I am in the parts gathering stage of this scratch build of a buggy. I already have a 17hp B&S opposed twin, 5-speed manual mower transaxle, centrifugal clutch, and a 1" gocart solid axle. I mentioned the plan in the welcome section but it probably belongs here. I've built roll cages, bumpers, and even redesigned suspension on lifted trucks, so a chassis shouldn't be out of my ability. The front suspension will probably be off an old ATV, I have a few options(friends ATV parts) so not sure on the exact model. Plumbing pipe chassis, 2-seat, and rear suspension will be dual swingarm. Shooting for 25" tires and hopefully bump the motor up a few ponies.
I posted this in the welcome thread but will put it here also for reference. I got the idea from a guy who started building, or at least posted in 2005. Here's a link to all his pics and a couple to give you an idea of what I'm looking to do.
http://www.sadik.net/gokart/pictures/
I plan to use 2 3/4" heim joints at the frame end of each swingarm and space the pillow blocks out farther, into the wheel as far as possible. I'm also planning on running tha mower transaxle at a slower speed, then gearing after it to increase the speed. Mower transaxles don't like going too fast and only have bushings inside. Though mower racers do push them and I've seen and ran modded mowers go into the 20's and 30's. Still, the slower it spins the longer it should live.
I know it's hard to comment on something that isn't built yet, but if you see any problems with my plans please let me know. Thanks for looking.