Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

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Ted Furtch
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Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Ted Furtch » Thu Oct 17, 2019 10:32 am

Picked this up a couple of days ago. I've been looking for a vintage kart for a couple of years Guy I bought it from thought it was a 1964 or 1965 Rupp Lancer GT. I realize the gas tank, tires and obviously the engine aren't correct. Trying to figure out what it is. Any ideas?

OK, I'm leaning to putting this kart back to original. Painful to my wallet. But, probably the right thing to do?

What I'm finding:

Looks like it should be running a McCulloch engine?
If single engine, engine should be mounted on right side of kart?
Needs a back of seat mounted tank?

Any advice and comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Ted
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Chris Marchand
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Chris Marchand » Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:54 pm

It is a Lancer GT , has differant wheels , needs a 2 stroke engine of some kind. Good luck.

Ted Furtch
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Ted Furtch » Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:45 pm

Chris Marchand wrote:
Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:54 pm
It is a Lancer GT , has differant wheels , needs a 2 stroke engine of some kind. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply Chris. So, it is a genuine Rupp? Any idea of year? 1964 or 1965?

I'm new to this, so doing research and trying to learn. The rear section of the two piece frame is chrome? Can't find any pictures of these karts with chrome rear frames?

Also, I'm looking for a 2 stroke engine for it. Should it be a McCulloch or West Bend or what? Where is the best place to get a 2 stroke engine for the kart? Looks like most single engine karts have the engine mounted on the right rear side of the kart. Is that the correct way to go for a single engine kart?

Again, I welcome any advice and comments. Thanks Ted
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Chris Marchand
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Chris Marchand » Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:09 pm

Rupp took over the Lancer brand for a year or 2 . I believe this is a 65 but not sure.

Yes, most rear engine karts set up as a single have the engine on the right side.

There are still lots of Mc Cullochs out there ,as well as West Bends and someone on here will probably chime in with something for sale.

If you have a place to run it, run it as is till you find all the parts you need. That 4 smoke on there is quiet and pretty fast even though it is not period correct. Have fun !

Rob Voska
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Rob Voska » Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:21 pm

Probably a 66 or 67 because of the center bar on the rear end. Lancer outsourced manufacturing to Rupp for a time starting in 65. He brought it back in house for a couple of years in the early 70's when sidewinders cam in then sold it off to Walt Myers in CA who made a sidewinder with the Harley gas tank on the steering column.

Ted Furtch
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Ted Furtch » Thu Oct 17, 2019 7:17 pm

Chris and Rob, thanks for your replies. I'm lucky, I have a large asphalt area next to my shop where I can run it. However, I'll probably have snow on the ground in a couple of weeks. So, I'm probably going to disassemble the kart and start looking for parts to return it to stock form. Kart was being turned into a kid's street/yard kart. I didn't want to see a piece of history go that way. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff!

Clone engine has some issues. Carb is messed up, pulse pump doesn't work right. Probably easy fix, but why? However, I did get it running temporarily and it did run 45 MPH on GPS and was still pulling when I ran out of straightaway.

If I went with a single McCulloch 80cc engine what could I expect for performance and top speed?

Also, I've been looking at examples of OEM McCulloch engine mounts. See attached picture, I'm guessing the kart currently has some kind of backyard built engine mount?

Is the chrome rear frame OEM or was it chromed?

Thanks again for any and all information and advice.
Attachments
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Chris Marchand
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Chris Marchand » Fri Oct 18, 2019 9:48 am

Ted, A Mc 91 series engine would be in the ball park performance wise with the 4 stroke clone that is on there now.
The frame engine mount that is on there is probably home built for that 4 stroke engine.
The correct frame mount is called a "Uni Mount" made by Rupp and it attaches to the tab on the right side after slipping the axle thru .
I don t know if the chrome rear section came from the factory or someone just wanted some bling. I had a brand new 65 when Rupp started making the Lancer line and it was painted orange.

Some where on the internet there was a website showing lots of original factory brochures/pictures. Hopefully someone will post a link and you can actually see factory brochures with pictures of the Rupp Lancer that will help you with what was on these when new.
Good luck, Chris

ted johnson
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by ted johnson » Fri Oct 18, 2019 12:19 pm

Ted, I'd switch to vintage tires and leave the Nylite style wheels on the Lancer. Vintage Speed or Cheng Shin tires both work very well. As far as the engine mount goes, Robron will have a swing mount that should work on a Rupp kart without the expenditure of a Uni Mount. The main reason for switching the engine to the right side of the kart is that it's much easier dealing with sprocket and chain if they're outboard of the frame. Remember that it is a failure waiting to happen if you use a master link in your chain. Riveting the chain is the way to go. A Mac 91 is a great way to go engine wise, but the 820 West Bend/Chrysler/US Marine/US Motor power engine is infinitely easier to work on, and most parts are currently available. You can make an 820 as fast as you can handle. They're reliable and plentiful. Either one of Jim Donovan's latest Max Torque clutches, or a vintage Horstman Rev Grip will work very well and be easy to deal with. The Rev Grip is harder to find, but simpler to fiddle with. I have both brands of clutch on my two West Bend equipped karts. Do NOT skimp on the chain quality. A good brand of No. 35 space chain will work well. Worry less about having the kart "Rupp Original", and more about having it period correct. Have fun! Ted

Ted Furtch
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by Ted Furtch » Fri Oct 18, 2019 3:33 pm

Thanks Chris and Ted for the information and advice. I'm trying to learn what I have as a kart and what I can do with it.

Period correct sounds like a good plan to me! I restored an old Harley 10 years ago and finding the correct parts was a real challenge!

So, are these Lancer karts supposed to be orange?

I like the idea of returning to vintage style tires. Looks like the tires are supposed to be 3.5" or 4" wide? The ones on the kart now are 4.5" wide and I'm having a problem with the right side tire rubbing on the spindle arm. This causes the kart to drag in turns. Rolls fine straight. But, rubs in any turn. Also, current tires are 10" tall. I would like a little more ground clearance. I see some 11" and 12" tall tires that fit a 5" rim. Additionally, is it feasible to run a 10" tall tire on the front and 11" tall tire on the rears?

Now, to the brake and the rear sprocket (see pics). Does the brake rotor/setup and rear sprocket setup look original for this kart? The axle is a 1" diameter measured at the center. does the axle setup look original to this kart?

Lastly for now, I'm guessing with a Uni Mount or Robron engine mount and then the McCulloch and/or West Bend engines each have a unique mount to use with the Uni Mount or Robron mount?

Thanks again for information and advice. Ted
Attachments
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Last edited by Ted Furtch on Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ted johnson
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Re: Rupp, Lancer Go Kart?

Post by ted johnson » Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:02 pm

Ted, with any swing mount, you'll have to find a mount that attaches to the engine and then the engine/mount assembly to the kart swing mount. If you use a Uni Mount, you then need a side plate which attaches to the side engine mount bolt holes, then the engine/side plate attaches to the Uni Mount with two serrated flange nuts. Both work very well. The swing mount/aluminum engine mount will be a bit cheaper. the advantage to the Uni Mount is that you can change engines or adjust the chain tension with the two nuts. I happen to like the Cheng Shin tires very much. I like the narrow front tires and regular width rear tires. I use 3.40-3.00X5 narrow fronts and the 4.10-3.50X5 regular width rear tires. It's a personal choice. DON'T FORGET TO BUY THE TUBES! I would stick to the 10" or 10-1/2" tires. The less rotating weight the better. If you use the narrow or standard width fronts, and regular width rears, don't concern yourself with tire scrub when rolling the kart around. It'll always scrub with a live axle. I can't tell you the original color of the later Lancers like yours. Earlier ones were orange, but Rupp probably introduced more colors. The brake/disc looks pretty standard. The kart may've had the brake on the left side originally, but it doesn't matter functionally. The sprocket and hub are personal choices. I like the proprietary clamp-style hub sold by Comet Kart Sales. It adjusts quickly from side to side for alignment. The 1" axle is certainly the standard size for this age of kart. You don't need a larger axle.
REMEMBER! When these karts first came into the hands of racers in "the day", they changed wheels, tires, sprockets, hubs, steering wheels and more to suit themselves. My Pop and I owned a shop in West Melbourne, FL. We sold both Bug and Go Kart. Our new karts had different parts before they ever sat on the floor 0f the shop. I would put the big cardboard container on the shop table and remove the wheels, sprocket and hub and even the axle and replace all of them with the parts I preferred. They are not Chevvys nor Fords. Make the rig your own. Ted

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