Torque convertor plate modification and sprocket spacing???

[Downhill]

I am making some modifications to a home gokart that my boys and I built last year. This will hopefully involve some front and rear suspension and a longer frame as they keep on growing. My issue is that i need to move my motor and seem to have very limited options when rotating the torqur convertor back plate. Has anyone ever ground off or modified any of the ribs on the base plate of the torque convertor?

I cannot seem to get the proper distance between sprockets (1.5 times the larger sprocket diameter I believe) unless I have the motor raised above the axel or pushed quite far forward....am I missing something obvious?

 

[bob58o]

When I put my engine / TC on my buggy, the front sprocket was almost sitting right on top of the rear sprocket. I honestly have never considered sprocket spacing and never heard of this 1.5X diameter rule.

 

[Brianator]

I see what you're up against and honestly I think your best bet would be to build a small motor frame/plate to raise it up so you have as much clearance as you want!

I've seen several users mention they've ground ribs off and never heard of a failure due to it (but maybe someone else has).

BTW... to get photos oriented properly if you either crop the photo then upload or take the photo in landscape mode it should be the right way up! (This is assuming you're using your phone)

 

[Downhill]

When I put my engine / TC on my buggy, the front sprocket was almost sitting right on top of the rear sprocket. I honestly have never considered sprocket spacing and never heard of this 1.5X diameter rule.

So am I making to much of an issue about spacing? I will have to modify my support frame for the motor a bit like Brianator mentioned either way, but if center to center spacing isnt critical then I have more room to make this work

I read about the 1.5 rule on a forum when we did the original build.....Im new to building and working on go karts so hey maybe its not important

 

[Brianator]

So am I making to much of an issue about spacing?

Sounds like it! Lol. To back up Bob I've seen a bunch of builds around here with almost no clearance between sprockets, if there's enough space that can account for a little bit of flex you "should be good". Realistically chain and sprocket drive on anything appreciates when the chain is wrapped around let's say 40% percent of the sprocket(s) as then you have lots of teeth to distribute the load, maybe this is where the 1.5 times rule stems from? I'd be interested to hear the reasoning behind it...

Yes chain and sprocket alignment is critical or you'll end up at the least with excessive chain/sprocket wear and chances are good the chain will skip off.

 

[Downhill]

Sounds good!

 

[Thelegg]

Having recently fitted a TC to my kart I also had limited space so had to grind off some of the ribs in order to achieve clearance for my chain, having thrashed it round my field a few times now it definitely doesn't seem to of weakened the back plate at all

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