How Boys Actually Built a Go-Kart in 1964 (With $20 and a Lawn Mower Engine)

Tuesday morning. Trash day. Summer of 1964. A boy spots a dead lawn mower out by the curb and drags it home. "That's my go-kart." By August, it would be. Today we build it with him, step by step: where he found every part, what it cost, and what went wrong - the engine from behind the gas station, a frame of 2x4s or an old iron bed, his little brother's wagon wheels, a steering wheel off a '49 Ford, a washing-machine belt for a clutch... and the brakes. You won't believe what most of us used. What did you build? What engine did you use? And be honest - what did you use for brakes? Tell me in the comments. I read every one. The Garage Years: the stuff American boys built, rode, fixed and blew up between 1950 and 1979 - and why it disappeared. New videos every Tue · Thu · Sat. CHAPTERS 0:00 Trash day, 1964 1:07 Where did the go-kart come from? 3:08 Step 1: The engine 5:00 Step 2: The frame 6:24 Step 3: The wheels 8:29 Step 4: The steering 10:00 Step 5: The drive 11:44 Step 6: Gas & brakes 13:47 Step 7: The first ride 16:09 Where did they all go? 18:22 $20, one dead mower and a summer