rearenginekarts.com

im new to this and am looking for info on anything to do with karts right now im restoring an early rupp dart kart wanting to kno rupp history and what the proper motors to run are cause mine needs 2 also am looking for tire replacement companies

Hi Ryan
You can find lots of help in the parts and resourses section. Is your kart a live or dead axle?
Just becaue it has 2 motor mounts (I'm guessing the hat style mount) don't mean you have to have 2 engines.

You can run anything from a Clinton A400 to a 580 or 700 West Bend, Homelite, or a whole host of Power Product engines or even some early McCullochs.

Great place for info is the old magazines. You can find them on ebay or thru the site or hunt them down on your own. Some of the early Trends books are great for reference as it coveres the whole era.

Good Luck.

Thx What exactly do u mean by a live or dead axle? the hubs of the wheels each have there own sproket and spin idependently of eachother. Also what kinda of money am i looking at to fix it up with the dual engines. it dosent need to be extremly fast id be happy with 50mph the motors dont need to be pretty or exotic just something to get me around but im pretty sure running just one motor would make it pull to one side wouldnt it?ill submit pics soon

You have a dead axle kart. One engine will be fine. For dependability I would recomend a 580 West Bend.
If you want to run 2 engines you would need a Right hand and a Left hand engine. The cranks come out different sides. Kart will not pull to a side but depending it does loose traction easy.

well how much is a 580 west bend?and where can i get one casue i dont happen to know of anyone in my area to get these things off of by the way in the cart registry jeff troy has the same wheels as whats on my cart anyone kno what barnd they are?

Rob is exactly right! A West Bend 580 single would be perfect on the Dart, and you'll have no trouble compensating for any tiny pull. Most dead axle machines were run as single engine karts. Keep looking on eBay; there are often 580's there. Advertise here on REAR, and see if you can get a gasket set or two at the same time. The carburetor rebuild kits are still available. The 580 is probably the most reliable kart engine ever made, and fast enough to have fun with. Ted

here is the cart by the way how can i upload more than one pic?

Hi, Ryan,

I have eight karts so I don't know which one has the same wheels. Looking at the pic of your machine, I'd guess they are the white DICO steel wheels on my Spitfires.

Your Dart is an early one, even before the live axle Super K. My friend Randal recently sold a Dart like yours -- no rear bumper, old-style pedals, stub axle (independent rear wheels as you described) and complete with the same dual scrub-the-sprocket brakes. His had DICO wheels, and they were probably original equipment. Some later Darts had Hands wheels, then Rupp Turbines.

Don't worry about dual engines. You didn't say how young was "young" in your posts, but if it's younger than 16, you won't be allowed to run duals on a track. Even if you're older, start with one and get used to all the machine's mechanical issues and develop your driving skills before moving up. It's not difficult to add a second engine after you've learned a thing or two. More than half the drivers at vintage events are running singles, and your karts is a dangerous choice for two powerful engines, which simply weren't available when that kart was manufacturered.

You might also look at Power Products AH-58 engines, or a pair of Clinton A-400, A-490 or A-500, even Clinton E-65 engines. Those particular Clinton engines are less powerful than the Power Products and West Bends, so if you had to have two engines, they could be considered safer choices for your particular kart. That rub-brake system you have is a cool novelty, fun to see and speak about but not very good for stopping the kart effectively. It's probably not a very reliable system for any kind of a dual-engine setup more powerful than 580's, and even that might be considered a stretch.

Fifty may seem not so fast to you, but sitting an inch from the ground with 1:1 steering, 35 will wake you up pretty quickly.

Four rules:
1. Professional racing helmet and neck brace
2. Heavy vinyl or leather jacket
3. Gloves
4. No shorts

Good luck with the kart.

Ditto what Jeff said about the brakes. They don't do much at all.

Im 17, and by the looks of things i didnt do to bad for paying $20 to save it from being turned into a washer it looked like no gocart i had seen so i decided i wanted it took 3 hours of haggling to get the guy to sell it cause he wanted to cut it up and make it a live axle kart for his son. but the wheels that i have are 3 lug with a bunch of bolts around the outside of the rim center to bring the 2peices together and i definetly need some new tires so where can i get some reproduction tires?or do i have to buy orignals that are still ok?