1997 & UP Engine Swap: Ideas to sponsors:

[dundeebarnbuggy]

Originally Posted by raydhd

I just looked at my spare VC 460 block,crankshaft and front cover and bearings. They all appear to be of the same size. Both the front cover and block are webbed around the bearing area. Finding a way to mount the clutch and pulley on the flywheel side might be the challenge. P.S. On NRracing's it looks like the main case bearings are both the same.

The distance from the bearing is the other factor that adds bearing load. You have a flywheel and shroud between it and your drive pulley/pto. Curious. what is the shaft size where it comes through the flywheel?

[raydhd]

It is 1.2" at the top of the flywheel taper and 1.4" at the bearing race. I think if you were actually going to do this you would mount the clutch to the flywheel as some of the diesel swaps did here with 780's. I am not a machinist and in no way suggesting that I would be able to make this work but in either case the clutch would end up at about 4"'s from the bearing.Some one like Shepard could say whether this idea is flawed or not.

[BrettAllen]

[BrettAllen]

Anyone know how to get an actual image and not just a url to show up in the forum< about exhausted every option i can think of: Including drop & drag, sliding to the desktop first, cut & paste, the little yellow box that says insert image here... I did manage to get an empty forum window to show up though...

[rib33024]

You could make a pillow block for the end of the stub shaft. That way, there wouldn't be so much force on the bearing on the flywheel side

[dundeebarnbuggy]

Good idea but no. A pillow block is a rigid bearing. The chances of getting it rigid enough to the motor, [also taking into account the motors vibration] and in exactly the right spot is almost impossible. 5 or 10 thousands off and it will cause flex in the stub shaft and probably break the flywheel around the hub or the crank snout in time. That is why most all direct driven loads use a flexible [chain or lovejoy] coupling between the 2. Allows a slight misalignment or vibration without stress on the respective shafts.

[raydhd]

IF I had a later club car with a totaled engine I'd be the guy to see how long the VC 460 would last with the $79 adapter.I can't see the crank nor the flywheel failing. Jody Powell from ARC has stated he's NEVER seen a big block clone have a crank failure AND we are talking about racers doing HIGH rpms and running exotic fuels. So maybe the crank bearings would only last 300 hours vs 900 hours. BUT I would certainly use the VC 10 bolt block and not the weaker 7 bolt unit from the lesser clones. SUPER BUT the more proven path of using high speed gears is the much more logical option.

[rib33024]

True

Originally Posted by raydhd

IF I had a later club car with a totaled engine I'd be the guy to see how long the VC 460 would last with the $79 adapter.I can't see the crank nor the flywheel failing. Jody Powell from ARC has stated he's NEVER seen a big block clone have a crank failure AND we are talking about racers doing HIGH rpms and running exotic fuels. So maybe the crank bearings would only last 300 hours vs 900 hours. BUT I would certainly use the VC 10 bolt block and not the weaker 7 bolt unit from the lesser clones. SUPER BUT the more proven path of using high speed gears is the much more logical option.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

High speed gears, I do realize will give you more forward speed while using the original reverse. But ,will that not make your reverse "way too high"? we had a four wheeler here years ago with reverse as fast as forwards, friggin thing was NOT good at backing things up or even getting out of a "predicament" .

[raydhd]

Despite many naysayers dire predictions there are some high speed geared club cars being run around by members of BGW.