Cheap Torque Converter

[kmill62]

Hello all,
I am in the process or converting a 17.5 HP Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine from vertical drive to horizontal drive. The build is going well and i plan to have the engine firing in the next few weeks ( may make a separate thread dedicated to this conversion). The next part of my build will require a 40 series torque converter. So here's the question, does anyone know of a place I can get a 1" bore 40 series torque converter for cheaper than $370 (GoPowerSports.com's price) even if it's used and needs some fixing up. I've been on Ebay and seen some, but can't seem to find anything that fits my specific need. Any Advice/Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[mckutzy]

The big block TC are going to be that expensive, for the shaft and HP size. I reckon you'll have to get a bigger than that 40, to handle the HP...

 

[KartFab]

40 series are rated at 18 hp, so if you modify the engine much, it will exceed that rating.

Also, if you are handy, you can always get the 40 series knockoff drive/driven on ebay for less than $200, but then figure out the belt length and jackshaft mounting (will likely need a 3/4" keyed shaft and pillow block bearings to handle the hp). The GPS 40 series is the only one with a backplate that saves you some effort, but you can save some money by getting the knockoff on ebay and fabbing up your own mounting system for the driven unit instead.

 

[kmill62]

If anything, I will actually be taking power out of the engine with the modifications. So the engine shouldn't exceed the 18 hp rating, but will still be well over the 8hp maximum of a 30 series. I would most likely be able to fab a backplate to mount to my engine with some spare metal. What exactly is a jackshaft? I've seen the term, but am still unsure about what it does/ why i would need one? Also, in terms of quality, how would the ebay one's compare to GPS?