A Simple Auto Engine Conversion

On Aug 27, 8:24 pm, "
wrote:

could a GM engine attached to a short manual trans 1-get a dry sump
and 2-be flipped upside down and have a stout racing trans take the
loads.

Manual transmissions aren't designed for high power
throughputs, nor are automatic transmissions. I wouldn't expect racing
transmissions to have the lifetime needed for aircraft, either. Car
transmissions have been tried in boats, where they fail quickly.
The transmission in my Chev 283-powered inboard was a Warner
Velvet-Drive hydraulic-shift marine transmission. It had forward,
neutral and reverse. Forward was a clutch pack, no gears of any sort.
Reverse had a small reduction, controlled by a smaller clutch pack,
but in reverse high power levels are never used. But even with such a
simple setup, that tranny weighed around 150 pounds, way more than a
car's tranny, and needed an oil cooler to keep it happy.
Seems to me someone tried a Kawasaki motorcycle engine in an
airplane and used one of the transmission gears as a reduction. I
didn't hear how it turned out but have heard nothing more, and that
was a long time ago.

Dan