DESIGN- Keep a design fixed in your mind or translate it to paper. Decide all the possible variables, such as the number of people riding it, the terrain it will be driven on, engine size, clutch type, materials, drive system and suspension, if any before hand. Do you want gas powered or electric go carts. All calculations of engine torque, weight distribution will be done based on these variables, so choose carefully.

ANALYSIS OF DESIGN- Once you design the go carts initial setup it is necessary to make certain calculations about the vehicle layout and chain size, to make sure your go cart moves. Analysis is the most crucial step, during the entire process and mistakes here can be costly. A few essential parameters to be calculated, here are:

* Center of gravity – this determines the steering of the kart, as a good balanced design has 50% weight distributed on all wheels (the weight includes the driver’s weight as well)
* Engine Drive Line- calculate the engine size to weight ratios, including the chain size and tension, and determine the type of clutch you are going to use
* Strength of Frame- analyze the chassis and decide which material suits it best foe maximum flexibility and stress handling, with out being too heavy
* Component selection- Choose the type of chain, bearings and clutch which would ensure optimum performance, relative to size

GETTING GO CART PARTS / MATERIALS- If you’ve mapped out the complete car on your garage floor or on your computer, you need to pick up the materials that make up the kart which are essentially called go kart parts. Get all the materials together, by size beforehand to save a lot of time. Some parts, such as the engine can be taken of your lawnmower; otherwise there are good go carting stores, which ship materials at affordable rates. Go cart parts are all over the internet and at very comparable and affordable rates.

WELDING THE GO CART FRAME- Get all the pieces of the right sizes and shapes, if you want to learn how to build a go cart frame. Typically, you should, tack up the main frame and weld it, then the rear axle, followed by the engine, drive line and braking system. Then mount the seats; making sure you can remove them out easily later. Layouts the bottom skins and finally attach, the throttle and brake pedal systems.

TEST DRIVE THE GO CART- The test drive will help point out any errors you made during your go cart design, which are bound to be there, because you just don’t know how to build a go kart right, the first time. The brakes may not be adjusted, or worst case, not working, the clutch may smoke, the chain may be loose or the steering may be misaligned. All of these problems require minor readjustments. You should congratulate yourself if it moves.

GO CART PAINTING- Painting is a long drawn out procedure and its done best with a power sprayer. If coating the primer, taping and papering is not your cup of tea, then your local automotive shop will be happy to do it for you for a few bucks.

Building a go cart is a certain joy that comes from achieving something you thought was previously impossible. If you still find yourself asking, “How to make a go cart?”, then look online for some good reference guides. This will provide you with the necessary go kart parts and detailed lists of tools to use and the calculations required. There are manuals for every kind of cart from metal to even how to build a wooden go cart.

If you are building it at home, you can use go cart kits as well as the materials that are available around you. In most cases, you use wood or iron as the base. An entire Iron base will increase the load and affect the speed of the go cart. If you are building one for yourself I would also look for a do it yourself manual on how to build a go cart, I would advise an iron frame with wood on it. This will give much strength to the Go Cart and more power to sustain the irregular terrains where go carts are used mostly. This also provides lesser load on the wheels than the entire base being iron.

If you are to purchase the go kart, you can buy one with a stainless steel frame and plastic chassis. This would be the best option as the engine you will be using will have to spend less power towards carrying the excess load of a Go Cart. The go cart frame chassis determines the maximum speed you can achieve through the engines you choose to have on your racing go cart. While there are not much options available when you go for the production racing go karts engine. Most of the ready made racing go karts employ the best engines that bring the cost of the overall Go Cart up.

On the other hand, if you are building your own fast go cart, you can select not only the chassis but also the engine. You can select one in your budget and use it with your racing go cart. You can also use a refurbished or spare go cart engine lying in used go karts you can find in the newspaper or internet. You get more options when you built your first car yourself.

The only thing you need is the understanding of what goes where and what all material will make it durable yet a light weight cart that can not only be used as fun, but also for the professional race go carts. Do not get disappointed if your first Go Kart, which you built yourself, failed midway a race. This means you need to improve your workmanship and should give you more strength to build a better kart the next time.

One of the problems that you face with racing go carts is that there is no suspension. Actually, as the wheels are smaller, there is no scope to include the suspensions in the vehicle. Take note that the basic chassis is built in a way that it also acts as a suspension. You may use a double base with small springs between the two, if you are build a go cart yourself. For pre-assembled racing go carts please check the suspension technique they used in building the Go Cart.