96 CC Carryall 2 Engine Options

[royalblu68f100]

I have recently purchased a cart (cheaply) and need some helping making a decision on how to proceed with it. Currently it has a 3 inch z lift, a FE350, and 22 inch tires. The FE350 is having issues once it has warmed up, the lifters tick severely, there is a fair amount of smoke, and the cart does not want to run correctly. When cold everything works okay at best. This cart has a worn belt and clutches to boot.

I have narrowed down my options to: rebuilding the current engine, buying a stock replacement, installing a Kohler single cylinder OHV (have it on the table), or buying the knock off Honda 390 (Predator 420). What I need to know is how many parts are available for the rebuild of the stock 350 and how hard is it to install the non-stock engine (mounts, controls, etc.)?

I figured I would buy new clutches considering the wear that was on the drive and driven, and would also need help deciding between the Club Car Clutch and the straight shaft clutch, I know they fit different engines but i could buy the tapered clutch adapter if necessary.

I feel that I have gotten my money back out of the initial investment but now want to make the cart more reliable for use around the farm and for hunting. Top speed is not the main concern, mostly need torque for pulling hills, loads, and getting through mud holes, etc.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[fastercarter]

Welcome to BGW Royalblu. About every part is available for your FE350. As a start, you might want to check out the site sponsors here. Changing your engine is for sure an option but there are a lot things to consider among which are wiring (easy), creating a new muffler, throttle linkage etc etc etc.
As a starting point I would get hold of Tom at CPP and talk to him about sourcing new parts for your 350 motor. Here's a link to his company; http://www.cartpartsplus.com/. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask here. All good people with a collective knowledge that is staggering.

FC.