# Need an Adapter for a 1999 Toyota Corolla



## rsisson (Feb 5, 2009)

After much searching I have found a Suitable Donor Car in Good shape.

I had tried for others but lost them at actions, or they had other "issues" that would have been problems (RUST!)

That said, I am hoping to find a "Stock" Adapter plate for it so I don't need to ship the transmission off to have one fitted... I am not one for the "Universal" plates that some advertise.

The 1999 Toyota Corrola is the Same as the Chevy/Geo Prism and has the 1.8L "ZZ" engine. 

If you know where I can get an adapter plate please contact me.

Bob Sisson
Gaithersburg MD


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## PatricioIN (Jun 13, 2008)

making an adapter plate isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds (if you want to save a few hundred bucks and weeks of waiting). Check out my conversion website in my sig line - there is a lot of info on how I did mine. When you took (if you have yet) the engine and tranny apart, was there a metal "gasket" between the two? This can be used to make the outline and holes for the tranny adapter.


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## rsisson (Feb 5, 2009)

I don't get physical possession of the car until spring... but I want to have everything ready at that point so the ICE>>Electric motor part can go smoothly.

I looked at your site... You went "Clutchless" which is different than what I was planning. Many people recommend keeping the clutch as a Mechanical Disconnect... Supposedly the weight of the flywheel makes shifting easier and smoother...

Beside simplicity, what was your rational for going clutchless?


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## PatricioIN (Jun 13, 2008)

simplicity was the motivation factor.. but I find that you just don't need the clutch with an electric motor. It takes "maybe" an extra second to shift from 1st to 2nd, and no extra time at all from 2nd to 3rd. The only real drawback is that when I drive my other car with a manual tranny, I have to remember to use the clutch!


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## rfengineers (Jun 2, 2008)

rsisson said:


> I don't get physical possession of the car until spring... but I want to have everything ready at that point so the ICE>>Electric motor part can go smoothly.
> 
> I looked at your site... You went "Clutchless" which is different than what I was planning. Many people recommend keeping the clutch as a Mechanical Disconnect... Supposedly the weight of the flywheel makes shifting easier and smoother...


My $0.02 after 600 EV miles without a clutch:
1) A clutch is only necessary if your motor needs to keep turning when your vehicle is stopped.
2) If you need to shift your EV (other than under unusual conditions or to go into reverse) your motor/controller is too small. I very very rarely take my car out of third gear.
3) If you use a clutch to disconnect a runaway motor you will destroy your $2000 motor. If you leave the runaway motor in gear and stand on the brakes while you reach for the emergency disconnect you will destroy your $5 fuse.

That is my opinion, Your mileage may vary.


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## rsisson (Feb 5, 2009)

I like Simplicity...I also like cheep, sorry, inexpensive...

I figured out that the Transmission input shaft is a 21-Spline, but of unknown other dimensions...

Where do I go to find the dimensions so I can go to a machinist and ask them to make a Toyota>>Warp9 Adapter/coupler ala what PatricioIN had made?


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## PatricioIN (Jun 13, 2008)

well.. I just took my cleaned up tranny and my shiny new motor to a local machinist who's done work for me in the past and told him I needed a solid coupler to connect the two shafts. Couple of days later, I had my coupler.


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## rsisson (Feb 5, 2009)

I may be naive, but I was trying to avoid pulling the trans... I was just going to pull the motor, ie break it at the Bell housing....


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## rfengineers (Jun 2, 2008)

rsisson said:


> I may be naive, but I was trying to avoid pulling the trans... I was just going to pull the motor, ie break it at the Bell housing....


In most cases it is easier to pull the engine and transmission as a single unit.


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## PatricioIN (Jun 13, 2008)

I orignally wanted to pull just the engine as well... in the end, since I made my own adapter and all, the overall conversion was MUCH easier by pulling engine/tranny together. Easier to fit motor/tranny together, clean tranny, have coupler made.. all of it. But that's just my experience with one build...


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

rfengineers said:


> 1) A clutch is only necessary if your motor needs to keep turning when your vehicle is stopped.
> 2) If you need to shift your EV (other than under unusual conditions or to go into reverse) your motor/controller is too small. I very very rarely take my car out of third gear.
> 3) If you use a clutch to disconnect a runaway motor you will destroy your $2000 motor. If you leave the runaway motor in gear and stand on the brakes while you reach for the emergency disconnect you will destroy your $5 fuse.


You forgot:

4) One less thing that can break.

We had a Volvo 850 with a clutch that acted up. It worked, but it wasn't very fun to drive and fixing it would've costed some hundred dollars. We ended up selling the damn car (didn't like it very much anyway) and after that most of our cars has had automatic transmissions. Much more comfortable and, as I said, one thing less that can break.


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