The Updated Adapter Plate has Arrived!

February 27, 2020 19 Comments

After much internal debate, I decided that redesigning my adapter plate would be the best move. I updated the drawing and sent it off to be milled. It just arrived, and I’m happy to say that I’m it fits well thus far! I still need to do some work, but it is leagues better than the old one. This adapter will provide better support and alignment for all of the components, which I decided were necessary based on both feedback I’ve received on the design and on my own testing. Check out the slideshow below with my comments so that you can see what changed. As a reminder, I have not yet pressed in the alignment dowels and put it on the motor, although it uses the exact same face as the plate I am using right now, and it should fit. If you decide to get one milled, you do so at your own risk.

  • The new design is twice as thick as the original, measuring at 40mm thick instead of 20mm. Additionally, I have added several holes at different angles to allow it to be mounted in different configurations. Those holes should be tapped for 3/8-16 bolts. The two nearest holes outside of that circle (one visible at the bottom, the other invisible at the top) are for the alignment dowels that go into the Leaf motor. The outside-most holes are for attaching the adapter plate directly to the Leaf motor.

CAD Drawing and Specs

If you want to forge ahead and try it yourself, you can find the drawing here: Updated Adapter Plate. It is absolutely free for you to use however you please.

Keep in mind that this plate is for the EM57 motor, and not the EM61. If you give it a try, please leave a comment. Thanks!

ItemDetails
Bearing ER209-45, 80mm OD, 45mm ID, set screws
Canada EV to Adapter Bolts 3/8-16, must be tapped, set of four
Adapter Plate to Motor M10 bolts, various lengths
Total depth (excluding locating ring)40mm

19 thoughts on “The Updated Adapter Plate has Arrived!”

      1. I just watched your video on beefing up the rear suspension. Awesome! I am sure I will need to do the same.
        Do you have a similar page with specifics I can order?
        Thanks!

        1. Hey Jerry, I think I sent this info to your email. Just let me know if I didn’t I noticed a bunch of unapproved comments, so I’m cleaning that up. Sorry!

  2. Hi Jeff,
    I am interested in using the Adapter Plate, and also the Coupler you designed.
    I also would like to know which clutch clutch plate you used to fit the EM57 Motor Spline Shaft. The European (openinverter.org) group touts two vehicles , but neither were ever available in the USA.

    I have Solid Works available at work and want to bring it up in that but the file types you have don’t seem to be compatible with Solid Works.

    1. I searched further and found you had provided a link (back in February I think) to the Step file for the adapter plate. I downloaded that this morning.
      Thank you. Can I also get the step file for the coupler and information for the clutch plate to find/purchase that fits the Leaf EM57?
      Thanks Jeff.

      1. Hey, Gerald. The Leaf motor side is actually from a Suzuki Samurai clutch disk. It is a tiny bit loose (probably fine…), but it tightens up very nicely when pressed into the coupler and welded. I believe a Fiat Fiorino clutch disk fits as well, but the Samurai disk is easy to get. I haven’t personally tested the Fiat disk, but the Samurai one works well. Here is a link to the step file for the coupler: https://blackfamily-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/jeff_potkettle_black/Ef9acP3sU8JOu4tjh16IPwsBUAxDTzB0OD0aSEMOGej2UQ?e=USEF9b

        The original coupler did not use a bearing, so this one is a little different. I haven’t tested it yet, but it’s basically the old one with a smaller outer diameter. The outer diameter is 45mm right now, but it likely needs a few thousands of an inch off to be a slip fit in the bearing that I specified for the adapter plate. It’s designed for my Ford 3.03, so you may need to modify the dimensions of the pilot and the overall length for your own application. Let me know if you have any questions!

        1. Great! thanks, Jeff. I sent both the Adapter Plate and the Coupler off to a machine shop (in Berthoud, CO) to get a quote ( I let them know it wasn’t the final design). I also ordered the Bearing and the Suzuki Samuari clutch disk.

          I am going directly from the Leaf motor to the Drive shaft so I will have to create that design for the Coupler.

          Would you mind sharing the cost of having the adapter plate machined?
          And What kind of Aluminum did you use?

          Jerry.
          720-491-3582 (in case you want to chat)
          Video of getting the PRIUS Throttle to work on the LEAF on my bench.

          1. Jerry, I believe that I used 6061 aluminum. It was about $380 to have it milled, but that was through some outfit in China. I struggled to find anyone local to even provide a quote, let alone do the work. If you find someone in CO that will do it reasonably, let me know! Keep in mind that the holes to mate it to the CanadaEV adapter plate need to be tapped.

          2. Hey Jerry and Jeff, where did you guys end up buying your bearings from? I can only find an ER209 with an 85mm OD. 5mm to big. Was it custom made?

  3. Hi Jeff,
    I have been learning, well trying to learn, FreeCad! I can do a little after listening to lots of Youtube vids.
    What I wanted to do was work is backwards from finished to start to see all you did. But so far I have not had much luck.
    I had learned to use Solid Works for work, and it is definitely something you can do with it. No matter, I’ll keep plugging away at learning FreeCad and I pretty sure I can use this as is.
    I do have a question though. What are the 16 evenly spaced holes around the outside for?
    And when I look at it in FreeCad there are also what appear to be 4 holes that never were completed?

    BTW this weekend we finished pulling the engine out of the MGB. Pictures of the Engine and Transmission are here:
    http://ebay.us/RBFIgA?cmpnId=5338273189 (I thought I would try to see if there is a market.)

    Thanks,
    Jerry
    Fort Lupton CO

    1. Hey Jerry, it looks like I may not have replied to you. Sorry! The 16 holes are for a for bolting the Leaf adapter plate to a Canada EV adapter plate. There are 16 holes so that it can be rotated as needed for different configurations. Only 4 will be used at a time. The 4 filled holes are for a smaller Canada EV adapter plate. They shouldn’t be necessary, but you could open them up if you needed them. A Leaf motor in an MGB would be sooooo smooth, that sounds like a great project!

    1. Soon! Using the new adapter plate requires a new coupler, and I’m going to have to tear the entire engine bay apart. That being the case, I’ve decided to get some new batteries, a fresh transmission, and more. If I have to tear it all apart, I’m going to redo it very nicely while I do. I’m probably just a few weeks away from really tearing into everything, and I’ll post some more information when I do.

    1. Hey, Jerry. I like that idea for direct drive! One thing I’ll mention is that you probably want tapered bearings to lock that adapter in place, just like you’d find on a car hub. The ER209 probably won’t handle those forces very well. Just an idea! Let me know how this works out.

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