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Post by mattsimpson on Mar 23, 2013 19:12:49 GMT
Been toying with the idea of getting into soap boxing for a few years, think the best thing to do is just take the plunge.
Living in crewe I'm pretty central, and the sounds of weekends in Scotland in the excuse of soap boxing sounds like fun. Dragging the Mrs up and down the country in my little van, camping it up etc.
If you have any advice or guidance that you wish you'd got before you started here's your chance to help a fellow idiot out.
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Post by andy on Mar 23, 2013 20:17:18 GMT
Yes ...Take the plunge !!!! Get building and go racing !! The cart lads are a great bunch....very helpful and welcoming. There are now plenty of events all over the UK..full info can be found here:- scottishcarties.org.uk/eventI guarantee you will have a great time.!!! We`ll be at Border Bogies. Annandale Cup, Aberdeenshire, The Humber Bridge Soapbox Derby, Humberside. Worlaby Downhill Challenge, North Lincolnshire. Windmill Hill Soap Box Derby, West Yorkshire. And hopefully a few more... There are quite a few exciting venues being researched with a view to staging events, so now is as good a time as any to get involved. GO FOR IT !!!!
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Post by mattsimpson on Mar 24, 2013 16:14:55 GMT
Watching videos on youtube of Carties, I can't help but think that chassis dynamics have been somewhat overlooked. Do many people calculate or even consider stuff like Ackerman, Camber, Caster, Kingpin Inclination and Kingpin offset? Having been previously involved with Go Kart racing I can't help but watch many of the Carties on youtube and think what the hell is there steering geometry about?! Many seem twitchy and highly unstable. Although this is just a bit of fun, I want to feel confident in throwing my Cartie into corners with full no brakes commitment and not have to depend on a roll over bar
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Post by gunnerhoots on Mar 24, 2013 16:48:39 GMT
Do many people calculate or even consider stuff like Ackerman, Camber, Caster, Kingpin Inclination and Kingpin offset?
Oh yes.
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Post by mattsimpson on Mar 24, 2013 18:28:40 GMT
I can't help but think a half decent build ends up with quite a fair bit of cash soaked into it and a hell of a lot of hours in the garage.
Hardly wooden frame pram wheel go karts from my child hood.
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Post by andy on Mar 24, 2013 23:16:57 GMT
Matt as you have experience of gokarts you`ll know all about what is required for a good handling cart . I`ve seen many "soapbox`s" based around various gokart chassis/ stub axles/ steering combinations....It really does not need to throw a stack of cash into building a cart..just a bit of ingenuity.
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Post by azuma on Mar 24, 2013 23:46:35 GMT
Matt, depends on where you want to start - our first cart was build with a pile of parts I had in the garage. Admittedly, I was in the process of building a kit car chassis and has a few spare kids bikes, but it got us started. The first couple of rebuilds were also done on the cheap, but as you grow you learn, so each rebuild was better than the previous. Also time can be a major factor and the first cart was built and raced within two weeks, whereas the current one, almost took over our nights and weekends for a good few months. Check out our website - teamrooket.webs.com/My only recommendation is check out he rules and regs, for each race, cartie racing has evolved quickly and the carts are quicker than they were so, some events are increasing the build spec accordingly to ensure everyone is safe. Accidents do happen, so it is not always about how fast you can go, but would you feel safe doing it. Don't let this put you off as it is a fairly safe sport with very few accidents.
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Post by mattsimpson on Mar 25, 2013 10:13:05 GMT
The expensive bit at the moment is looking to be wheels, hubs, discs and callipers.
Naecost looks great, but how come 1.6 was superseded?
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Post by andy on Mar 25, 2013 12:55:22 GMT
I have some 20" BMX wheels on 14mm axles that will get you started....
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Post by azuma on Apr 1, 2013 23:14:22 GMT
Matt, Naecost 1.6 was sold to make way for Naecost2. We seriously did consider modifying her again, but in the end we used the funds (and then some more) to go for a brand new build. One heck of a lot of work, but N2 is one hell of a cart I agree with Andy, 20" wheels on 14mm axles are a good start. The simplest route is solid axles, but suspension when set up right (in my opinion is) far better. however this can take a lot longer to build and set up. Which events are you planning to take part in?
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