Cart Rebuild - Welcome to the party

[swim]

Hey guys,
I picked up a few new carts today.... 5 to be exact.... for a whopping $500 total. Now, I wasn't really in the market for 5, but somehow that's what happened. So, being the guy that I am, I gave 3 of the carts away to friends and now we are having a bit of a build off.
The 2 I kept are a 2002 Yamaha with a shredded motor (still debating what to do with this) and the 1996? EZ-Go TXT that doesn't run.

The cart for the most part is there. At a first glance, it seems to be missing the starter, air box, fuel pump, carb, and a gas cap. It's been sitting for about 2 years with the plugs out and appears to be seized. Haven't really played with it too much yet.

I have a bit of a car and plane building background, but this will be a first cart build for me. I am quite mechanically inclined, so I have a general idea of what I'm looking at. It's not a plane or a car, so, for this I'm going to need some help from you guys.

The goal: I live on a golf course. I play far too much golf. I want this to be a classy, yet fun course cruiser. No huge lift, but large, low profile tires on larger rims. Paint the body, new seats, small stereo to keep me entertained on the course. A few custom "golf" mods.. iPad integration for my GolfLogix App, etc.

The questions:

Where the heck do I begin with this thing? I'm pretty sure it's seized... the 5 minutes I spend with a socket on the clutch yielded no movement. Then again, I could've been doing it wrong with the socket on the clutch.
I'm pretty sure there is at least some dirt and grime in the plug holes. Blow it out? Vacuum it out? Or... pull the head and clean it?
I figure I should get the cart running, establish a base of where I can work from, then build it from there.
How would you approach this situation? Would you just say screw it and buy a Robin 350? I will not do a BB swap on this cart, sorry, it needs to be a quiet cart for the course..... I don't need to be pulling wheelies on the 9th.

Thanks in advance guys!

[swim]

A few photos...

[sccowboy]

Welcome to BGW! I would start by getting acquainted with this info:

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/ezgo-gas-tech/

And download the tech manuals:

Here----- http://products.jacobsen.com/img/manuals/605586.pdf

and here----- http://products.jacobsen.com/img/manuals/27615-g01.pdf

That will get your head into what you are looking at. I see a diamond in the rough lol. That engine is an easy rebuild if you want to tackle it. If the engine wont budge by turning the clutch then I would pull it out and tear it down although others may have other ideas. There are a ton of mods and things you can do with that cart. Have fun and keep the pics coming of your progress. There is a wealth of knowledge here in this forum and all the guys will gladly share their experience with you. Good Luck!

[swim]

Thanks sccowboy - I have downloaded the manuals and gave them a quick read. I blew some compressed air into the spark plug holes to attempt to clean out the dirt. Seemed to work, not sure yet. I then poured some marvel into the cylinders that I'll let sit. I just want to see how stuck the motor is. If I can free it up I can attempt a compression test. I ordered a starter and a carb. Still need to source an air box and a fuel pump.
I have a sneaky suspicion that even if I free up the motor it's still going to need an overhaul. If any of you big block people have an extra running 295 or 350 laying around let me know, I'm interested.
Once I get the engine sorted out I can determine if the clutch and rear end are any good.

[sccowboy]

There are a couple of companies out there that you can get a reman engine from for around 700. Look up user 1989Marathon. I think he mentioned a place that sells remanufactured engines in a couple of threads. They may require a rebuildable engine as a core though so you can decide which way is best for you. I just rebuilt mine and it was easy to do.

[BrewCityMusic]

1 706 533 2698 - that's the number for CT Rebuilds, give Carrie a call and tell her Dale from Wisconsin referred You - a brand new rebuilt engine exchange with full warranty will run you under $600 for that 295, You also have the option to swap up to a 350 or if You're really in the mood for some "oomph" they also offer a 373cc performance upgrade that is absolutely GREAT (I've installed 4 of them this year, and at the price, You couldn't force me to ever tear into another Fuji/Robins 4-stroke again) ... SC is correct, these motors aren't difficult to rebuild - but the process is definitely time-consuming and if the motor has been sitting open, moisture, etc there's a good chance a top end won't do the trick, and then things get tricky and spendy if You aren't a fairly skilled shadetree mechanic. Swapping out a new rebuild can be done in under an hour with about 4 hand tools.

As to the airbox, they're out there but another option is to just install a K&N style cone filter, if You can't get the right price on a used airbox and filter it's a great backup option at about $12-15 - the only drawback is they need to be cleaned once a month or so, but that's a simple 3-minute job and they last forever if You take care of them.

[sccowboy]

Boom! That's the folks I was thinking of... And brews right, a rebuild is time consuming but a swap is a quick job. I may use CT next time myself and go for the 373.

[swim]

Ok, you guys rock. For the price, I'm doing the 375. Just got off the phone with Carrie. Now let's hope the clutch and rear end are still good.....

[swim]

Anyone have a link to the k&n style filter?

[BrewCityMusic]

YOU SIR, are going to be a happy, happy Man. Compared to the 295, well there IS no comparison. What I really like about the 373 is the torque and snappiness, but now's the time to pop a few bucks and order a 28 degree helix and ramp buttons for your driven clutch (the site sponsors are a good source, should be under $70 shipped for the whole enchilada) - it will keep your cart well-behaved for normal driving, but if you mash your foot into it you'll have people going "WOW" plus You'll never look at a hill as a hill again!

hit Ebay for the filter, they're everywhere