# Quick one - needed thickness of adapter plate?



## Stunt Driver (May 14, 2009)

Looking for material to mate 9" motor to tranny - how thick must the sdapter plate be?


----------



## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

Stunt Driver said:


> Looking for material to mate 9" motor to tranny - how thick must the sdapter plate be?


That depends on the coupler type you use. The adapter and coupler have to be done as a set and must maintain a fixed set of dimensions

If you plan on retaining the flywheel/flexplate, your coupler and adapter plate have to pair up to mimic the back end of the original ICE. 

Place a stright edge on the mounting surface of the end of the crankshaft and measure the distance between the straight edge and the mounting face of the block.

On the coupler you make, the protrusion of the flywheel mounting face of the coupler past the transmission mounting face of the motor adapter plate MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME as that of the original ICE. This allows you to use the existing clutch release mechinisim and positions the clutch disc so it can properly engage the transmission input shaft spline.

*Important* 
Understand what the purpose of every hole, dowel and bearing is for. 
Be aware *IF* your crankshaft flywheel mounting has one offset hole, that may mean that you flywheel is used to help balance the crankshaft and means you will have to have the flywheel reblanced 

To keep custom machining costs down you have to engineer your coupler so that you can uses standard thickness metal plates for your adapter. This requires you to machine a method to positivly place your coupler piece on the motor shaft and lock it there.

With a clutchless coupler all you absolutly need are adapter plates thick enough to keep the motor shaft and trans input shaft from butting into each other.

In both adapter types:
1.) The concentricity of the transmission and motor shafts MUST be maintained.
2.) The transmission inpit shaft of most manual transmissions has to be has to be supported by a pilot bearing just like the original ICE did.

The above applies to either manual or automatic transmissions.

Review M38Mike'e thread My Electro Willys Needs Help. And see what happens when some "professionl conversion" people who didn't have a clue about this built him a conversion


----------



## Stunt Driver (May 14, 2009)

I'll worry about keeping dimentins right by spacer, plate thickness is only needed to make sure it is strong enough


----------



## Coley (Jul 26, 2007)

1/2" aluminum is strong enough, but most use 3/4" to 1".

Some require 4" spacing just to make the coupler fit.

Depends on motor and car being converted and desired coupler.

A lot of FWD transaxles don't use a pilot bushing, on the end of the input shaft, as it is supported at one end and the center.


----------



## lou-ace (Jul 21, 2009)

"The transmission inpit shaft of most manual transmissions has to be has to be supported by a pilot bearing just like the original ICE did."

does not the front bearing of the new electic motor work as a pilot bearing?


----------



## Coley (Jul 26, 2007)

Only if you put one there, as in using a clutch with a trans that required a pilot, using ithe ICE.

If the car didn't have one originally, you don't need to put one in.

Just make sure your two shafts are in very good alignment.


----------

