Motor Plate Question

[vwjim]

Trying to solve some issues caused by previous workshops.

The Barndoor Samba has a Porsche gearbox mounted using a Motor Plate, which is 6mm thick. Ever since the Motor Plate upgrade was installed the owner says he had starter motor issues.

The teeth on the flywheel are 12mm wide. I've measured how far the starter gear jumps when power applied / how far the starter gear is from the engine mounting surface at rest / where the flywheel is relative to the engine mounting surface. So, with those measurements, it worked out that the starter jumps approx' 30mm (from memory) and ends up half way across the flywheel teeth.

The owner was then told (and sold) an automatic starter motor as that would solve the mesh issue as he was told it would move futher out over the flywheel, but I've measured it, and the flywheel teeth are 12mm wide, and the starter goes half way across, so either massive coincedence or 6mm plate is causing that issue.

Also the clutch friction disk has been running half off the spines on the gearbox input shaft so that is damaged too.

Common sense says to me that if you add a Motor Plate, then that will effect both the starter motor and the clutch operation, so the bell housing on the gearbox should of been machined back the 6mm to compensate for the Motor Plate width. Is that correct?

What other modifications would normally be done to convert to the Porsche gearbox? I can see that the release bearing arms have been reworked as I can see welding on them.

Thanks

[Bruce2]

What Porsche 'box are you using?

[vwjim]

915 has been fitted.

Looks like the release bearing arms have been modified and the pull arm too.