On with the steering. On the last update, we had the steering column (or whatever it's called in this context) done, and the front uprights and steering arms in. Now need some steering rods to go from column to uprights. These are made out of 12.5mm bar, but I needed to turn the ends down to get an 8mm thread on them to accept the rod-end bearings. Pic on left shows the turning, pic on right shows using the die for the thread - you can see the thread on left end of the rod already has the bearing on it.
And the completed rods connected to the steering arms and to the column
And drilled and tapped the holes to attach the wheel....
Below is the process of making a wheel hub, or steering boss, or sprocket carrier. Cut out rough shape (I did mark out the diameter that I needed first - it's not all guesswork!)
Next step is to smooth it out a bit - it has to go on the lathe and the less the tool gets smashed into by sharp edges, the better. Because it needs welding, it also gets a good sanding down so that the weld can penetrate.
Turning a piece of bar in the lathe. The diameter isn't crucial - I'm just trying to get the edges parallel and get rid of any corrosion. I get the ends square too, so when the other part is welded to it, it should run true (this rarely seems to happen 100%, so the whole lot gets faced again to ensure the face is perpendicular to the axis. I also put a chamfer on the ends too. The idea is that there's more for the weld to get into when attaching the circular plate.
The two pieces are welded together and spun up in the lathe.
Need to swap to a 4 jaw chuck - want this to run really true.
The part I'm making above isn't the sprocket carrier - it's the hub for the right hand rear wheel. Once that's done, it can sit on 4 wheels. I think that will feel kind of satisfying.
Since I've done all this, I've found somewhere in the UK that looks like they do bits for off-road karts, so I'll look at those next time to see if there's time I can save just buying bits. There are things that really don't need to be made. It's enjoyable to do though - apart from the odd ruined part, it's been fun doing everything from scratch...
And the completed rods connected to the steering arms and to the column
Now need to make a steering wheel boss. The technique I've used is the same for wheel hubs, sprocket carrier and now this. Cut out a rough circle the right size out of steel plate with a grinder. Take a piece of bar (in this case some of the same stuff as I've been using for the axles). Drill a 5mm hole in the centre of both and use the 5mm drill bit to align the two. Then weld them together, put the now joined part in the lathe, face it, turn it to a true circle, and then drill it for the column and wheel.
So it ends up like this. I've marked it for the steering wheel.
And drilled and tapped the holes to attach the wheel....
I drilled through the lower part of the boss and into the steering column to make sure the column turns when the wheel does. So this is how it looks now. I've missed an episode where I've got the left hand back wheel on. It's more or less the same drill as the steering wheel boss:
Below is the process of making a wheel hub, or steering boss, or sprocket carrier. Cut out rough shape (I did mark out the diameter that I needed first - it's not all guesswork!)
Got to a rough circle.
Next step is to smooth it out a bit - it has to go on the lathe and the less the tool gets smashed into by sharp edges, the better. Because it needs welding, it also gets a good sanding down so that the weld can penetrate.
The two pieces are welded together and spun up in the lathe.
Need to swap to a 4 jaw chuck - want this to run really true.
What it ends up like. Time will tell if this works out....
The part I'm making above isn't the sprocket carrier - it's the hub for the right hand rear wheel. Once that's done, it can sit on 4 wheels. I think that will feel kind of satisfying.
Since I've done all this, I've found somewhere in the UK that looks like they do bits for off-road karts, so I'll look at those next time to see if there's time I can save just buying bits. There are things that really don't need to be made. It's enjoyable to do though - apart from the odd ruined part, it's been fun doing everything from scratch...
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