As I sat in my folding chair at the 2011 Fathers’ Day car show in Wendover, Nevada, I watched several of the other participants buzzing around the parking lot in golf carts, Jazzy scooters, and a motorized cooler.  It was then that it hit me.  Let’s put a golf cart drivetrain in the midget and bring it to car shows!

E-Z-GO Donor

My dad had been keeping an older E-Z-GO golf cart in his back yard for several years.  He had parked it when the batteries died, not wanting to spend the money on new ones.  He told me I could have it.  So, with the help of my friend Sam, I dragged it up on a trailer and brought it home.  Then, the harvesting began.

First, we removed the body.

As you can see, the golf cart was no spring chicken.  It was a 1979 model, and it had lived a good life.  In the above photo, you can see a few details, like the direct-mount motor/rear diff arrangement, the resistor coil set left of the motor, and the six six-volt batteries.  Between the batteries, you can see the forward/reverse switch.

A nice mix of wires, weeds, dirt and rust.

After making a careful drawing of the wiring, we removed the batteries, forward and reverse control, key switch, and accelerator assembly.  then, we flipped it up on its side to get a better look at the front suspension and steering.

Next order of business: Front suspension

Not knowing what would prove useful, we removed everything we could.  The front suspension/steering was stubborn, but we were able to win out with the help of a sawzall and a torch.

This thing was very well mounted.

Success! Take that, golf cart.

The final step was to remove the rear differential and springs (and the E-Z-GO emblem) and haul the carcass away.  I was able to recover $12 for the remaining steel from the recyclers.  To that point, I was ahead on this deal.

Some time later, I asked dad where he had gotten the golf cart.  Turns out, it used to be grandpa’s.

Perfect.