Stupid idea or genius? Bad thoughts brewing inside.

Ok, stupid idea #1 is already complete. Been looking for a new project/toy and while I had my sights set on something street legal a little change in NJ law took me back to an idea from 15 years ago. See back when I got into autox I wanted to run a kart, but in NJ the law prohibited karts at autox events. So I went to Solo Vees and weird mods of my own design. Well the law changed this year and karts are in. So I found a local racer selling out his full setup, not a shifter just a 125 TaG but since I have 0 experience it seemed like a good place to start and for getting all his spares/tools etc it was a hell of a deal. The chassis is a shifter chassis so I can upgrade late.

Ok long amount of background to get to this. I need to tow it. Generally I'm thinking a small HF trailer is going to do the trick with some mods. Id love a small enclosed but its not in the budget. Then I was poking at CL to see if there was anything cheap, used but interesting and....well here's the really possibly bad idea.

I found a hard sided pop up camper for cheap. Its in generally good shape. I've already checked and it seems acceptable roof load is 300-350 lbs, the kart is @200lbs. Having been stranded on an autox pad for a long day I can kind of appreciate how nice it might be to pull the kart off the roof, set up the camper and have a little place for some shade and maybe even cook some lunch or something. I'd probably pull some of the "campery" stuff out and set up some workbenches and stuff where I could do repairs if needed. I might also be doing some kart track time down at NJMP so same thing applies, nice little mobile workshop.

Part of me says this is a terrible idea, but Im not sure why I think that :)

I don't know why no one has replied, but yeah, of course you should do this.

If you are stripping the inside of it to some degree, I am sure you can figure out inside kart storage under a workbench or something such that the camper will still close too, and keep the kart out of the elements.

Then you have fun confusing the waiver workers at the first few events you attend. "What, this isn't KOA?"

I could fit the kart inside but it doesn't fit through the door. But since it's a hard side maybe I could fold down the end wall. Insert kart. Then fold the rest. I'll have to look at it in person to see if that's viable.

That's pretty clever idea. If you beef up the bed over the tongue you could easily keep the kart up there. Usually there are zippers, IIRC, so you could potentially slide in the kart or maybe add some snaps. Boat cover places would be a good source for zippers/snaps.

I'd try hard to keep everything inside of the pop-up.

Yeah. Inside would be ideal. I first ruled it out thinking that being a hard side the sides would take the interior space. But if I removed the bench in it the kart could sit there and go under the sides when collapsed. I'll have to look at it further.

I'll bring up another potential issue as you decide to move to cart...
Are you confident that your body (back, spine, etc) can take the additional abuse that a stiff cart will deliver over even a stiff car?

JohnRW1621 wrote: I'll bring up another potential issue as you decide to move to cart... Are you confident that your body (back, spine, etc) can take the additional abuse that a stiff cart will deliver over even a stiff car?

Nope. But I already took the plunge so I'll give it a shot I guess. :)

I would go for the roof mount. You don't want the inside of the camper smelling like gas if there happen to be some spillage or a large increase in temp causing the tank to vent.

Go for the roof, look around for a roof cargo container, use the top to cover the kart.

Steve.

Sounds like genius to me.

I like the roof mount idea... safari style basket with a sturdy tarp would work; depending on what you are working with for roof structure 2×4s and long 2x6s for ramps = easy button.

Probably a really bad idea to even think about it, but I am living 10 min from Bader field these days...

Sounds ideal to me. The older I get, the more I like having a spot to sit in the shade. Just use ramps to get the kart up on the top and you should be golden.

Assuming the height when closed is similar to the bed of my truck I can roll the stand up to it and roll it right on to the roof.

I think this at least warrants a look in person with measuring tape. SWMBO was presented with the option and did not veto.

tb wrote: Probably a really bad idea to even think about it, but I am living 10 min from Bader field these days...

You can just schlep it over there on your back, dude.

JThw8 wrote: SWMBO was presented with the option and did not veto.

Dude, you're like 94% there already, then.

I like the logic being used. It's a good idea but depends on that the tow vehicle is... If you're using a car or SUV then it makes sense.

On the other hand if you're using a pickup truck... Why not use the truck bed for the kart and additional equipment and setup an awning off of the truck (maybe a ladder rack setup for mounting)? This avoids the hassle of towing, maintenance, storage and associated insurance / registration costs for the camper. Plus buying a ladder rack and awning would likely be brand new and less expensive.

Your kart should fit in the bed of most pickups in fact I saw a small 80's? 90's? Toyota truck with a kart and loaded with supplies on the PA turnpike last weekend.

Towing with a car. The tracks are 45-60 miles away and my old 66 F250 really isn't all that fun on the highway. On a race weekend I want to worry about kart prep not if my 50 year old truck is up to the task. And no. I don't want a newer truck.

Hmmm....this must be meant to be. Weird thing about this whole kart adventure, every part of it has involved people I've been involved with previously.

I sold the Lot Lizard motor to help pay for it, ended up being sold to the gentleman who was 2nd in line to buy the LL last year.

Then I bought the kart, ended up the seller was a guy I sold my M3 to and bought a 325iT from.

Now I was yapping with folks on facbook about it, and an old co-worker of mine chimed in. This is an Apache Ramada, turns out he has restored over 20 of them and runs the apacheowners.com website so if I buy it I have an expert on hand to assist with repairs. Funny, I remember when we worked together we'd talk about restorations and share tips and even though I did cars he had me wanting to work on a vintage pop up so maybe this project lets me circle around to 2 old ideas I wanted to do.

Actually he pretty much has me convinced that even if it wont work out for the kart at the price being asked I can double my money rather quickly on it so I'll probably end up with it either way.

It does mean I'll be a little more careful in whatever I do to set it up for karting so it can go back to original later as it is a bit of a desirable old pop up.

aaaand...now you can follow the build thread https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/1974-apache-ramada-hardside-pop-up-renovation-and-modification/111297/page1/

I am seeing quite a few of these done similarly at swap meets I go to. Imagine if you will - completely gutted soft sided popup trailer. All soft sides removed. Use the two beds as fold-out swap meet junk peddling tables. All inside accouterments removed plenty of room for bag chairs and cooler. Use part of one of the beds as a food prep station.

Shady and dry for 3-4 people, up off the ground, secure storage for valuable smalls, and you could even drop the top and sleep inside if you wanted to (most have 2-3' clearance)

If you have a roof rack you might want to try this

In any case I am watching your other thread with interest, I have had the same thoughts.

trigun7469 wrote: If you have a roof rack you might want to try this In any case I am watching your other thread with interest, I have had the same thoughts.

I considered it but I'm often working alone and I don't know how I'd get it up there by myself. And my luck I'd drop it and screw up the Marauder.

Not sure how it will work with the pop up. Would probably be better if it was a cheap canvas side I didn't have to care much about, I could butcher it to make loading easier. But I've since been convinced this is actually kinda rare so the goal will be to find a way to do it without major mods.