cart and was actually pretty frightening at first to drive,” Davidson says.

The shopping cart go-kart may not get the chance to test its ultimate speed, however. The guys have moved on to grander projects and a grander shop.

The new and improved workshop includes an industrial lathe, two mini mills, a 4'x4' CNC router table, a bigger band saw, different types of mills, and a milling machine.

“We kind of have moved on to bigger and better things,” Dowling says. “We would like to build a real go-kart or dune buggy.”

—Shawn Connally

>> Go-Kart: batman.mech.ubc.ca/~mdowling/Go-kart.html

At right, top: Plastic steering wheel from a child’s shopping cart. From the gear box next to the steering wheel, a makeshift series of welded shafts follow the steering wheel’s movements and move the cart accordingly.

At right, middle: Detail of drive train, including slip clutch and the sprocket gear that drives the rear axle.

Below: Damper shock recycled from a hydraulic hospital bed and wheels from an old wheelchair.