Adapter plate and coupler status

As I mentioned before I wasn't sure which route I was going to take on getting the plate and coupler made. For my setup it turns out I need six pieces machined total.

The coupler which mates the motor output shaft to the original flywheel. The flywheel has the clutch attached to it which then slides over the input shaft to the transmission.

The adapter plate is the second piece. It needs to be cut to match the outline of the transmission and have all guides and bolt holes drilled out. The center of this plate needs to be perfectly aligned with the motor and trany shafts to all fit together properly.

Finally I need four spacers. These spacers sit between the motor and the adapter plate. If you think about the original setup the flywheel is positioned a certain distance away from the mating surface of the transmission. This distance must be matched very closely so that the everything fits properly and the clutch still works. In order to do this I need to add an additional two inches of spacing between the motor and adapter plate. Each spacer and the adapter plate are made from half inch 6061 aluminum.

So I did some research and EV America has pre machined spacers and adapter plates. I called a local metal supplier to compare the cost of the raw metal vs their price and it's reasonable in my opinion for the time saved. Also if you were to go to Joe's machinging and have them create these with or without specs you'd probably pay more. If you can machine them yourself and need to save as much as possible then that's the clear path. I was quoted $350 for a 24"x48"x.5" 6061 sheet of aluminum. Add tax and you're closer to $375 or so. This assumes you don't make any mistakes maching and need to buy more. EV America has the adapter plates for $220 and the spacers for $90. I ended up paying $590 shipped.

Basically the spacers are ready to bolt on. The adapter plate has the inside hole and bolt holes for the motor ready to go I just need to do the transmission outline and guide/bolt holes. The couplers they sell are for cluthless designs so won't work for me, I want my clutch since I drive in the hills and will need to down shift. I can buy the raw metal for the coupler for ~$25.

My uncle has agreed to do the maching work for me. He doesn't have a lot of free time right now but since most of the parts needed are machined we should be able to finish the rest on a Sunday and be done with it. If we had to do it all I'd have to wait till after October for the help.

I plan to add some photos of all of this once they are machined and will show the assembly of them to give you a better idea of how it all works.