drew|merryman

i think there are certain things adults can do to encourage kids to sway away from the vortex of video gaming. this is one of them.

the idea of soap box derby racing originated at a time when there were no video games though. there was just a pure passion for a relatively new automotive industry, and what came with that industry was the adventure of racing these new rolling machines. i’ve looked up all sorts of modern kart designs and seen lots of great ideas, but i thought it was all about taking objects from around the garage or barn yard and using them to create a racer to call your own, not creating fiberglass molds with aerodynamic properties.

i want to design something simple and basic, and have a kind of 1930′s character. when i was sketching out my ideas, i was dividing the design into the different systems.

• chassis
  • i’m planning on making the chassis out of wood, steel fasteners, and the odd piece of steel angle iron, box tube or round bar. to make the chassis roll, i am using tubed wheelbarrow wheels. i’ll have to source out some sort of tractor seat for the driver. i’m thinking it should go on some sort of adjustable slides so that the racer lasts a couple years before the growth spurt.
• steering
  • my initial thoughts have been to keep the front axle always aligned with springs so that it’s default direction is to drive straight. no steering wheel for this kart. i’m thinking a cable/pulley system with two handles is the most basic way to get the front axle pivoting. pull the left handle, and the racer turns left… right?
• braking
  • the image above includes this full-width pedal which i was initially going to use for braking. i’ve had a couple completely different ideas and i’m sure this will change. either way, the braking will need to be activated by foot if both hands are busy steering. i’m also thinking of using cables and pulleys to brake the racer at the rear wheels.

the to-do list on this project is pretty long, so as ideas come up, i’m just going to post them along with the updated model. the initial goal though is to get a rolling chassis. right now the wheels are just placed right beside the axles. i haven’t figured out quite yet how to secure them to the axles. typical wheelbarrow wheels have built in bearings, so there will be no need for pillow blocks, hopefully just a simple attachment point. whether it be a lag bolt through a pipe with washers and nuts, or a lag bolt fastened directly into the lumber.