carts out there! Looking good so far, keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing the future of this build!

[golf cart man]

wow very nice work! your basically building a new cart except the feeling you get when your done knowing you built it rather than buying it already done makes it all worth it. Very rewarding! Great job!

[TxAg]

Well, last Friday UPS dropped off a nice heavy box from All Sports. Lift kit time!



The All Sports kit went on pretty smoothly, despite the poor directions. I was really surprised that a company that puts out such a great product wouldn’t spend a little time to create some real directions, complete with pictures and detailed steps. Come on All Sports. Regardless, I was very pleased with the product, and install of the front was quick and painless. I also installed new shocks front and rear while I was at it.

Sexy suspension.



Installing the front hubs



Wheels and tires on the front!



Next it was time for the rear. The All Sports kit uses a spring-over conversion design complete with new spring perches, and moves to a stronger 4 U-bolt setup vs the factory 2 bolt. Again, pretty straight forward, but it is a little tricky to get everything lined up just right for the U-Bolts. My one small complaint is regarding the length of the U-bolts. There is quite a bit of extra thread sticking down, which might get busted up while off road. I believe I will be shortening them in the near future

As this cart will see some pretty heavy loads I also opted to install new heavy-duty rear springs while I was at it. After some research, I decided to go with the heavy-duty two-leaf set from Cart Parts Plus (site sponsor). They had a heavy load rating, but supposedly offer a smoother ride vs the 3 or 4 leaf setups.



I also opted to replace the stock “shorty shocks” with some new Monroe units. These have a much longer stroke, and are a “full length” option vs relocating the factory units. They seem to have a slightly stiffer valving, and are also about $15 cheaper per shock.

Finally, I replaced all the worn out and rusty fasteners with new Grade-8 hardware, coated all in anti-seize, and sprung for new spring and shackle bushings all around. I also used stop nuts so that the shackle bolts don’t have to be torqued so tight that it limits travel.

Rear is done!



The last step was to align the front end, which boils down to setting Camber via the Heim joints on the All Sports kit, setting proper toe-in by adjusting the tie rod, and aligning the steering wheel via the drag link. I noticed the rod end on the steering drag link, was a little use, so I replaced it while I was at it. Once I greased all three rod ends with fresh marine grease, and tightened the castle nuts the steering felt nice and tight. I used a level vertically on the tire to set camber, then used a tape measure and piece of rope to set toe in to about ¼”. The steering wheel lined up nicely with a little adjustment of the drag link, and the steering goes from lock to lock with no binding just as it should. Turning radius looks pretty tight too!

My build partner went for the first ride on the newly-completed Rolling Chassis. He enjoyed going down the driveway and turning around!



With the chassis done, I was ready to bolt the stock 36V motor back on. As the motor was 23 years old, I figured I’d be well-served to have it checked out. I found a shop here in Houston that gave it a full inspection, cleaned it up, and installed new brushes and slip ring for $150. They even stamped in the lug labels (A1, S2, etc). Pretty sure those weren't there before. The gun-metal grey paint job was cool with me too. Overall they seemed to think it looked good, and was ready for service. This approach saved me quite a bit vs. going with a high-performance replacement, so we’ll give it a shot. There still might be a high performance down the road, once I save some pennies back up.

I noticed the shaft and coupler had a little rust when I removed it the first time, so I cleaned up the shaft with a wire wheel and coated in anti-seize before re-installing.

Motor is back on.





I’m now done with the first build phase of this project, the Rolling Chassis. It’s been a blast so far!

Monday I gave Scotty B a call at Carts Unlimited (site sponsor) and ordered my new controller, solenoid, F&R switch, voltage reducer, cable set, voltage meter, and charger. Definitely spent some $, but can't say enough about how great ScottyB has been to work with so far. He took the time to speak to me several times and answer questions, even before I actually ordered anything. He really helped me define what I wanted early on. Service like that earned my business for sure. All the goodies should get delivered soon; can’t wait to get it all installed!

[sunoco]

Hey you should probably put a killer new steering wheel on! I know a guy who has a heck of a deal

[shaffer88]

What package you end up with?

[shaffer88]

Have you decided on the voltage you going 36 or 48

[TxAg]

Sunoco-Maybe down the road. I'm spending enough on the "function" stuff already!

Shaffer- I went with Package C74, the 700 amp. I figure that will give me some flexibility down the road if I go with a performance motor. Definitely going 48V with six 8-V batts.

[Pitbull Joe]

You're making major progress in a short time! Keep up the good work.

[cmalberto]

Oh wow - you are right down the road from me. I may have to take a drive one day to see this. Can't go wrong with Scotty's stuff. Great products and supports what he sales.

[Rics68]

Looking good!