Type 1 engine to porsche 915 tranny

[rekka]

Does anyone have any knowledge of this setup? I've been researching how to get the tranny to fit into my bus, but not sure if the flywheel on a 1600 DP mates up with the starter on the 915 etc etc. Any input appreciated. I've found lots of info on the tranny conversion but they are usually fitting the 911 engine too.

[owdlvr]

915 transmission is essentially the same bellhousing as the 901. I've got a 901 mounted in my bug project. Using a standard Type1 flywheel and clutch setup the starter will only engage about 1/3 of the flywheel teeth (depth wise). There a tonne of guys running around with their cars like this experiencing no problems what-so-ever. Others have had their flywheel/starter combo stop working in a matter of months. I would anticipate a combination of gear tooth condition (on both flywheel and starter) as well as compression ratio of the engine account for the variables.

I'll be starting off for the first bit without any modifications, as I know my motor needs to come out for other changes after the first few weeks of running. The condition of my flywheel at that point (which is new now) will determine what I do moving forward. If you're concerned about mesh issue, the starter will need to be disassembled and 0.100" taken off the mounting face of the starter. This will give you enough gear mesh without causing any issues with the starter.

-Dave

[rekka]

Thanks owdlvr, that is just the info I was looking for. Sounds like less work than I expected. Yey. Do you know if the input shaft for the tranny mates to the vw clutch OK?

[owdlvr]

You should have no problems, clutch splines are the same.

-Dave

[rekka]

Great. I've just going through your build thread. Amazing detail and lots of info on a cool project. Thanks.

[Geoff]

Another option is a Kennedy adapter flywheel so there is no starter issues (although it's a little $$) Keep in mind also that your going to need an engine with enough power to run that trans. I'd say a small 2.0L and up will work fine. There are two or more types of 915's for gearing (short box and long box) this means a shorter gear ratio vrs a longer one. choose your trans carefully.

[rekka]

Cheers Geoff, I already have the trans (had it for 10 years, its just buried until the snow melts up here so I cant actually get to it yet.) Its from a 73 911T (2.4L) so I'm thinking the gears will be a little shorter. Are you worried that my 1600 will not be able to turn the tranny well due to gearing or frictional losses in the tranny itself?

[Geoff]

A 1600 is way under powered to make use of that trans. In 5th that engine will have a hard time pushing your bus and will run hot most likely.
You should really think about an engine upgrade. What shifter / Linkage are you planing on running?

[rekka]

The engine will be getting upgraded but not straight away. Most of my driving is from home at 1000m elevation to town 350m elevation. I'm either rolling down, or climbing in third gear at 35mph for 15 minutes with reduction boxes with the odd second gear section for the switchbacks. I have the 911 shifter, brakes hubs, driveshafts, trailing arms etc. and will be using as much as i can. I know I probably need to put some universal joints and a guide bush into the shift linkage. I do have the Porsche engine too (which I need to sell), but I'm going to stick with a 1600 and build a mild 2.1 with a small turbo and megasquirt.