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Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:56 pm

i have an idea of putting a vw engine and tranny into a golf cart. i want to build a tube chasis with a full cage. i am not sure how or what way would be the best go about this. i would like to run it out in the sand dunes in yuma some day.

Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:53 pm

as long as you have a decent IRS setup to begin with, its possible. i dont know of any non-vw based tranny that will bolt up to the vw engine, therefore you are stuck (shucks) with an IRS setup and not a chain driven solid rear axle...unles you got really creative

Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:33 am

If this notion struck me, I believe I'd remove the golf-cart body and put it on a shortened VW chassis like a 'glass buggy, or a shortened rail chassis.

What's a golf carts wheelbase anyways?

Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:39 pm

I think you might want to re-consider your plans. I hate saying this because I love to see people come up with orignal ideas. However, the wheelbase and weight bias of a golf cart probably won't handle the VW setup. A golf cart has a CONSDIERABLY shorter wheelbase than even a shortened VW pan. Also, the front end weighs a fraction of what a VW does. I just have visions of you popping the clutch and flipping over smashing your pumpkin into the ground.

I can tell you some stories about a golf cart we built with a 500CC snowmobile engine.....haha

SHMO

Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:15 pm

i think the best you could do to use a VW power train is to use everything from the rear torsion assembly back from a irs bug and mount your golf cart body onto that and fad up some tubing to tie the front to the rear.
chop the shift rod down short and and use stock shift stick, i can see it...it it would basically be some kind of wild a** go cart for big kids but i think it can be done.
go for it man!

Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:20 pm

like a 1/2 scale rail

Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:33 pm

yeah kinda like a short rail with the golfcart body on it. ad some wheelie bars and a roll cage and you are all set......lol
actually, off road wheelie bars.....like some lawn mower tires or something, they would have to be on a pivot so they could turn.....add some turning brakes, that would be some cool stuff......yeah i can dig it.
do wheelies around the ninth hole, grap the turning brake a little to cut some doughnuts while keeping the front end up in the air, hell yes.

Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:33 pm

after i looked at the golf cart frame i p;icked up today, i realized the wheelbase is just a little too short like SHMO said. i think if i can add an extra 8-10 inces i will be alright. i had planed on the turning brakes, and the wheelie bars as well as a roll cage. i would like to have at least 10" of travel. the golf cart that i aquired has a fairly stout aluminum chasis, and i am not sure if i should use it or scrap it and build a new one out of steel. if all goes right, i hope to have it ready for Yuma by easter. i am only a little concerned about the front end. i am thinking about an a-arm setup. would it be wise to do it this way, or should i go with my original idea of shortening a vw beam? i really have no experiance as far as the sand toy thing goes unfortunately, and i don't have the funds for a rail or a quad, so i thought a project like this would suffice. i will keep you posted and if i can figure out how to post pictures, i will keep you informed.
bjorn

Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:37 pm

a narrowed VW beam may make the suspension a bit too stiff for something like this, but with a-arms you will need some type of coil spring in there as well...$$$

Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:52 pm

i thought the vw front end may be too stiff. i was thinking about using air shocks for the front if i went with a-arms, but if coil shocks are better i will go with that.

Fri Oct 22, 2004 2:07 pm

Well,

As long as you are venturing forth with this project let me throw a couple ideas in. First of all if you use a VW front beam, try removing a complete set of torsion leafs. That will weaken up the spring rate considerably. If that is too stiff or too soft you can tailor the remaining torsion pack with the un-used leafs. The solid width leafs are stiffer, and the half width leafs are softer. This should give you enough range to come up with something close enough to get you rolling.

As for the frame, an aluminum golf cart was NEVER intended to have 60HP and hundreds of pounds of extra weight added to it. Not to mention the increased stress due to the speeds and power this thing will attain. You could maybe bolt in cross members or supports wherever you think they are needed. But keep in mind that aluminum work hardens very easily and you might end up with cracking in a short time. Building a frame from scratch would be more difficult and expensive than simply building a sand rail. So, if you decide to go that route just build a sand rail instead....you will be happier with it anyway...haha

If it were me and I was dead set on building a golf cart with VW power I would use the whole VW chassis. You can cut the pans off completely, sever the backbone and come up with whatever wheelbase you need. That way everything will still be in place (brakes, suspension mounts, bla bla bla) Afterwards I would configure body mounts to position the Golf cart body to the chassis. That is the only way I can see this project being be simple enough to tackle. Building a frame from scratch and making everything co-exist on it is going to take some hardcore fabrication, at least to do it right.

SHMO.

Fri Oct 22, 2004 5:05 pm

check out the "sand flea" on blind chicken racing, ask them how that project went and any problems they ran into with shortening a bug that much......should give you an idea what you would be getting into.

Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:44 pm

shmo is right,build it out of a beetle pan, etc. Heck, leave the body on and have a baja. :D

Sat Oct 23, 2004 4:04 am

just for laughs guys......http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=41113

Sun Oct 24, 2004 5:34 pm

it looks like it should be fairly simple to modify and reinforce the golf cart frame enough to where it will work. the only thing i am concerned about is the frame bending in the middle if has enough to get off the ground. i think i will be able to pull it off, i have lots of welding experience so i think that will be a plus in this situation. i definately want to go with a-arms in the front, i have the tools to bend the pipe for the arms, what thickness should i go with? i was thinking about doing a-arms in the rear too, is that a good idea, or should i go with the trailing arms and torsion tubes? i really don't want to build a rail or a baja, i really am not into choping up the sedans, and my dad would kill me if i built a rail, if i just tell him i am building a golf cart up, he won't give me too much shit. also, i just want to do this because i have never seen anything like it before. i don't care if it breaks in half five minutes after i get it together, i just think it should be an interesting project. i don't think i should need anything more than a stock single port motor, and a late model tranny.
bjorn

Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:12 pm

If you don't care about it breaking in half after your done fabricating, why don't you just sit the golf cart body on a bare VW pan and run it till it falls off? If you want it to last more than 5 minutes, use some nylon tie straps. I am just trying to save you some time.....haha

SHMO

Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:43 pm

Here's a pic of the sand flea from VWBaja.net

Wed Oct 27, 2004 11:31 am

random thought...can you imagine the wheelie capabilities of a golf cart fitted with even a stock 1600 DP. The weight alone would make it ride front high :shock: