The Author's Experience with the Shopping Cart Go-Kart

As I sit here reflecting on my experience with this shopping cart go-kart, I am still amazed at how far it has come since we first picked it up. The original condition was quite rough, but I have managed to bring it back from the dead and make it into a functional vehicle. It's been a long journey, but one that I'm glad I embarked on.

I remember when we brought this thing home for my parents' house. It was just a pile of junk, with no idea how it would turn out. But as I started working on it, I realized that this project was going to be a lot more than just fixing up a broken-down vehicle. It was an opportunity to learn and grow, both as a person and as a fabricator.

As I set out to restore the go-kart, I quickly discovered that there were many things that needed attention. The brakes weren't working properly, the steering was loose, and the engine was struggling to get enough power. But despite these challenges, I was determined to make it work. And slowly but surely, we started to see progress.

The first major hurdle we faced was getting the braking system sorted out. The original brakes were non-existent, so I had to fabricate a new set from scratch. It wasn't easy, but with some trial and error, we managed to get the brakes working properly again. And that's when things really started to click into place.

As the go-kart began to take shape, I realized just how much work went into every aspect of its construction. From the suspension to the exhaust system, everything needed attention. But with each new challenge came a sense of accomplishment and pride in what we had created. And as I rode around the block on this thing, feeling the wind in my hair and the rumble of the engine beneath me, I knew that all our hard work had paid off.

One of the most satisfying aspects of restoring the go-kart was seeing how far it could be pushed. We took it out for a spin and managed to get up to speeds of around 40-45 miles per hour. It wasn't fast, but it was exhilarating, and it made me realize just how much potential this thing had. And as I looked over at the brake pedal, which I had fabricated from a square piece of metal, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

But even with all its progress, there were still some areas that needed improvement. The engine, for example, only had two horsepower and was struggling to make it down hills without sputtering. And the exhaust system wasn't quite right either. But despite these minor flaws, I knew that we were getting close to completing this project.

Now, as I look at the go-kart in its current state, I'm amazed at just how far it's come. The engine is stronger, the brakes are better, and the suspension is smoother. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication that went into restoring this vehicle from scratch. And as I think about what's next for this project – putting a pit bike motor in, perhaps, or adding some more features – I'm excited to see where it will go.

The Shopping Cart: A Journey of Discovery

As I reflect on my experience with this shopping cart go-kart, I realize that it's been a journey of discovery not just about the vehicle itself, but about myself and what I'm capable of. From the moment we brought it home, I knew that this project was going to be challenging. But as I dove in headfirst, I discovered a sense of purpose and drive that I hadn't experienced before.

One of the most significant lessons I learned from this experience is the importance of perseverance and determination. There were times when I felt like giving up, when it seemed like everything was too hard or too difficult. But I kept going, driven by a desire to see the project through to its completion. And as I look back on those moments of frustration and doubt, I'm reminded that they were some of the most valuable lessons I've learned.

Another lesson I took away from this experience is the value of creativity and resourcefulness. As a fabricator, I had to think outside the box and come up with solutions to problems that seemed insurmountable at first. And as I look around at the various parts and materials that make up this go-kart, I'm reminded of just how much potential there is in even the most unlikely places.

Of course, one of the biggest surprises for me was just how much fun it would be to ride this thing. There's something about the combination of speed, power, and raw energy that makes it an exhilarating experience. And as I sped around the block, feeling the wind rushing past my face and the engine roaring beneath me, I knew that all our hard work had paid off.

As I look back on this project, I'm reminded of just how much I've grown and learned. From a place of uncertainty and doubt to one of confidence and pride, I've come a long way. And as I set my sights on the next challenge – whatever it may be – I know that I'll be ready.

The Shopping Cart: A Symbol of Hope

As I reflect on this shopping cart go-kart, I'm reminded of just how much potential there is in even the most unlikely places. This thing was discarded and forgotten, left to gather dust in a corner of the garage. But with a little bit of TLC and some determination, it's been transformed into something truly special.

For me, this project has become a symbol of hope and possibility. It reminds me that no matter how broken or discarded we may feel, there is always the potential for transformation and renewal. And as I look at this go-kart, I'm reminded of just how much I've learned about myself and what I'm capable of.

As I ride around on this thing, feeling the wind in my hair and the engine roaring beneath me, I know that all our hard work has paid off. It's not just a vehicle – it's a reminder that no matter where we come from or how broken we may feel, there is always the potential for growth, transformation, and renewal.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's going on guys right now I'm getting the break kit that I just got in for the shopping go cart installed so if you haven't seen this yet I'm already kind of getting ready to weld some stuff but I got this kit on eBay it's a hydraulic brake kit it comes with the 7-inch rotor and a hub that goes on a 1 inch axle and I was a little worried that it was gonna hit on this bar right here but it does clear so I don't need to like trim the rotor down or anything like that comes with this hydraulic brake caliper and right now what I'm getting ready to do is weld this mount I made so these bolts go all the way through and hold the two halves of this caliper together and I'm going to have it mounted right here and then I'm just gonna have this tab welded on to the bar right there and that should be plenty to support the caliper and then once I get all this stuff mounted up I can work on making a pedal assembly so this is like the cylinder right here where you put all the fluid in and then you need to rig up a pedal somehow to push this part back and forth right here I can't do it with one hand because it's pretty stiff but I think I'm gonna mount it just somewhere up here in the front and then you just fill that up with fluid and then you run the lines back to the caliper back there and I got some nylon line that came with the kit as well so yeah pretty straightforward and like I said just getting that caliper mounted up right now and then I will figure out how to do the pedal once that is all welded up all right so I got my tab tacked into place and that's gonna hold the caliper where it needs to be and right now I'm just making sure everything's spinning freely and nothing's rubbing and everything is looking good you can actually hear the disc just barely hitting on the brake pads inside and that's just because it's a sliding back and forth because it's not tight into the axle at all so you could actually hear it starting to go quiet right there but if you slide it all the way to one side you can hear it rubbing but then when you actually slide it over and Center it and it should be silent yeah so I just got to get that disc brake tightened down because it's just sliding back and forth in between there and I need to pull those two bolts out of the caliper get that tab all the way welded down because I'm liking where that's sitting and I also need to get a keyway made because right now I have a drill bit going in between the axle and this little hub right here to act as a key way for right now but once they get a keyway made I'll be able to tighten this hub down onto the axle and then I'll be able to put all four bolts into the disc right here and get this tighten down as well and then once I put the caliper back on after everything is welded up the whole back of the cart will be ready to go and then I just have to make the pedal up front and get it mounted and then run the lines back to the caliper right here and get everything blood off I'm not sure if I'll do all that today or not but I will at least get this tab all the way welded up and I'll have the back half of the cart done for sure so yeah getting get that all the way welded up and then we'll see where we go from there Oh all right so I got the caliper all the way mounted up the tabs fully welded and I don't think that's going anywhere there is just the one tab right there and if I need to add a second one on this side later on I can because it's only being held up by this one side but I think that should be plenty strong and there's a pretty thick piece of metal and it is very sturdy on there and nothing hits everything spins freely so that's looking awesome so right now I'm working on getting the petal all done up so what I'm gonna do is try to mount this cylinder up front right here I'm pretty sure this thing is designed to be mounted like a little behind the actual brake pedal and then you have like a push rod going into one of these three holes right here so you can put it on the very bottom one for Less throw or the middle one for more and then the top one for the most throw on this little lever right here so you can kind of change the sensitivity of your brake pedal but I really don't have a good spot to put it like back over here and then run a rod to it and if I were to do that it would also sit up really high so the best way I see to mount this and the easiest way is to just put it up here in the very front I already do have a plate with two holes drilled I'll show that in a second but just mount it all the way in the front and then either bolt a piece of metal coming off of this or just weld a piece of metal to this lever right here how'd it come up and then have a piece kind of come off of that where I can put my foot on it to just press this lever forward and it is really hard to get with one hand but that should work just fine so then I can just put my foot on it and just push the whole thing the only issue with that is it might make it really sensitive because these usually don't have too much throw before they start to put pressure on the disk so it might just be a really small pedal throw and I might just have to be really careful because the brakes might be touchy but that's something I can live with we'll see how it works cuz I've never done this at all so I'm kind of just experimenting with this so I have this little plate right here that I'm going to weld on the side of the cart I already have two holes drilled through it I need to get some longer bolts for it though I'm just going to tuck this back behind this bracket right here I can weld it to the bottom of this on the cart and then I have all this to weld to as well so that should be plenty strong then with this plate welded right here I'll be able to just slide this guy right on like so like that and get it bolted down and it should be tight right there then I'll have my pedal coming off of this and then over then I'll just put my foot right here to push on that and then all I got to do is run the lines going from this cylinder back to the caliper and hopefully everything works as it should so I think that should be a pretty good way to do it so I'm gonna get this piece welded to the cart and find some longer bolts get the lever bolted down and before I fully weld everything up I would like to get the lines ran and just test out everything and make sure it works before everything is like solid and in place in case I do have to change it up for some reason so gonna get this tacked on and then I might be able just to move this enough with my hand to test the brakes for right now once I get some fluid and some lines ran for it and now was it your plan all right so I got the cylinder in the front all mounted up and I got the lines ran to the caliper going to the back and I already went ahead and put some fluid in there it's not all the way filled up yet but the bottom line is pretty much completely filled with fluid I was trying to pump in the pedal just a little bit and you can even see on this top line you can see that purple fluid move back and forth when I push down on the pedal right there so what I got to do is bleed the brakes out and how I'm going to do that is I have this zip tie right here at the front of the cart and I'm just going to push this pedal all the way forward and then have this zip tie hold on to the bolt right here and kind of hold the whole lever forward and then I can go back here and crack the bleeders right here on both sides let all the air out then tighten them back down and then just keep repeating the process until all the air is out of the lines and even with it how it is right now and I haven't bled anything at all they're already starting to work so I mean I have the chain and stuff hooked up right now so you can't really see it but earlier I didn't have the chain on there and I could spin the axle freely and I'll just barely tap this and it would start to stop the whole axle so it is working I just got to get it completely bled out and then we should be ready to go and I also was working on making a extension for this thing so I can actually have a pedal to put my foot on so I have this piece of metal right here with two holes drilled in it for right now and I plan on bolting this to the lever right there and then I'm going to weld this bar off of it like that so it will sit in there something like that and match the throttle pedal right there then I'll just be able to push on that and the brake should work so I'm gonna get these all bled out and I think once I get that done and I get the pedal all made up we'll be ready to take it on a test drive once I put the back tire back on so I'm gonna get to it alright guys so I pretty much got everything back together I did just take it around the block to make sure everything was working as it should and the brakes seem to be working perfect so I'm gonna put the GoPro on my helmet and take it around the block again take you guys along for the ride and I did have to put the battery in the back because it was sitting right here beside the seat but that's where the brake lines go now so I had to relocate it to the back and you guys know me using my trusty ratchet straps it'll be fine right there so yeah gonna get the GoPro and helmet on and take it around the block a few moments later whoops well ratchet strapped in the whole battery is dragging on the ground but other than that it's been a successful drive so far this thing gets it and now that it has brakes it's not nearly a sketch to drive and the brakes work so good but yeah I got a ratchet strap this down a little better it was starting to fling some sparks so good thing it didn't completely go through it and ruin it alright got a new ratchet strap I think the other one like broke or something because it's missing the other hook it just like completely fell off somewhere but I'm gonna take it around the block again run down a daylight so I've got to get these clips in alright guys so I got the shopping cart back in the garage it is starting to get pretty dark out so it's had to bring her in and I was just starting to have so much fun - guys this thing gets down the brakes work so good and now it's not even sketched like go really fast with it cuz before there's no brakes at all and I have to downshift to get it to slow down and it was like really sketched so I'd never wring it out I definitely took it out and like gave it all a fifth-year that time I was probably hitting like 40 45 miles an hour I didn't completely rev it out but I definitely was haulin ass in this thing it is so fun the brakes work perfect like I said I'm just I'm just amazed with this thing right now so that I get that battery all the way tied down the second ratchet strap held a lot better than the first one and I still got to get all the proper grounds and but that will be for another day it's slowly getting more legit each time so I'm super happy with this thing guys it's come so far I do look forward to making more videos about this thing in the future and once I get all that wiring figured out and the battery actually bolted down it will pretty much be complete I'll probably take everything apart and paint the frame make it all grey so there's no bare metal so it doesn't rust over time but other than that it's pretty much in its finished stage there's just now it's just the tiny little things but now it has everything it needs on the car I just got to make everything less ghetto now but everything's there so I'm super happy with how it's turned out and another thing like the brake pedal kind of looks kind of bulky because I just use a square piece of metal right here so I'm probably going to cut this and kind of smooth it out and make it look a lot nicer but it works flawlessly and the the brakes aren't even that touchy like it's literally perfect having the pedal on the cylinder right there so like I said I'm just super happy with they can't wait to get everything just 100% legit so I can just take it out and rip it and hopefully make some more videos about this thing in the future because I do have some more plans obviously I still want to put the turbo on it and stuff like that but I still have a couple other ideas for this thing before I get that into putting like a turbo kid on it and everything I still have a couple other things I'd like to do but yeah guys super happy with the shopping cart it's definitely come a long ways since we first picked it up if the og subscribers remember the condition we brought this over here and all I'll play a couple videos of it it was just a pile of crap got the shopping cart go-kart little 49cc motor on it how's it been running a while I do plan on putting like a pit bike motor in here or something making a lot more powerful I'm pretty sure this motor only has like two horsepower and it lost a lot of that because I don't have the right exhaust pipe on it and but it'd be sick if we could fit like a 125 in here with a four-speed I made this thing in my welding class like three years ago I think so I made all this stuff up here it's all rusted out now but all the steering stuff all these brackets but it's kind of a piece of so I like the idea so I want to restart from scratch probably completely take it all apart again do that but it would we get some like actual girl car tires on it but pop pop wheelie so yeah started this project in my welding class like probably a good four or five years ago now and we picked it up for my parents house it was a hunk of junk I really did not know what I was doing at the time and I know there's still some things on it now they could be done a lot better than I did it but compared to how it was when we brought it this thing was just a pile of crap and now it's turned into something I think is really badass like I said definitely could have done some things better but it is also a big learning process I've learned a lot about like go-karts and just fabricating stuff just making this thing because it's the first go-kart I've ever made in my life and I think it came out pretty good so yeah I'm really happy with you guys hope you enjoyed this video that's gonna be it for tonight thanks for watchingwhat's going on guys right now I'm getting the break kit that I just got in for the shopping go cart installed so if you haven't seen this yet I'm already kind of getting ready to weld some stuff but I got this kit on eBay it's a hydraulic brake kit it comes with the 7-inch rotor and a hub that goes on a 1 inch axle and I was a little worried that it was gonna hit on this bar right here but it does clear so I don't need to like trim the rotor down or anything like that comes with this hydraulic brake caliper and right now what I'm getting ready to do is weld this mount I made so these bolts go all the way through and hold the two halves of this caliper together and I'm going to have it mounted right here and then I'm just gonna have this tab welded on to the bar right there and that should be plenty to support the caliper and then once I get all this stuff mounted up I can work on making a pedal assembly so this is like the cylinder right here where you put all the fluid in and then you need to rig up a pedal somehow to push this part back and forth right here I can't do it with one hand because it's pretty stiff but I think I'm gonna mount it just somewhere up here in the front and then you just fill that up with fluid and then you run the lines back to the caliper back there and I got some nylon line that came with the kit as well so yeah pretty straightforward and like I said just getting that caliper mounted up right now and then I will figure out how to do the pedal once that is all welded up all right so I got my tab tacked into place and that's gonna hold the caliper where it needs to be and right now I'm just making sure everything's spinning freely and nothing's rubbing and everything is looking good you can actually hear the disc just barely hitting on the brake pads inside and that's just because it's a sliding back and forth because it's not tight into the axle at all so you could actually hear it starting to go quiet right there but if you slide it all the way to one side you can hear it rubbing but then when you actually slide it over and Center it and it should be silent yeah so I just got to get that disc brake tightened down because it's just sliding back and forth in between there and I need to pull those two bolts out of the caliper get that tab all the way welded down because I'm liking where that's sitting and I also need to get a keyway made because right now I have a drill bit going in between the axle and this little hub right here to act as a key way for right now but once they get a keyway made I'll be able to tighten this hub down onto the axle and then I'll be able to put all four bolts into the disc right here and get this tighten down as well and then once I put the caliper back on after everything is welded up the whole back of the cart will be ready to go and then I just have to make the pedal up front and get it mounted and then run the lines back to the caliper right here and get everything blood off I'm not sure if I'll do all that today or not but I will at least get this tab all the way welded up and I'll have the back half of the cart done for sure so yeah getting get that all the way welded up and then we'll see where we go from there Oh all right so I got the caliper all the way mounted up the tabs fully welded and I don't think that's going anywhere there is just the one tab right there and if I need to add a second one on this side later on I can because it's only being held up by this one side but I think that should be plenty strong and there's a pretty thick piece of metal and it is very sturdy on there and nothing hits everything spins freely so that's looking awesome so right now I'm working on getting the petal all done up so what I'm gonna do is try to mount this cylinder up front right here I'm pretty sure this thing is designed to be mounted like a little behind the actual brake pedal and then you have like a push rod going into one of these three holes right here so you can put it on the very bottom one for Less throw or the middle one for more and then the top one for the most throw on this little lever right here so you can kind of change the sensitivity of your brake pedal but I really don't have a good spot to put it like back over here and then run a rod to it and if I were to do that it would also sit up really high so the best way I see to mount this and the easiest way is to just put it up here in the very front I already do have a plate with two holes drilled I'll show that in a second but just mount it all the way in the front and then either bolt a piece of metal coming off of this or just weld a piece of metal to this lever right here how'd it come up and then have a piece kind of come off of that where I can put my foot on it to just press this lever forward and it is really hard to get with one hand but that should work just fine so then I can just put my foot on it and just push the whole thing the only issue with that is it might make it really sensitive because these usually don't have too much throw before they start to put pressure on the disk so it might just be a really small pedal throw and I might just have to be really careful because the brakes might be touchy but that's something I can live with we'll see how it works cuz I've never done this at all so I'm kind of just experimenting with this so I have this little plate right here that I'm going to weld on the side of the cart I already have two holes drilled through it I need to get some longer bolts for it though I'm just going to tuck this back behind this bracket right here I can weld it to the bottom of this on the cart and then I have all this to weld to as well so that should be plenty strong then with this plate welded right here I'll be able to just slide this guy right on like so like that and get it bolted down and it should be tight right there then I'll have my pedal coming off of this and then over then I'll just put my foot right here to push on that and then all I got to do is run the lines going from this cylinder back to the caliper and hopefully everything works as it should so I think that should be a pretty good way to do it so I'm gonna get this piece welded to the cart and find some longer bolts get the lever bolted down and before I fully weld everything up I would like to get the lines ran and just test out everything and make sure it works before everything is like solid and in place in case I do have to change it up for some reason so gonna get this tacked on and then I might be able just to move this enough with my hand to test the brakes for right now once I get some fluid and some lines ran for it and now was it your plan all right so I got the cylinder in the front all mounted up and I got the lines ran to the caliper going to the back and I already went ahead and put some fluid in there it's not all the way filled up yet but the bottom line is pretty much completely filled with fluid I was trying to pump in the pedal just a little bit and you can even see on this top line you can see that purple fluid move back and forth when I push down on the pedal right there so what I got to do is bleed the brakes out and how I'm going to do that is I have this zip tie right here at the front of the cart and I'm just going to push this pedal all the way forward and then have this zip tie hold on to the bolt right here and kind of hold the whole lever forward and then I can go back here and crack the bleeders right here on both sides let all the air out then tighten them back down and then just keep repeating the process until all the air is out of the lines and even with it how it is right now and I haven't bled anything at all they're already starting to work so I mean I have the chain and stuff hooked up right now so you can't really see it but earlier I didn't have the chain on there and I could spin the axle freely and I'll just barely tap this and it would start to stop the whole axle so it is working I just got to get it completely bled out and then we should be ready to go and I also was working on making a extension for this thing so I can actually have a pedal to put my foot on so I have this piece of metal right here with two holes drilled in it for right now and I plan on bolting this to the lever right there and then I'm going to weld this bar off of it like that so it will sit in there something like that and match the throttle pedal right there then I'll just be able to push on that and the brake should work so I'm gonna get these all bled out and I think once I get that done and I get the pedal all made up we'll be ready to take it on a test drive once I put the back tire back on so I'm gonna get to it alright guys so I pretty much got everything back together I did just take it around the block to make sure everything was working as it should and the brakes seem to be working perfect so I'm gonna put the GoPro on my helmet and take it around the block again take you guys along for the ride and I did have to put the battery in the back because it was sitting right here beside the seat but that's where the brake lines go now so I had to relocate it to the back and you guys know me using my trusty ratchet straps it'll be fine right there so yeah gonna get the GoPro and helmet on and take it around the block a few moments later whoops well ratchet strapped in the whole battery is dragging on the ground but other than that it's been a successful drive so far this thing gets it and now that it has brakes it's not nearly a sketch to drive and the brakes work so good but yeah I got a ratchet strap this down a little better it was starting to fling some sparks so good thing it didn't completely go through it and ruin it alright got a new ratchet strap I think the other one like broke or something because it's missing the other hook it just like completely fell off somewhere but I'm gonna take it around the block again run down a daylight so I've got to get these clips in alright guys so I got the shopping cart back in the garage it is starting to get pretty dark out so it's had to bring her in and I was just starting to have so much fun - guys this thing gets down the brakes work so good and now it's not even sketched like go really fast with it cuz before there's no brakes at all and I have to downshift to get it to slow down and it was like really sketched so I'd never wring it out I definitely took it out and like gave it all a fifth-year that time I was probably hitting like 40 45 miles an hour I didn't completely rev it out but I definitely was haulin ass in this thing it is so fun the brakes work perfect like I said I'm just I'm just amazed with this thing right now so that I get that battery all the way tied down the second ratchet strap held a lot better than the first one and I still got to get all the proper grounds and but that will be for another day it's slowly getting more legit each time so I'm super happy with this thing guys it's come so far I do look forward to making more videos about this thing in the future and once I get all that wiring figured out and the battery actually bolted down it will pretty much be complete I'll probably take everything apart and paint the frame make it all grey so there's no bare metal so it doesn't rust over time but other than that it's pretty much in its finished stage there's just now it's just the tiny little things but now it has everything it needs on the car I just got to make everything less ghetto now but everything's there so I'm super happy with how it's turned out and another thing like the brake pedal kind of looks kind of bulky because I just use a square piece of metal right here so I'm probably going to cut this and kind of smooth it out and make it look a lot nicer but it works flawlessly and the the brakes aren't even that touchy like it's literally perfect having the pedal on the cylinder right there so like I said I'm just super happy with they can't wait to get everything just 100% legit so I can just take it out and rip it and hopefully make some more videos about this thing in the future because I do have some more plans obviously I still want to put the turbo on it and stuff like that but I still have a couple other ideas for this thing before I get that into putting like a turbo kid on it and everything I still have a couple other things I'd like to do but yeah guys super happy with the shopping cart it's definitely come a long ways since we first picked it up if the og subscribers remember the condition we brought this over here and all I'll play a couple videos of it it was just a pile of crap got the shopping cart go-kart little 49cc motor on it how's it been running a while I do plan on putting like a pit bike motor in here or something making a lot more powerful I'm pretty sure this motor only has like two horsepower and it lost a lot of that because I don't have the right exhaust pipe on it and but it'd be sick if we could fit like a 125 in here with a four-speed I made this thing in my welding class like three years ago I think so I made all this stuff up here it's all rusted out now but all the steering stuff all these brackets but it's kind of a piece of so I like the idea so I want to restart from scratch probably completely take it all apart again do that but it would we get some like actual girl car tires on it but pop pop wheelie so yeah started this project in my welding class like probably a good four or five years ago now and we picked it up for my parents house it was a hunk of junk I really did not know what I was doing at the time and I know there's still some things on it now they could be done a lot better than I did it but compared to how it was when we brought it this thing was just a pile of crap and now it's turned into something I think is really badass like I said definitely could have done some things better but it is also a big learning process I've learned a lot about like go-karts and just fabricating stuff just making this thing because it's the first go-kart I've ever made in my life and I think it came out pretty good so yeah I'm really happy with you guys hope you enjoyed this video that's gonna be it for tonight thanks for watching\n"