This reduces the number of parts.

The flex plate can be .090" thick 4130 or anything up to 1/4 inch.

The damper plate has been reduced to one ring part instead of
a large thick Al plate four Al blocks and 16 rivets.

A large ring with twelve 1.375 inch holes easily
drilled on an NC machine. Only four of which are
used fro the rubber bushings. The rest are there to save
weight.

The Ford auto TX part is turned around 180 degrees
to nest inside the flex plate. Only 10 steel
10-32 screws are used to bolt it to the damper ring
instead of 20 rivets.

The rubber bushings and washers are the same.

No need to move the starter or change the damper
design as I suspect would be required with the RX8 flex plate.

What do you think Dave?

Paul Lamar


Looks elegant to me.  Does the "Ford auto TX part" seat into the guide
bearing in the E shaft?


Mark LaPierre


The input shaft with the sun gear does that.
The Ford part has an internal spline that runs on the input
shaft.

The Ford part is the same as Tracy uses now and it can be salvaged
and re used by drilling out the rivets.


Paul Lamar


Since your going to the effort to make a new flex plate, why not
consider a smaller  diameter ring gear.

12.5 inches seems like a lot especially at the elevated rpm's constant.
There is a ring gear there in the Ring Gears Our Us page at 244mm
(9.606") Suzuki 4 cylinder application...

If your going to alter the Tracy damper plate maybe consider an odd
number of rubber bushing points, 5 or 7 recommended...the reason I say
this , we run 8 to 12 thousand RPM all the time and the odd number
flutes run faster , quieter , smoother with better finish.........just a
thought........

A smaller diameter flex plate/ring gear could incorporate a structurally
more rigid engine to planetary set up that does affect everything in
between.......... Rigidity is important...

Not sure comparing machining strategy to aircraft engines and prop
dynamics is worth wile, but you need to hear it anyhow...

I would be willing to donate my time and shop for anyone willing to
consider this as an option....

New parts to make in order to accommodate the starter position change
for one and others...........

Anyone considering turbo, acrobatics, racing, higher HP and rpm should
be interested I would think.....

jeff


Cause then a new NC program would be required for your motor mount adapter
plate :) Also there is about 100 Tracy crook adapters plates out there
now. Also it could not get too much smaller as the starter just clears
the gear box. Then you have the  problem of coming up with a low cost
smaller ring gear. Mazdatrix sells the one we use now I think. Not only
that
I may need you to make these new parts :)

BTW a good biz would be pocketing existing Tracy plates to save some
weight.
Anything that far north has a significant effect on the CG.

Paul Lamar



Hi, a thought about acro and auto conversions.  Serious acro with
conventional Lycomings, I feel includes periods of no oil pressure.  The
inverted oil systems used have a change over valve that exchanges the oil
feed to the pump and vents in the crankase depending wether right side up
or down.  Where does the oil go in change to inverted, knife edge and
vertical flight?  Direct drive aircraft engines seem to survive the abuse
pretty well.  How many seconds can a Wankel or other high speed auto engine
at high output survive without oil pressure?  You do not want to find out.
It is like that Russian game.

Murry I Rozansky