Golf Cart Restoration

The other day I picked up a golf cart off of craigslist for $300. I didn't have my trailer with me and it happed to fit nicely in the back of my minivan with the seats out. I brought it home and had a hard time pushing it into the garage apparently the previous owner tried to put a lift kit on it without putting a wider front axel on it and so the lift kit was rubbing on the tires. This is probably why the input shaft and coupler got stripped. I pulled out the batteries and looked at the battery box. It was in pretty rough shape and I didn’t have a welder. I figured I would just build me a new one since it didn’t look that difficult. Emma said that Jay Draper up the street had a welder and so I walked up there and got to talking to him. He said I could barrow his welder and that he have a friend named Van Watson down in Kyle that restored golf carts for a living. From what I read online, if you had a bad coupler, you had to replace the whole motor. I figured that I could just weld a nut onto the bad coupler and pop the if off the motor since they did sell coupler online, I figured there must be some what to get it off of there. Sure enough we were able to separate it from the motor. I called Van and got a new input shaft and coupler. My input shaft has the 21 teeth on it.

I also noticed that the frame was in pretty rough shape and so I talked to Van about getting one from his scrap pile. He sold me the input shaft, the coupler, and the frame for $250. Great deal! The input shaft is $100 online the coupler is $30 and I couldn’t even find a new frame. I would have had to build it form scratch.

New $300 Golf Cart

Rusted out frame

Battery Box has seen better days, but there is enough of it to use as a pattern for the new one.

Front lift kit. Guy forgot the wider axel and stripped the input shaft from the wheels rubbing.Good batteries are worth about $100 a piece and there are 6 of them. That alone was worth picking up the car

Coupler that I welded a nut to so I could get it off the motor and Stripped Input Shaft

Left Over Parts form both Cars

I decided to use the rear springs off the fist cart since they were in better shape (not flat)Rear axel out of the new cart all painted… sure hope the the differential accepts a 21 tooth input shaft.

Just finished up welding the new battery box
Applied the rust converter and all the spots where rust was is now black. So that means everything

Put the rear back together and now it is the front ends turn.
Could not get the rack and pinion off for the life of me so I am painting around it.

Finished with the rust-x now to the final coat of black high gloss

Nearly forgot the seat rack.

Shot of the front end off for painting

I stopped by Van’s today to pick up a new F&R Switch, but his mechanic used the last new one he had on another car a week ago and didn’t tell him they were out. Have to wait a week to pick it up so I can start installing the electronics. I figure I will put the front end back on tomorrow and finish putting the battery box in place. I lined the batter box with truck bed liner to try and keep it from corroding from battery acid. Wish these were sealed gel batteries. I guess those are a bit more expensive. Also wish I had taken some more shots of the cars before I took them all apart. I remember where everything goes, but it would have been nice to see what they looked like before I started. I will probably finish stripping the car with the bad frame and and toss it. It is more rust than frame at this point. Not sure where I will be putting all the extra parts. Maybe I can see if Van wants them in trade for another project car when this one is done. :)