13 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

Go-karts at my "local" raceway have been a learning experience for all of us. We learned overpowering the car is not good, and smooth driveability is the key. 

My spidey senses tell me a heavier stouter chassis will be the ticket for any chance I have of beating guys like Red, Bud, and John.

Last race, my 25 thou JK C11 chassis was wadded up and the body was destroyed. I still finished second.

 

My new plan was to simply use a Champion TFlex with a Hawk 7. I looked in my drawers of chassis relics and the only TFlex I have is the oval tweeker I won the AMSRA Championship with years ago. I did find the Flexi 1 I blueprinted years ago and raced successfully. (if memory serves me correctly it was gifted by Bill from NH). I think it will fit the Billy Watson kart body perfectly, it's stout and a known winner.

 

It has 1/8 Slick 7 racing bushings jigged for .063 clearance with .750 wheels, a doubled tongue, an .063 front axle with small Oring fronts, and it's ready to assemble. I have a new Billy body and some JK 1/8 hard wheels on order. Gears will be 48P 9/28

 

Should be interesting to see if I can put it on the podium against TFlexes, JK's, Mosettis, etc.

I'm not a great driver so I need a fast and forgiving car to do the trick 

 

[Kim Lander]

Pablo...that looks like a Parma Flexi chassis to me.

[Bill from NH]

Pablo, I recall sending you a chassis when you ran on that old AL king track, but I'm not certain this is the one, but it could be. As I recall, the Flexi 1 was rather light compared to other chassis. You may want to add a hunk of lead on the front of the centersection. The Buffalo, NY racers, such as Tom Marstellar, would also run Flexi 2 pans on Flexi 1 centersections for better handling..

[Ramcatlarry]

Find a Parma 'hot wing' for the nose.  I added it to all of my Flexi-1's for flat tracking.

[Pablo]

Pablo, I recall sending you a chassis when you ran on that old AL king track, but I'm not certain this is the one, but it could be. 

No doubt, this is the chassis you gifted me, Bill.

It was a handler then and it will handle now.

Hawk 7 motor, Swiss RF flag, 9/28 48P

 

 

Go-kart rules at The Dungeon now allow removal of a driver figure inside the helmet before racing begins.

So I hired this little guy. Not sure if the curved plastic gloves are drink holders or steering wheel mitts. Whatever 

 

[Bill from NH]

That's a LEGO guy. They usually came  with something cylindrical to hold, thus the fat mitts. I still have tubs of Liam's LEGOs up in the attic.

[Pablo]

Build a chassis out of them 

[Bill from NH]

I'd like to find a cheap way to send them to AZ.   Did I tell you Liam was retiring this summer after 20 yrs?

[Pablo]

Yes, that's so cool, Liam is set for life of success  Huge difference between a military "veteran" and a "retiree" 

 

My Lego kart driver is CA glued to the top of the pan limiter gizmo and will break right off after concours judging.

I figured out what the curved mitts are for (not beer holders as I had thought) - lead wire routers 

 

 

He's even wearing a tie, ready for business  I doubt I'll win concours but it should get some laughs 

 

 

 

 

[Kim Lander]

Pablo...I have one of those Parma Hot Wings Larry mentioned...if you want it let me know....Kim

[Pablo]

Thanks Kim  Let me test it stock first and we will see......

[Pablo]

Flexi-1 kart passes the drivetrain test well. Rears ended up at about .745 OD; with 9/28 gears my FDR is 4.18.

I consider that very conservative on 12 volts, so I have a 10T on standby which would make 3.76.

 

Ready to test and race 1 June. I'm curious to see how many more "modern" chassis I can beat. We shall see...….

 

[Pablo]

Race test results were "good" but not great. The Flexi-1 isn't the answer; it drives twitchy. Compared to a TFlex, it's considerably shorter so it makes sense.

 

Some weight helped but I ended up with a short heavy brick that stayed in the slot but wanted to turn too much. No Bueno. I forgot to remove my very top-heavy driver after (losing) concours and ran him for 3 heats before realizing it. I removed him but the improvement wasn't enough to change my overall assessment   

 

I still finished second. But it's not really about me, it's about finding the best and simplest combination for my "pet class", to help newbies. I'm going back to a TFlex with a Hawk 7   

[Bill from NH]

You could try one of the Mossetti chassis or build a brass rod/wire of your own design. Chicky was the person who could drive the Flexi 1 well. But even he had problems with them when he went to the PNW to race with Lee  Gilbert's scale AMCA group.