Project... Dumpster Fire? Crispy Cart? Burnt Up to Turn't Up?

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iamdub

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Couldn't settle on any one name for this project, so y'all give me your opinions.

Anyway, I stumbled onto what I thought was a deal. At least, it seemed that way at first, but it still may be. Too late to back out now, though.

Story time: I've been letting my 12-year-old practice driving. We take mom's car to the community center parking lot, I set out some cones, and we have some fun. We live in a very rural area and four-wheelers, SXSs and golf carts are always cruising around. I've always wanted a side-by-side ("SXS") to tool around on and use for yard duties but a golf cart is more in my budget. Now that Kin's "driving", I'm more prompted to get something going. I had planned to pull the old Club Car gasser out of storage and get it going. In addition to swapping in a 13HP I have on hand, I wanted to either lift it or lower it. After I ran across a pretty good deal on some nearly-new 23" off-road tires on 12" steel wheels, my decision was made to lift it. I found the wheels and tires while on a job two hours away from home. The guy runs a small golf cart business out of his home and had a 48V '07 Club Car Precedent tucked away on his property. It needed some *ahem* "TLC" and he seemed unsure of what he was gonna do with it and showed it to me as more of a conversation piece than an attempt to sell it. I never had any real interest in buying another cart so I didn't really inspect it. I paid him for the wheels and tires and hit the road. After really looking at the gasser in storage, I decided I'd probably get an electric cart going much sooner and probably cheaper, so I called the guy back to discuss making a deal. He told me "It's yours for $300. The motor alone is worth that, probably more". Knowing it had a 6" Madjax lift and a pair of Rigid Industries 3" cube lights, I decided it was definitely worth more than $300 if I ended up parting it out. He said he had a charger for $200 and three good used Trojan batteries in another cart he'd let me have for $75 each. They're around $200 each new, so that was a good enough price for me! I hitched up my 5'x8' and drove the two hours to his place last Sunday morning. After we got everything loaded, he said "Okay, we're at 300 for the cart and 200 for the charger. I'll do 100 for the batteries". I thought he raised his price on the batteries to $100 each instead of $75 each. He meant $100 for all three! I couldn't Venmo him quickly enough! We shook on the deal and I took off, proudly dragging my new toy behind me.


Now for the pics!

Home safe:

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That RealTree wrap has got to go!

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It looks goofy with a lift on stock wheels and tires:

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Among the extras is this flip-flop seat/bed. These are around $250. As a seat:

IMG_3535.JPG

...And as a bed:

IMG_3536.JPG
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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The aforementioned Rigid LED cube lights. These are around $150/pair:

IMG_3532.JPG

...And Madjax 6" lift, a ~$400 item:

IMG_3542.JPG


Oh, it also has a lightly tinted foldable windshield. These are around $50-$150, depending on brand. For a cart with $850 in add-ons, I'm satisfied with my $300 investment!
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Now for the big, hairy "but" and reason behind the title:

I got it for $300 because it needs work. The guy got it from the original owner because he had an accident. He replaced a battery and his kids went for a ride. Soon after they parked in the garage, it caught fire. It turned out the guy didn't tighten the battery cables.

On the outside, it looks like it just needs to be pressure washed. The whole scene changes once you flip up the seat:

IMG_3537.JPG


The controller may be okay. I'd really like to get an upgraded one, but I'm gonna try this one just to get it going:

IMG_3538.JPG

The solenoid looks okay as well. I'm wondering if the original owner replaced it when he replaced that battery. The factory solenoid is in the dash storage cubby. This one may be an upgraded one, I haven't ID'ed it yet:

IMG_3539.JPG


I don't know what this piece is, but it looks fine:

IMG_3540.JPG
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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The (mostly) unburnt batteries on the other side look like they just need to be cleaned off and have the caps replaced. First step was to remove all the batteries. I'm glad I checked the burnt ones- they were still hot with 12.xx volts each, exposed plates, acid and all!

IMG_3545.JPG

IMG_3547.JPG


I removed the good batteries with a handle I made from a length of rope and "S" hooks from a rubber bungee. I extracted the burnt ones by grabbing the broken terminal with Vise Grips and hooking the other terminal with a claw hammer:
IMG_3548.JPG


Waste of a good battery. The other two are Trojan 1275s, as well as the three extras I bought:
IMG_3549.JPG



Conveniently enough, we have our annual hazardous materials collection day this Saturday. So I'll be able to offload these batteries, some tires and some broken TVs I've been anxious to get rid of.
 

07Burb

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Wow....was a good deal but the work it needs seems daunting. That’s crazy
 

Tonyrodz

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The (mostly) unburnt batteries on the other side look like they just need to be cleaned off and have the caps replaced. First step was to remove all the batteries. I'm glad I checked the burnt ones- they were still hot with 12.xx volts each, exposed plates, acid and all!

View attachment 261171

View attachment 261172


I removed the good batteries with a handle I made from a length of rope and "S" hooks from a rubber bungee. I extracted the burnt ones by grabbing the broken terminal with Vise Grips and hooking the other terminal with a claw hammer:
View attachment 261173


Waste of a good battery. The other two are Trojan 1275s, as well as the three extras I bought:
View attachment 261174



Conveniently enough, we have our annual hazardous materials collection day this Saturday. So I'll be able to offload these batteries, some tires and some broken TVs I've been anxious to get rid of.
Watch yo' ass! Acid sux!
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Wow....was a good deal but the work it needs seems daunting. That’s crazy

It does at first glance! But, I don't think it's all that bad. The body, seat and plastic bucket that the batteries sit in are all easily replaced. So is the wire harness. With the body, bucket and harness yanked, all of the fire damage can literally be "unbolted" and disposed of, leaving a clean aluminum frame to simply bolt on the replacement body, harness, etc. There are a few cart places around me that have small salvage yards I can dig through. Trying to get to one today or tomorrow.
 

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