Nothing brings on bouts of nostalgia like a classic red Radio Flyer wagon. And what better way to pay tribute to a treasured childhood toy than to hack it? There's a subset of Radio Flyer fans who are doing just that: turning the wagons inside out, adding motors, axles, wheels, and raising pedestrian neck hairs as they race their DIY go-karts down the block.
Modifying wagons is nothing new. Kits that show you how to add a motor to a wagon date back to the 1950s.
But as the technology of today's motors has changed, so has the horsepower-to-weight ratio. Do a video search for "Radio Flyer go karts" and you'll find some frighteningly fast NSFK wagons.
I tracked down one of the builders who shares his mods online. Clayton Davis, who is 16, passes on videogames in favor of spending hours in his parents' garage welding a frame. His grandfather passed down a lot of tools, but he had to teach himself how to use them. By watching online videos, studying posted pictures, and reading forums, he's learned to weld, use a lathe, and operate an angle grinder. His resourcefulness has produced some amazing projects.
Clayton takes pains to preserve the Radio Flyer brand. He restored a '70s-era wagon by refreshing the paint and original lettering and recreating the white-walled wheels on the new kart tires he used. Instead of using a gas engine, he reused a motor from an electric scooter.
The beauty of the internet is that this new generation of maker kids can get real-time feedback from thousands online instead of just a few neighborhood pals.
Still, nothing tops the thrill of hearing someone yell out, "What the heck is that?!" when Clayton is riding one of his karts down the road.
Find more inspiration at DIYgokarts.com
All photos courtesy of Clayton Davis
