Later this week, I'm planning on dragging all my project parts (engine, tranny, other tranny, bell-housing, OTHER bell-housing, clutch, flywheels, etc, etc.) over to show to Hot Rod Jim.
Jim made the adapter plate for my Geo Metro based on the oily tagboard tracing I gave him and also helped out chopping the motor tail-shaft and cleaning up the commutator on his lathe.
I'm trying to figure out what combination of parts and in what order I need to get the engine and transmission together and functional. Part of that magic is the right distance for the transmission shaft to reach where it needs to go, holding the clutch and reaching into the flywheel.
Once he sees the parts, he should be able to give some advice to the best approach to hooking it all together.
So, since I'm a visual learner, I've been digging through YouTube for videos on how diesel engines work and about clutches.
I found a "how diesel engines work" video that was GREAT, well, information-wise at least. Camera-work, lighting, and sound were TERRIBLE, but the person knew what he was talking about. When I saw that the engine was held up by a SALT-
SHAKER, I knew this was my kind of guy! He had some really good info on the different ways fuel gets into diesel engines, and I feel like I'm starting to understand it a little better.
I also found a REALLY GOOD video on clutches! Most of the video is nice clean animation, which really gets to the heart of how the parts work.
Here's that video.
I'm starting to learn how some of these things work. Of course most guys would already know that kind of stuff BEFORE they start an experimental eco-hot-rod, but that's just not my style!
Nope! I gotta come up with something crazy first and then go back to learn the basics of how to make it possible!