75 Spectra V-Drive

[78Southwind]

We water tested the Spectra at Lake Elsinore.





However, we have a problem (you can hear it in the video) as pressure builds the TCI Pump Drive is being pushed and disengaged from the trans pump. In the following picture you can see the Pump Drive was pushed over a 1/4 towards the engine.



I called TCI Auto and one tech told me that the TCI Pump Drive wouldn't work with and 3/8 mid plate and another told me it would work (they really couldn't give me a explanation of why or why not). So I starter thinking what would cause the adjustable slip collar to not hold the drive in place and I am wondering if it's because of the tapered spline. The 3/8 mid plate is causing the slip collar to be placed on the downward slope side of the spline. Therefore, only a portion of the slip collar is actually locking down on the pump drive. Give the drive 250 lbs of pressure and it pushes the slip collar down the slope. So to make it work I would think we would have to make a spacer for the slip collar so it would place it off the spline at a level part of the Pump Drive. Also, I started thinking about what else could go wrong using the TCI Pump Drive and it appears that there would only be about .625" of spline in the flange when using a 3/8" mid plate. So to over come that we would need to used a 3/8 plate spacer behind the flange that is bolted to the flexplate. This would allow us to use the no motor plate slot (b) on the TCI Pump Drive with the spiral lock. Then add adjustable slip collar with a spacer for added safety. This would put the spline in the geared part of the flange about an inch. To be honest though I hate doing all these workarounds.

I was reading on the boating boards and a lot of the guys have had good luck with the Heavy Duty Hughes Performance Direct Drive Assembly. I talked with a tech today at Hughes Performance and he said that the build time is about 2 days since they custom build each one. They build them to the mid plate size (3/8) and it's one piece so no workarounds. It's $269 and I am pretty much ready to order one of these deals and be done with it. It's the three prong type set-up on the left.