QUOTE (lapuwali @ Oct 7 2005, 03:20 PM) |
Hm. If the adapter plate is 1/2" thick Al plate (like the KEP plates), that's going to end up being as strong or stronger than the magnesium ears at the end of the transaxle. Mg is 1/3 the strength of Al, and castings are always weaker than billet. I think you're severely underestimating the strength of that Al plate. |
You may be right there, but you have to admit this is one piece that you definitely do NOT want to fail! The transaxle mounting ears were engineered by folks with advanced knowledge and experience in this sort of thing, whereas this is my very first stab at it. I think (don't recall, but I'm pretty sure) that the tranny mounting ears are nicely curved and transition to the casing w/o any stress risers (sharp transitions where tensile forces concentrate and a crack can start). And since it is so far back, compared to the TIV mount, this mount will be carrying way more than 50% of the engine/tranny load. Fortunately, most of the vibration will be in the up/down and left/right directions, with front/back (of which there is less in the first place) being contained more by the tranny mounts.
My main reason to shy away from Al is that if you take a piece of it and bend it, it doesn't take long before you get a crack or tear. Mild steel seems to fare much, much better. Also (again, I still haven't done my homework) I was picturing a much thinner (than 1/2") plate. Given the axial distance from suby crank flange to the rear edge of the ring gear, it seems that the adapter plate should be as thin as possible. And if using steel allows doing away with a full under-the-engine type mounting bar, it could be even be a net weight savings or at least a break-even.