In reply to MrChaos :
There have been a few notable air-cooled cars with the engines out back. I bet you can think of at least one.
In reply to MrChaos :
There have been a few notable air-cooled cars with the engines out back. I bet you can think of at least one.
Saw this at Cruisn' the Coast quite a few years ago: https://youtu.be/OuyAr8reTbU
In reply to pirate :
Those were available as a kit. I've read about them someplace.
If you wanted oddball you could install a Datsun/Nissan A15 engine and trans; it would take 160lbs out of the car and they make 100-110 at the wheels in moderate tune. You'd also be able to move the motor back even more as A-series motors are tiny.
Back to the actual topic; with the right exhaust the motor could sound nice.
I watched that episode as well. Whenever I see one of those Morgans, I keep wondering why there hasn't been a kit to duplicate it.
A bit of Google-fu found this thread on LocostUSA where someone adapted an H-D style engine to a MX-5 trans. He said getting the flywheel/clutch on the engine was a challenge.
Someone also posted a picture of the bare Morgan assembly. The adapter between the engine and transmission looks to be substantial:
Although it appears some of the adapter length may be in order to get the shifter into a reasonable location for the driver - event with the offset shifter.
If you used a panhead sprocket shaft it would have a tapered shaft with a key to which a hub could be attached that mounts a flywheel.
They could have had S&S make a special sprocket shaft for their application. A S&S crank is made from 5 pieces (L to R), a sprocket shaft (output) - a flywheel - the rod pin - the other flywheel - and a pinion shaft (to drive the oil pump and cam.). The shafts are all tapered and held in the flywheel with a big nut on each.
I don't know what they have done inside that extension though. And where is the starter? I can't see mounting a flywheel that far away from the motor though.
More pics or disassembly?
In reply to bentwrench :
Nope. That is pretty much the most detailed pic I've found so far.
Amusingly, someone posted in a Morgan forum asking the same OP question about fitting a H-D engine into a Miata. However, he didn't get answers much different than we've had in this thread...
My WAG is there is a vendor in England somewhere that made those adapters for Morgan (I can't see Morgan having casting capabilities). Not sure how to go about finding that vendor and going about acquiring one if they even have any to sell... assuming Morgan allows them to sell them.
Appleseed said:Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:I gotta say, anything Harley powered sounds like a miserable thing to try and enjoy, especially when Morgan sized. That is, unless you're a leather enthusiast. In which case, that's more likely to be foreplay before you meet up with your fellow leather enthusiasts.
You must hate radial engines.
Well, If radial engined vehicle owners blipped the throttles incessantly with no muffling at every stop light in the nation then .... Yeah, they would probably start to receive the level of ire that the Harley crowd does.
I suspect the reason that adapter is so long is because the engine is literally outside the car.
In reply to Appleseed :
Nope. Adding more cylinders makes them better.
Its like flat 4 versus flat 6. Whether Subaru or Porsche, the 6 just sounds better than the 4 (though an aircooled 4 can sound pretty good with the proper exhaust)
Radials only go "potato-potato-potato" until they warm up, then they run properly.
Only in the HD world is NVH considered a feature instead of a problem. And this is a Moto-Guzzi owner talking.
Keith Tanner said:I suspect the reason that adapter is so long is because the engine is literally outside the car.
I think it's a bit of both. If the adapter were shorter the extension to relocate the shifter might be prohibitively long. It might have been done for appearance reason as well, so the big ugly bell housing is buried under the bodywork and leaving the exposed engine having a clean look.
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