Large Flexplate attachment

[mbryner]

I went down to the junkyard to look for a Chevy V8 flexplate and starter yesterday.   No starters, but they had flexplates.   So I looked on the shelves and they must have had 50-100 flexplates.   Some are quite large from diesel engines.   My question:  is 50 lbs of a diesel flexplate outboard of the flywheel going to cause problems in a 6/1 w/ TRB's? I mean too much weight on crankshaft?   Also, has anyone bolted the flexplate to the flywheel, by tapping in the the thicker iron where the spokes join the rim? 

Marcus

[Ronmar]

With the porosity and low casting quality of indian products, I would NOT ever comtemplate drilling any flywheel structure...  I would use a tapered collar hub keyed to the crankshaft and leave the flywheel alone.

[mbryner]

I would NOT ever comtemplate drilling any flywheel structure

Which explains why no one does it.   Thank you ronmar.   Heavy big flexplate OK then, I just have to match up the ring teeth to an appropriate starter?

[rcavictim]

If you clean the paint off the cast iron flywheel I don't see why you couldn't glue the flex plate to the side of it with a metallic based epoxy like JB Weld.

[WGB]

If you clean the paint off the cast iron flywheel I don't see why you couldn't glue the flex plate to the side of it with a metallic based epoxy like JB Weld.

Good idea, but you may never get it off?
Heat?

[billswan]

mbyner

Be sure to find out what the flex plate came out of. The rest of our group will be very interested if you would find some thing special out there that would "fit the bill just right with a minimum of machine work"

Billswan

[mobile_bob]

i realize this hub is 1.5" instead of the needed 2" but it illustrates what might be used
to attach a flexplate to the listeroid crankshaft

https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2252012308280828&item=1-2343-Q&catname=powerTrans

bob g

[rcavictim]

i realize this hub is 1.5" instead of the needed 2" but it illustrates what might be used
to attach a flexplate to the listeroid crankshaft

https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2252012308280828&item=1-2343-Q&catname=powerTrans

bob g

Ah, good old weld-on hubs.  I get these from Princess Auto.  Use 'em all the time.  The forces on the ID of the flexplate would be severe in this service IMO.  Might cause the seam at the weld to break.  However.  Weld a steel sprocket to the weld-on hub and punch holes in the sprocket to match the flexplate mounting bolt holes and attach with bolts and you shud be good to go.

[Crofter]

If you are talking about 50 lbs. then that is a rigid flywheel assy. not a flexplate. Flexplates are held true by being bolted to the torque converter assembly and are pretty flimsy by themselves. I found I had to machine a companion 1/4" plate and weld it to the hub first then bolt the flexplate to it. I would certainly recommend a hub that mounted with a form of taper lock bushing. I think SK will handle 2" bore. The lighter your ring gear assembly the less power pulse pounding your locating system will have to take. Mounting a complete flywheel and ring gear is going to take some serious hardware.

Even if holes in the flywheel were a good idea I hear that the cast iron they use in them makes a very tough customer to drill and tap.

[mbryner]

OK.  Thanks for all the replies.   Now I know why no one mounts an electric start that way.   No, I don't want to do a complicated mounting system.

Tapered bushing, to 1/4" steel adapter plate, to a regular Chevy flexplate and starter seems to be the best.   Thanks for all the help.

[Crofter]

I do not know if a regular pickup sized ring gear will be large enough to allow your starter to be mounted between the flywheels without coming up too tight against the engine. The kits I have seen use a ring gear about 21" dia and it is not compatible with the large 6-1 flywheels. You could mount the ring gear outboard of the flywheel on the injector pump side of the engine but then the starter sticks out and must be mounted way off your engine mounting area. Lots of ideas have been kicked around if you do a search.