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Bought this from a guy who had it stored in his basement for 20 years or so. Believe it to be from the '60s, has mc-6 motor. I would like to know anything I can find out about it. Have been restoring cars and motorcycles since 1974 and this is my first kart. Also, it is direct drive, can anyone recommend an economical clutch? I would also like to find one used 410/3.50-5 Carlisle slik. Thanks alot, this seems like it is going to be fun.

The kart is a late '60 or early '61 Go Kart 800 that someone cut the steering hoop off and welded on a narrow hoop. They also cut out the front floor pan and welded on tabs to support a bolted floor pan. These are some of the best handling early karts ever made. The best clutch would be a new Max Torque from Jim Donovan. Install it, lubricate it occasionally and run it forever. They're not cheap. For a less costly clutch, look here and on eBay for a good 10 tooth Horstman Rev Grip, or an early 10 tooth Max Torque. A 10 tooth clutch gives you the most versatility in gear ratios. The Azusa Posi-stop brake on the early Go Karts is marginal at best. The later G.K.'s used the Bendix drum brake. There's one on eBay right now that looks very good. Don't buy the modern Chinese copy of the Bendix that Azusa sells. It can be made to work, but the drum is thin and subject to heat fade. You also can adapt a Tolomatic Airheart 150 hydraulic disc brake, but it'll be a bit of work and pretty high priced. Congrats on finding a G.K. 800! Good luck. Ted

Scott,
Welcome to vintage karting. It is a lot of fun to run these old karts and meet with fellow enthusiasts at some of the tracks around the country. You are looking for a carlisle slick. The size you mention came in narrow, regular and wide with the same side wall markings. I have one of the narrow indian heads in good shape with a lot of tread left and no dry rot. If that is what you need send me a PM to discuss. The kart pictured looks like it has 6" rear wheels and 4" front. Is the tire for another kart?

You may want to consider putting fresh tires on the kart as the old Carlisle's will be hard from age and won't grip very well. Cheng Shin slicks are similar to the Carlisle in profile and will grip much better as well as be safer to run at speed. I have a good used pair of Cheng Shin 6" rears I would give you for the cost of shipping. If you want to spend the money, Ted is right, the new Max Torque clutch is great and Jim Donovan at MaxTorque will adjust enagement speed of the clutch to match your engine set-up if you give him a call.

If the engine has been sitting for 20 years you should at a minimum fill the crank case with fuel/oil mixture to try and lubricate and clean the gummed up bearings and rewet/swell the seals. You need to get this fuel mixture up into the piston pin bearings as well, as they gum up. Drain and discard this fuel after letting it sit overnight in the engine. The safest thing is to disassemble the engine and clean all bearings or replace them and replace seals and gaskets. Air leaks in a 2 cycle can result in the engine revving uncontrollably in a lean condition. All of the parts for a rebuild are available.

Good luck with that Mc6. It looks nice.

Bob

Thanks for the info guys! I am from 1960 also so my vintage matches the carts. Front tires are 4" and rears 5", one rear tire is not a slik. I thought I'd just replace that one until I get the cart ready to run on a track then put new ones on. Same with the clutch, I just need something that will work for now. I will probably disassemble the motor and make it new again. There is no velocity stack or air filter on the carb, what is usually done there? Thanks again

Scott,

Listen to Bob... a McCulloch motor that has been sitting for 20 years has about a 90% chance of having the wrist pin bearings frozen up. Starting and running the engine with the bearings frozen up will very quickly result in catastrophic failure that will destroy the piston and the bore leaving you with a useless engine.
Even if you pull the motor and fill it with gas and oil and let it sit for a day or two I would still estimate the odds at 50/50 it will fail.
The process of removing the piston and rod to clean up the bearings is really easy for anyone with basic mechanical skills and there are plenty of people here that will offer advice and assistance if you get into it and aren't sure what you are doing.
Great find on the GK800... you'll have a lot of fun with that kart if you take the time to prep it properly.
Steve O'Hara

Scott, Steve is very right about refreshing the Mc6 before you start it. Ignition parts are pretty easy to get, and gaskets and diaphragms for the early Mac carb are available. The Mc6 crankshaft is rare, so be careful with it. Most beginners don't have the tools to remove/replace the piston wrist pin bearings, but several technicians will do the task for you. It's good to become acquainted with Terry Ives. He's not only one of the top five vintage drivers, he's also a whiz with Mac engines and parts, and a great guy to deal with. An air filter is a good thing to have, though most vintage karters don't use one. With the engine mounted on an angle, it has a LITTLE less importance. EBay usually has several Azusa air stacks that'll fit the Mac carb (same hole pattern as the more common Tillotson carb).
Terry Ives
Terry Ives Industries
6705 Almond Knoll Court
Granite Bay, CA 95746
(916)201-7707
tii@surewest.net
Good luck! Ted