UN1 bell house adapter plate

[delgato]

Would any of you fine folks have a File of the bell housing measurements that you would be willing to share?

I am going to make an adapter plate for my electric motor to attach to the trans.

I have the info for the motor I plan to use.

It would be nice to have the correct UN1 manual trans measurements.

I know I could hand make an adapter plate easy enough.

However, it would be far better to have something more accurate made since it will need handle the motor spinning 4000RPMs or more.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[opethmike]

Get a hold of Josh Schattenkirk or Nick Roedl.

[Josh]

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech...-download.html

Read through the thread, there is a pdf in it with the details you need. I can confirm these dimensions are correct.

I would not reccomend making it by hand, you can get a 1/2" adapter plate laser or waterjet cut for a reasonable price and it will be accurate to at least 0.010". But that is just me.

[Nicholas R]

What he said^

Start with the ford plate listed in that thread. It will give you the UN1 bolt and dowel locations relative to the center of the input shaft, which is really all you need.

Also like Josh said, do not do this by hand. This needs to be precision machined. Laser/Waterjet/CNC, one of these is a must; you need the accuracy.

[delgato]

Thank you for this info.

Now I will have a very good starting point to begin this journey(into madness).

[David T]

Thank you for this info.

Now I will have a very good starting point to begin this journey(into madness).

No matter how well the adapter plate is machined, it will still have to be centered to limit the amount of run-out. Run-out should be less than .003 as a general rule. Once centered you should then pin it to the bell housing so it can't move. You cannot depend on the bolts to hold it in position, the dowels or pins should do that. Failure to get that adapter plate right will result in a lot of broken parts from the input shaft of the transmission to the input bearing, clutch and other parts. It is not just concentricity, but also how far in the transmission,input shaft goes into the pilot bearing in the crank. This is critical machine work and must be checked after the part is made.

[opethmike]

No matter how well the adapter plate is machined, it will still have to be centered to limit the amount of run-out. Run-out should be less than .003 as a general rule. Once centered you should then pin it to the bell housing so it can't move. You cannot depend on the bolts to hold it in position, the dowels or pins should do that. Failure to get that adapter plate right will result in a lot of broken parts from the input shaft of the transmission to the input bearing, clutch and other parts. It is not just concentricity, but also how far in the transmission,input shaft goes into the pilot bearing in the crank. This is critical machine work and must be checked after the part is made.

Dave, how many engine swaps have you done yourself?

[David T]

Dave, how many engine swaps have you done yourself?

I have been involved with several, none of then Deloreans. What we are talking about here is simple mechanics. Bottom line, if you are going to attach a different transmission to the motor it is imperative that they be lined up correctly to avoid problems. If you don't know what you are doing and/or don't have the proper equipment, you need a good shop that does. Making an adapter plate is not an "off the shelf" kind of thing. It is a custom made part.

[opethmike]

I have been involved with several

So, you, yourself - none then?

[Ras12]

No matter how well the adapter plate is machined, it will still have to be centered to limit the amount of run-out. Run-out should be less than .003 as a general rule. Once centered you should then pin it to the bell housing so it can't move. You cannot depend on the bolts to hold it in position, the dowels or pins should do that. Failure to get that adapter plate right will result in a lot of broken parts from the input shaft of the transmission to the input bearing, clutch and other parts. It is not just concentricity, but also how far in the transmission,input shaft goes into the pilot bearing in the crank. This is critical machine work and must be checked after the part is made.

I have not done any motor swaps nor have I been remotely involved with any.

However, to David's point, pinning it to the bell housing in theory "should" prevent premature movement should the bolts loosen. Pinning things together to prevent future movement has been done for centuries from cars to construction and even in medical applications like orthopedic surgeries so irrespective of one's experience, I would say it is cheap, smart added assurance. But then again, I have never done any seriously major engine work other than basic maintenance and repairs so what the hell do I know...and I'm not being sarcastic...truthfully, I wouldn't have a clue other than my common sense analysis above.