I’m talking about using the original clutch system. I’m sure the vanguard crank engagement is fine for hydraulic pumps, centrifugal clutches, or anything where the operator cannot spike load by suddenly engaging full power in the wrong gear.
A 40 hp beetle has four dowels on about a 1.750 circle and a single, large center bolt (called a “gland nut”) torqued to 217 ft lbs which is ok if not abused with up to around 60 hp in a light beetle. If it gets lose, the crank and flywheel are usually ruined. Efforts to improve this weak link include wedge matting the crank to the wheel by machining tapers, drilling for eight hardened dowels, a much larger washer to fully cover the dowels, a special bolt torqued to over 350 ft lbs and red Loctite.
I like the vanguard taper for engagement and concentricity but the length adds to the overall length needed to clear the trans input shaft, the end bolt is much too small for adequate torque, and they are no dowels or keys.
For the vanguard keyed output, I don’t think a single key way and small center bolt torque capacity is going to be adequate to manage what would probably be an 8 inch by one inch thick clutch friction plate and three finger pressure plate.
A fellow made a series of videos on youtube fitting a smaller briggs in a stripped down, early model honda insight using a centrifugal clutch, cvt, and the original insight 5 spd. Unfortunately, the porter does not have room for a cvt or the offset it would create to clear the existing tunnel and to my knowledge, no off the shelf cvt exists with enough torque capacity for the vanguard output but that could change. I will provide a link to the vids.
The first one. Imho, it would have been nice to start with a HMV Freeway rather than a honda insight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL2FKDt ... 0s&index=3One could go hydrostatic with a pump/motor combo on the vanguard in the engine bay and a long driveshaft instead of mounting the hyd motor directly to the diff so it would suffer the abuse of being unsprung weight. Also not very efficient compared to direct drive but it could solve the reverse problem.
It’s hard to beat a bike motor with integral trans for something like this, even with alternator limits and potential oiling issues when replacement parts for the car and trans are probably non-existent.
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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS
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