I can now happily report that I have go-carted my hot rod around the neighborhood. I post this as a thank you to all of the other people that frequent these forums and share their knowledge and experiences with everyone else. I have learned a great deal in the process of doing this project and wouldn't be where I am today without this site.
The best part was that upon hearing I might be able to drive the hot rod, my two little boys wanted a ride. So after I tested out everything myself, I gave them a ride for about 100ft. Very short but they were ecstatic anyway.