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• ABKC Member
• Racing since 1959

Tools and Spares

What are the Basic Tools required?

What is listed here is a basic tool kit suitable for routine maintenance and hopefully repairing your kart at the track should a minor breakdown occur.

A DECENT TOOLBOX
Yeah go on laugh. I have seen people turn up at races with a couple of old rusty spanners and a big hammer dumped into an old biscuit tin! If you have your tools organized into a
toolbox you will be able to know at a glance what tools you have (or don't have) and where they are.

SET OF RING / OPEN SPANNERS
Is your kart assembled with metric or AF nuts and bolts? You should go over you kart from top to bottom and work out what type and size fasteners are actually fitted. Do you
need two of some of them? (those pesky engine mounts/chain adjusters)

SOCKET SET
- Same as above.

ALLEN KEYS
- Same as above.

PLUG SPANNER / SOCKET
Its amazing how many turkeys don't have a plug spanner/socket. It is rather important to be able to look at your spark plug to determine correct jetting and they're difficult to remove with your teeth!

SCREWDRIVERS
Once again you need to look carefully at your kart and determine what type of screws/fasteners need what type and size of screwdriver such as flat blade or Phillips.

PLIERS
Needle nose combination type wire cutters and wire strippers. Circlip pliers if there are any circlips fitted to the kart.

GOOD MULTI GRIPS & VICE GRIPS
For adjusting that butchered nut.

HAMMERS & CENTRE PUNCHES/DRIFTS
Wonderful tools are hammers. A soft face mallet for those alloy bits a medium sized ball peen hammer and a good sized lump hammer to make those delicate steering component
adjustments!

TAPE MEASURE STEEL RULE FEELER GAUGES
Handy items for measuring wheel track tyre circumferences and spark plug gaps.

TYRE PUMP & TYRE PRESSURE GAUGE
Karts handle real funny with flat tyres and a tyre pump helps.

FUEL CAN & FUNNEL & SYPHON
Make sure that the can is big enough for a full days racing.

GRADUATED MEASURING CUP
For measuring your 2 stroke oil accurately.

ELECTRICAL & GAFFER TAPE
Cool stuff for reattaching bodywork loosened up by a bit of on track jousting! Also makes good temporary racing numbers!

PLENTY OF ASSORTED CABLE TIES
- See above.

FILES & HACKSAW
At least a rat-tail and one small and one large flat file. Use these to repair those damaged wheel stud threads and clean up that axle that you dinged with a hammer and screwdriver while adjusting the rear track!

How about Spares?

This particular list could go on into next week if you take into consideration every conceivable failure that may occur at the track so this is a list of the bits most likely to be needed

SPARE WHEELS & TYRES
It's amazing how many people load up and go home early due to a punctured tyre! Don't forget to include a couple of spare wheel nuts

SPARE SPROCKETS
Changing track / weather conditions will determine what size sprocket you will need. In wet weather you should allow for a sprocket with an extra three or four teeth, compared to that used in the dry.

AN ASSORTMENT OF APPROPRIATE HEAT RANGE SPARK PLUGS
As a beginner just stick with what everyone else is running in the same type of engine and work from there.

PLUG CAP
These things do wear out and it's usually just at the wrong time!

FUEL LINE & CLAMPS
Make sure that you have enough to replace the complete system.

FUEL FILTER
They break and get crap in them.

RADIATOR & COOLANT SYSTEM HOSE & CLAMPS
Again keep enough on hand to replace your longest hose run.

ROLL OF ELECTRICAL WIRE
Wiring looms can rub through and get modified by careless wielding of larger hammers.

EXHAUST SPRINGS & PEDAL RETURN SPRINGS
Gaffer tape tends to melt and burn when asked to secure an errant expansion chamber!

THROTTLE CABLE & (if fitted) BRAKE CABLE
You can buy the inner wire with small ferrules already attached and use electrical wire joiners at the pedal end to repair a broken throttle cable. A broken cable can really wind you up if you don't have a spare!

A GOOD SELECTION OF NUTS BOLTS WASHERS AND NYLOCK NUTS
You need to have a real good look at your kart to determine what type and size of fasteners are used on your kart. If it's a second hand machine and the previous owner was kind it will be fitted up with either metric or AF type fasteners only. If the previous owner was really unkind you could find any number odd thread types and bolt varieties. This is particularly aggravating as it makes it difficult to choose appropriate tools and spares and you might end up duplicating the whole karts fastener selection. If you are the owner of the unkind previous owner kart type then do yourself a favour and replace the entire fastener list with a standard (AF or metric) thread and bolt configuration such as hex bolts Allen head (socket head) bolts and so on. Most people do tend to use metric thread Allen head bolts and Nylock self locking nuts only. Nylocks are a must when used in a high vibration environment. Bolt types can be limited to just a few different lengths as they can at a pinch be cut to length if necessary using your trusty hacksaw and vicegrips and then filed smooth with your files!! A good way to organize your fastener selection is to use one of those fishing tackle boxes with lots of removable dividers in them.

SPARE CHAIN & JOINER LINKS
Broken chains do happen and joining link clips sometimes flick off and disappear into the scenery when you are pushing them on with inappropriate tools such as a screwdriver.

LUBRICANTS
Including 2 stroke brake gearbox and chain oil. (Include neck oil in case you do well at the end of the day!)

WHEEL INFLATION VALVE CAPS
Ensure that these are metal.


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