I'm a total novice when it comes to engines and building things, but I'm looking to start learning. Well, rather, I have started learning. I removed the engine from an old petrol lawn mower today, and was going to take it apart and reassemble it to learn how they work, but we lacked the right socket wrench adapter to get the flywheel off. Anyway, point is that the end goal is to fit the engine to a chassis and build a cheap, shitty go kart, just as a learning tool. However, the mower engine is vertical shaft. As such, it's recommended that we use a right-angle gearbox, a lawnmower transaxle, or modify the engine to run horizontal.
Have any of you done one of those three things? Which is the easiest to do, for a novice?