EDITORS NOTE: 1964 CUSHMAN SHARKNOSE GOLFSTER

An Interview with Builder Joseph Aleksiejczyk

GCMAG: Joseph, thank you for submitting your Cushman build. This is an amazing cart that I wanted to share to our readers. I’d like to ask you some questions…

What can you tell us about the build?

JOSEPH: Richard, myself, and Mike Aleksiejczyk all worked together to build this 1963 Cushman. We purchased the cart non-running and non-functional, missing the entire back half, floor pan, and seat pan. The previous owner advised that it had not been running in over 15 years. All that we had when we purchased it was the fiberglass front clip, driveline and frame. The motor is an opposed twin OMC motor with a centrifugal clutch, required for switching from drive to reverse. We removed the front clip, removed the motor and rebuilt the entire wiring harness, replaced all of the engine seals and gaskets, fuel line plumbing and all other accessories. The factory fuel pump was not working, so we purchased an electric gravity fed Edelbrock fuel pump and utilized that for fuel supply. After we verified that the engine and driveline was functional and in good shape, we fabricated the entire rear

end of the body from sheet metal, using various fixtures in our shop to craft the correct body lines and bends. The trunk panel hinges upward and houses the battery box, utilizing a standard 12V car battery for electrical power. The floor pans were also formed from sheet steel, using adapters and backing plates to bolt the fabricated rear section of the body to the fiberglass front clip. The seat pan was also made from scratch, featuring a center console and cup holders. The transmission tunnel was created to allow the Hurst shifter to fit in place of the factory shifter. The steering wheel required a custom adapter to utilize the Grant racing steering wheel, and the dash panel was also modified to allow for use of a choke cable and fuel pump shutoff switch. The front clip also features a 60’s Mustang hood scoop.

GCMAG: It’s impressive how much custom fabrication you incorporated into this build and it turned out very authentic. What other aftermarket parts did you use? JOSEPH: We used a Hurst floor shifter and shift boot (modified) Edelbrock fuel pump, Grant GT steering wheel (modified), Chevrolet C10 carpet sills (modified) Cragar SS Mag hubcaps (modified to fit the singular front wheel). Everything else is bespoke.

GCMAG: How did you get involved in building carts?

JOSEPH: We have been building carts, cars, motorcycles and various projects for years. Needing something to keep us busy, our first Cart build was a 1969 AMF Golfcart, which lead down the rabbit hole of working on vintage and modern golf carts. We have always been interested in building customs, whether that be cars, golf carts, motorcycles, etc. We’ve done several custom carts over what may be about 7-8 years, but this is our favorite.

GCMAG: I can certainly understand why this is your favorite. Congratulations on building a beautiful Cushman cart and we appreciate you sharing it with our readers.

M A G A Z I N E

GOLF CARTING // Issue 24 // MAY 2022

Publisher: GC Media Group, LLC Senior Editor: Trevor Rose - trevor@golfcarting.com Creative Director: Troy Merrifield - troy@golfcarting.com Graphic Designer: Tanner Merrifield Production Director: Christian Amico - chris@golfcarting.com Staff Writer: Kelly Madden Staff Writer: Josh Delsota Staff Writer / Social Media: Tony Benjamin

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