Seat Strut Cracked!!!

[kosherHalal]

Hey Ya’ll,

Bought what I thought to be a solid 2000 Trackmagic Diablo Shifter kart  on Ebay, With a Motori Seven L2 engine package. I was promised the chassis was old but flawless, and it turned out after inspection that the engine side seat strut is cracked (or maybe the previous owner cut it instead of bending the seat tabs..) Anyways whats your thoughts on repairing the strut? I have some wielding buddies that could do it, but wanted to get some input on chassis repair and overall strength of the strut. Just a quick background, Im brand new to karting and this was my first investment into the sport: to buy a kart to work on and start learning. Thanks For The Help

[FREDDY SANDOVAL]

Welcome to the sport

No worries, seat strut cracks do break from time to time, being the one closest to the engine most likely the seller did not notice, or it fail while driving

I’ve had a few cracked on me several times from fatigue. This doesn’t mean you got a bad chassis.

Very important to have the right angle and correct bend on the strut before installation, otherwise it will fail again, this means if it doesn’t touch the seat once you install it at the cassettes then it’s probably not at the right angle.

It needs to be flushed with the seat and have very minimum pressure to it, almost like spring loaded rod.

You may get away by re welding it and be ok for a long time, but may be a good idea to always have some spare ones ( you just never know when one of them is gonna fail during a race weekend)

I hope we’re talking about the chrome seat struts and not the actual chassis tabs? Good luck to you and have fun. Fast Freddy.

[Patrick Roth]

Like Freddy said, no worries… it happens.  Even if it is one of the chassis struts, weld repair should be just fine.  I’ve had several weld repairs from small tears (from bending to fit a new seat) to complete breaks (had a smaller diameter tube placed inside to maintain the strength) and never had any issues after the repair.

 

 

[kosherHalal]

Hey Guys Thanks for the reply
It is the Chassis strut!! Cracked 2 in above the joint where the two tubes join from off the chassis. Ill just have a friend wield it.. He’s been wielding for almost 40 years in the Automotive realm so I should be cool.. Thanks for the help, its an art form to get the seat mounted perfect!

[Mark Traylor]

The track magic is a 4130 tube steel. For welding that tubing I use ER70S-2 filler rod.

[kosherHalal]

Thanks Mark!

[David Cole]

kosherHalal, please check your Private Messages. Thank you.

David Cole - EKN Managing Editor

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