Art Cars with a Golf cart base

[postmoderncomic]

Hello,

I'm a little new to the E playa. bear with me.

This will be my 5th year in a row, to commemorate it I want a little a art car. originally the golf cart was gonna be a jellfish, but then we found a sweet red one and thought "hey it looks like a fire truck". My questions are: Has anyone seen firetruck art cars out there? ( I never have, and you think with all those crazy burners one is needed right?) would that be something DMV is likely to OK? (have been turned down in the past)

and Do any burners have a particular amount of golfcart art car experience? how did you reinforce frame? make it wider or less tippable? what kind of mechanical trouble came up often? Any thing I should know before I go buy a golf cart today?

Thanks!

[Dr Helix]

LOTS has been written on golf car/ art cars. Bottom line:

1. They are hard to get in as they are perceived as "personal" vehicles.

2. You have to rid the cart of any vestige it ever WAS a golf cart.

This is not to say you can't do it. But as far as mods go, strip it and start from the ground up. I have one and I removed the fat tires and added another axle. The body is gone and is completely replaced. That's what it takes. And make sure you find a way to include interactions for it. Buy a gas one as you will probably use just as much fuel to charge it as you will to run it. Electrical is the worst problems you'll have. Good luck.

[TomServo]

Have a few years with the DMV...

For one thing, emulating a public service vehicle may run into legal issues. Especially flashing colored lights! Keep it as non vehicle as you can! Golf Carts are excellent base vehicles! I don't know what your eventual project will be, but, think of the fuel source. Id recommend gas powered over electric.

[Shambala]

There is no solid rule of thumb when making an artcar, but you'll have an easier time getting a permit if it carries more people around. If it's a golf cart size vehicle, you should make it spectacular as far as design, lighting, sound etc. and something that would bring great appeal to the community. Carrying a few extra people is also a big help.

I have seen people bring cars to BM and not get a permit for a number of reasons. Mostly because they look too much like the vehicle they started with or it's just too bland.

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to the Transportation board, since that's a better fit for working out project challenges (where the 2013 event's Mutant Vehicle board is more for announcing and talking about concrete projects).

Welcome to ePlaya, postmoderncomic! Golf carts make for a great base vehicle, but as Dr. Helix mentioned they do need to be pretty significantly mutated. I don't think what kind of base you're starting with has much bearing on whether it'll get approved or not, it's all about what you do with it. I don't know if I've ever seen any firetruck MV's, but at best in any given year I've only ever seen a tiny percentage of what's been out there. It may also have something to do with people wanting to avoid emulating 'default world' vehicles with their mutation, or there being problems with making something people might confuse with emergency services. In my personal opinion, don't make a firetruck just because you've got a red base vehicle and you think that would be easy - do it because you have an awesome idea for a crazy mutant firetruck that you and your friends/campmates can get behind spending many months (and bags of cash) building.

[gyre]

Yes, a firetruck mv has been approved.
It was small and, perhaps, cartoon-like.
There may be others.

It's not hard to copy something and still make it different.

Didn't someone else just ask this?

[Ugly Dougly]

Congratulations! And of course please post pics when you got em.

[Major Krash]

gas, or electric?

Adding much weight causes issue to either. So, as already posted - strip that sucker down to the bare essentials! Wheels, motor, fuel, steering (and just enough to attach it all). This will free-up 200-300 lbs most likely.

Bare in mind that most golf carts are design for 2x250lb persons and 2x 50 lb golf bags (say 600 lb payload). Exceeding this will;

stress your transmission
stress your engine
stress your brakes
use more fuel (less range)

so budget for maybe 800-1000 lbs (1200lbs max) of added stuff (including passengers)

if gas, bring several spare air filters (change/clean daily and after every dust storm)

if electric, plan on 12+ hours each day to charge (and a genny to charge from. this is a lot of gas)

you will overload your tranny/engine/brakes before your chassis (ie- don't reinforce the chassis - cut stuff away)

the more you hide the wheels, the better. Ideally you want your DMV Hotty to say "what the hell base vehicle is this?" when they first see your vehicle. make them look for the wheels.

plan on 4 people to carry (driver included) - 5 is better.

note; 5x 150 lbs = 650 lbs of your 800-1200 lb budget......

light it so that every square inch is illuminated at night, and it is recognizable from 1000 yards away....

that should do it....