Help identifying kart

[Bob Towarnicki]

Guys, need your help. I bought what I thought was a Bug Wasp but now I am not sure. The kart frame does not narrow behind the seat as the Bugs I have seen. As a result, the base of the seat back is also odly wide when compared to the Bugs I have seen. The engine mounts are forward and shorter than what I expected. The kart also has a very interesting hydraulic brake system that I believe has been added after market. I will be able to see the name of the brake once I remove the rear wheel. Anyway, a few pictures attached. What do you think?

[Bob Towarnicki]

A couple more pictures

[Tom Luttenbacher]

I am not sure what the chssis but would say "what a find"! A nice solid roller with 2 Mac 10's! Tom

[ted johnson]

Bob, looks like a very very early '60 Wasp. Bug made a few with different solid mounts, the seatback pan on the outside of the tube, and a slightly wider beatback with the frame rails not squeezed in. I've seen them in the first Wasp ads, but never in the flesh. What brake does it have? Can we get a closeup of the taper lock area on the sprocket hub? The first Wasps had a solid steel sprocket with a welded female taper hub. The male taper was installed with a large nut. They came loose a lot! What a find! TJ

[Bob Towarnicki]

Ted,
Thanks for the info. I thought it was a Wasp by the steering wheel, the pedals and the screw mounted upholstery, but the rear end really confused me when I went to pick it up. I am travelling this week, but will get more pictures next weekend when I have a chance to work on it. I'll get you a picture of the sprocket hubs. The brake has a name on it but I need to get the rear wheel off to see it clearly. The "Nut Buster" is soaking into the axle/wheel now. The master cylinder is a vertical tube/piston unit mounted on the seat back with a high mounted fluid reservoir connected by tubing to the master cylinder. I would be surprised if it is original, the mounting for the master cylinder looks like it was added later. There is a rubber floor mat that fits perfectly, I suspect it is original. The Mc10s are in amazing condition with no rust in the cylinders and great compression. The pistons look original with wide rings. The tires are Generals. The rear ones look like recaps with very wide tread when compared to the tire body. An interesting way to add rubber to the road.
Bob

[ted johnson]

Bob, a company named Karts Incorporated had one of these early wide-frame Wasps with the 3 flat-spoke steering wheel, roll-pleat black and white striped upholstery and "twin screaming Mc10's" It made my Pop get his Wasp with twin '10's. That's when we became Bug dealers. I think it was late '59, though the documented release of the narrow-framed Wasp to dealers was in '60. I really believe those first Wasps came with the Palmini brake. I know Pop talked Tom Pierson into selling him his very early '60 kart in late '59. I had the Palmini brake off the kart, bleeding it, when it squirted brake fluid right in my eye. I walked around school with an eye patch for a week! My slightly earlier dead axle dual E-65 Bug Custom had dual internal expanding band brakes. When you pushed the pedal, the kart went faster! The Palmini was a revolution. Don't let this one out of your sight; it may be the rarest Bug still existing. If you get a photo of the floor mat, post it. They were peculiar to Bug, even on the very first '58 deluxe models. Ted

[Bob Towarnicki]

Ted,
I finally made some time to get the rear axle off and investigate the brake. It appears to be made by Goodyear! The master cylinder is the thin tube pictured running up the left side of the seat back when looking from the rear. The caliper pivots on a bolt and the disc is fixed. I also have pictures of the two different sprockets and the floor mat as you requested.
Bob

[Bob Towarnicki]

Here are the pictures of the sprockets.

[Bob Towarnicki]

floor mat and recap sticker on tires

[Rob Voska]

Brake has an aircraft look to it.