His very first (and hopefully last) chassis write-off.
Took him to a new track for some more experience and seat time, had some other damage that other kids inflicted on him, then in the middle of a decent race, he kept pushing his braking zone into a hairpin deeper and deeper until he over cooked the corner entry and shot off into the barrier. Bent the tab holding the bearing carrier about 10 degrees and the back end is totally bound up.
Good news is the little guy was totally fine after the crash and was just disappointed with himself and upset that he didnt get to finish the day off.
I’m not sure that’s a write-off. Put the old axle in the bearing carrier the longest way, park a truck on the other side of the chassis, and straighten it. If you’re concerned about cracking heat the area near the bottom of the hanger to the dullest visible red with a natural gas or propane burner.
For the safety of his son, wouldn’t it be better to take it to a mechanic and see if they could even get it straightened On a table? Instead of risking another accident by unseen damaged caused by “diy” straightening, little guy doesn’t need any more trauma.
Im going to strip it and put it on my table at work, but its not just the bearing tab, the entire left side from the seat stay back is bent towards the drive side and upwards. I cant imagine ever getting it quite right ever again.
I agree with the above…just be safe and turn it into artwork: hang it on the wall as is and you’ll have a nice discussion piece. Since nobody got hurt, it’ll be an awesome memory! Also, these days a trip to the ER for a minor scrape costs more than a new frame so there’s a silver lining.
I totally agree, Ive got the dealer calling the distributor in Quebec to find out if a frame or used team chassis is available short notice. Worst case scenario i pull his old Parolin out of the trailer and get it setup to continue this season.
Thats way too stiff for him, i actually have a 2021 KT2 available if i wanted it, but a 10 year old in briggs cadet would never flex that thing enough.
I wish you were closer. We got a guy here in Indianapolis that would make that perfect again. He has done some great work. A couple hundred dollars and Big Money Bill would have you straightened out.
Well im going to cover both bases. My local dealer i bought it from is finding out from the distributor if a frame is available, and there is a local OTK distributor that has a reputation for chassis repair, so I’ll have him take a look too.
I have seen worse then that being back at the from after it has been Bent back into place, if it has started to buckle then you just have to look out for it.
A new chassis will be better, but if he is still learning then this will not be the last time he bins it.
I remember buying our first set of kart tires 10 years ago and thinking “man is this expensive”. Then the disposable chassis came and went, thought the first one of those was expensive too. Then the tires came in cases, the chassis came in pairs, and I got pretty numb to the cost. Recently my son wadded up a $50k car. Had that feeling once again.
