Just Another Puch E50 Dio Polini (Part 3: Transmission Work)

In Part 1 and Part 2 I did the port work on the top and bottom ends. In Part 3, I will be showing work on the transmission:



1)  The clutch.  My E50 came with a 3 shoe clutch.  It was still in good shape so I didn't want to do anything to crazy with the clutch.  I opted for just for a brace and spring replacement.  I'll venture into E50 clutch mods after I get some mileage on this E50 build.  I ordered the MLM clutch brace kit and kick start springs from TreatsHQ.


Weight of each shoe for some baseline data:

Brace installation.  First step was to file down the clutch pins down just below the c-clip.  I marked the top of the pins so I don't blindly file down too much.  Take your time to get a even height on all pins.  I used a metal file and sharpie for this step.  Next drill the holes for the brace screws.  MLM provided the drill bit and tap.  I used a drill press to get nice centered holes.

The screws MLM provided were bevel type screws that fit with the bevel on the brace plate.  You will have to bevel the pin holes in order to use these screws.  If you don't, the screw will not sit all the way down on the brace and the brace plate will be loose.  If you don't want to bother with beveling the pin's holes, you can use pan flat head screws in lieu of the beveled screws.  I opted to use pan flat head screws.

Finished product

I'll do further adjustments to this clutch as I run the motor more. I feel like the clutch assembly weights a ton. I was thinking of lightening not only the shoes but the base plate too. Maybe drill some holes in the base plate. For now this set up will do. Note: Spring tension 1.5 turns in from flush.

2)  The clutch bell. I tried to lighten the stock clutch bell myself. I had a friend drill the holes with a stepped and coned drill bit. I bought a cheap bit from amazon. We used a jig to get the hole locations even and drilled the holes with a drill press. The bit didn't last at all. It barely was able to finish off all six holes. The bit dulled in a hurry. What was left was some sharp, unclean holes. I used the Dremel to smooth-en out the rough edges. Overall, I wouldn't recommend using this bit for this modification. If you want to do it cleaner, I would use a lathe. I believe MLM guys offer a service to do it. But if you wanna be cheap like me, you can attempt what I did. I'm not sure any significant weight differential this modification achieved. I just hope it remained balanced. Will update progress later. 

Lightened?

3)  Lightened Starter Clutch. I bought this starter clutch from TreatsHq:

Lightened. . .

Clutch assembly:

Bell side

Clutch side

In Part 4, I will be putting all together.

Happy Tuning!!