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V-Twin To Car Transmission Adapter, Anyone?

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Dan_Lockwood:
I'm just doing some "play" research right now and I'm looking for an adapter kit to be able to use a flywheel and disc clutch right on the crank output.

I'm sure they're made somewhere.  The new Morgan Three Wheeler uses the S&S X-Wedge in a 120'ish cube size and mate that to a Mazda 5-spd.  Ace/Liberty out of WA state do a Harley or HD clone motor to their car transmission, but neither of these are forthcoming on what, where or how they do the adapters.

I see kits for Moto Guzzi's to VW transaxles, but have not been able to find a current maker of a HD to anything else kit.  If I could get the general concept I'm sure I could draw it up for our machine shop to make, but I've only got some basic general ideas.

Also on such a system, when the clutch is thrown out, peddle depressed, it's going to be pushing against the pressure plate which in turn pushes the crank forward.  In a car motor they have one of their main bearing set up for side thrush loads.  On a HD motor as currently supplied, I'm not sure the standard primary side crank bearing would do the job to keep the crank from moving sideways in the block.

But with a Timken setup that has two apposing tapered bearings, I think that this would do the job.  It's not like you're going to run for hours with the clutch in.

So does anyone have any ideas on the adapter kit or know of someone that could help me out? 

Do you think a motor with the Timken bearings on the primary side would be more than enough to support the crank from moving while the clutch is in?

Any ideas on either of the above subjects would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

Dan_Lockwood:
Okay, maybe a picture or two will get you guys talking...

This is the Ace Motor Car out of WA state.  I believe that Morgan purchased the design to get back into the three wheeler market.  The Ace uses a HD motor and the Morgan uses a S&S X-Wedge 2L.



Another couple angles of the Ace





And then here is the new Morgan Three Wheeler with the S&S motor





So let's forget about the flywheel adapter as I'm sure that I can design one if need be, but what about the throughout bearing pressure against the Harley crank?

My gut tells me that if I had a motor with the twin facing Timken bearings that the crank end play under the pressure of the throughout bearing and pressure plate, that for what little time the clutch would actually be pushed in would not be an issue.  I really don't want to have to worry about having some sort of thrust bearing between rotor and the crankcase.  The Timken solution sounds a lot better.

What does everyone think?  Thoughts please...

Thanks for looking.

LC110:
I found this patent that may help you.
http://www.google.com/patents/US5566591
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5566591.pdf    with drawings

The RAWACO Trike company made the one in the picture.
I think this is the website. Could always call or email and see if they did make this.
http://www.rewaco.ca/welcome.html

LC110:
Maybe you could try and contact this guy Larry Smith
here is link to his photo pages. I don't know anything about him or his project HD car just found this stuff surfing the web.
http://s272.photobucket.com/user/evolyn80/library/?sort=3&page=1

Dan_Lockwood:
LC110, thanks.

I found the patent and the Larry's build thread on the Volksrod forum.  I printed out the patent with pictures.

I'm thinking that the smallest flywheel that I could get a way with would be one from a VW.  Some of the hot Bugs use a 200mm diameter clutch instead of the the more standard 180mm size.

I belive that I could come up with the hub from maybe a compensator and machine and weld on the hub to bolt the flywheel to.  I know in the old days I had a VW sand rail and I had the 8 dowel pin mod done to the crank and a lightweight flywheel, 4 is standard like in the pictures you found.

Then making the bellhousing would be more billet than casting.  I'm thinking about maybe a T-5 S10 or 4-cylinder Camaro trans and building from there.

I also thought about how hard it would be to start a V-twin with a direct drive starter flywheel ratio.  It would crank easier, but would turn a lot slower than the step-up ratio you get from the clutch basket through the primary chain to the compensator sprocket.  It must work though as that's how the Morgan and the Ace are set up.

Thanks again.

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