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June 25, 2007 Water Walker LLC Montrose Colorado 81401 Blue Lightning Belt Drive Installation Instructions The Blue Lightning drive unit is currently manufactured and offered for GM “Crate” engines of the current models produced after 1986?, including the newer GM“LS” series of aluminum block crate engines. For instance, an installation has successfully been completed and run by GTO Airboats, Inc. on a Water Thunder performance LS engine. Currently the engine of choice would be the GM ZZ383, 425 HP engine. Parts List:
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Bolts and mounting hardware
A special installation tool
A Gates (brand) Poly Chain GT 2® synchronous belt
An aluminum CNC machined Head Frame
A machined from 4043 steel axle/plate
An aluminum Driver Sprocket with two belt retention rings
An aluminum Driven Sprocket assembly with installed propeller lugs
One (installed) front oil seal
One paper gasket to attach propeller mount half hub
One (installed in the Driven Sprocket) front tapered roller bearing
One rear tapered roller bearing
One “Bear Nut” retaining clip and thrust washer assembly
Four stand off Studs to hold cover plate
One cover protection plate
Two aluminum block braces to attach to each engine head. (ZZ type GM engine only) The Blue lightning Belt Reduction unit is designed for GM performance crate engines for air boats and has been developed over the past five years. They have been field tested on several boats for hundreds of total hours. You have a “Propeller Speed Reduction Unit” (PSRU) that provides all of the benefits of older belt drive units, of gear box reduction units and more. The total weight of the Blue Lightning Drive Unit including mounting hardware is 59 pounds, making it the lightest weight PSRU commercially available to date for airboats. Water Walker, LLC
The unit is bolted onto the rear of the engine block using the 3/8” bolt holes that would normally receive an automotive transmission in a car. In addition, there are two more attach points from the unit to the engine that attach one to each head of the engine for a total of nine attach points. These nine attach points are needed to withstand the huge gyroscopic forces incurred when an air boat turns rapidly as in during a “spin 360 turn”.
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8/17/2007 See the enclosed picture of standard hardware including the two aluminum blocks that mount, one to each of the engine heads of the ZZ line of GM engines. These are for additional support of the unit to the engine. Note that the ZZ line of GM engines require standard SAE threads and that LS GM engines generally require metric thread bolts to attach the various parts of the unit to the LS engine. There are other differences between the units made for LS engines and is why you were asked to specify which unit style wanted when ordering your unit. should then be installed onto the engine mount stand either on the shop floor or in the boat. The axle shaft and plate piece is the heart of the unit and is machined from 4043 forged steel. Begin its installation by first observing that there are two 3/8 “ holes at the top of the head plate that are for temporary assistance in the installation of the axle shaft/plate. There are extra 3/8” bolts, nuts, washers and 3/8” nylon washers in the hardware group. Begin the installation by bolting these two aluminum support blocks to each of the engine heads. Then mount the unit head plate to the rear of the engine block using the 3/8” bolts provided. Use Blue Locktite on these bolt threads and torque to 35 ft. lbs. At each lower side of the head plate there are two ½” threaded holes provided for the attachment of the engine stand rear engine mounts. These engine mounts are not provided and must be fabricated by the airboat builder as part of the engine stand assembly. Be sure to use ½” bolts, grade 8, into the aluminum of enough length to use all of the depth and threads available without the bolts extending into the cavity for the starter ring of the engine. Torque these bolts to 50 ft. lbs. and use Blue Locktite. The engine with the head plate attached Water Walker, LLC
Place the axle/plate into its recessed cavity in the head plate and notice that there is a grove for the retainer lock washer at the end of the axle shaft. Position this grove at the top (up) as it positions the axle centerline at its lowest position of the “cam” movement for later tightening the main belt. Use two 3/8” bolts with first metal washers and then the nylon washers through these two holes placing a washer and nut at the rear of the head plate to hold the axle/pale in place during future rotation to finally tighten the Gates Poly Chain G2® belt as the installation proceeds later. You will see that these two nylon washers cover the edge of the axle/plate to hold it in place during rotation and belt tightening. These two bolts, washers and nuts will be
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8/17/2007 removed after final installation and be stored for future use if the unit is to ever be disassembled. the flex plate and onto the crankshaft. Place the included guide pin through the flex plate into the crankshaft hole. With the flex plate still in place, hang the belt over the top sprocket and under the smaller drive sprocket and then position this sprocket onto the crankshaft being sure to align the sprocket with the crankshaft guide pin. (It is helpful to have another person press the two sides of the belt together with two short straight edges to mount the driver sprocket on the crankshaft.) Start the 7/16” X 3” grade 8 bolts with Nord lock washers (LS engines require 11 millimeter bolts) through the sprocket and through the flex plate and tightening them drawing the sprocket into place with the belt loosely in place. Use Blue Loctite and torque to 50 lb. lbs. Install the belt retention ring onto the rear of the drive sprocket using the screws provided. Use Blue Locktite on these as well and tighten to modest torque. The beveled edge goes to the outside as it is on the front edge ring and not against the belt. The top large driven sprocket is to be installed next. Notice the bearing races are already pressed into the wheel and that the rear tapered roller main bearing and the large oil seal are already installed into the rear of the sprocket wheel. Apply some light oil into the rear roller bearing and onto the axle including the seal area so that the seal lips will easily slip onto the seal area. Carefully slide and rotate the sprocket onto the axle with the seal sliding onto its area while the roller bearing also slides onto its area of the axle. Lightly oil and then place the smaller rear roller bearing onto the axle and into the sprocket. Add the thrust washer, locking clip and the Bear nut to hold it all in place. Tighten the Bear nut to approximately 30 ft. lbs. of torque and set the lock features of the clip and Bear nut. (You could temporarily place a couple of 3/8” bolts into matching holes of the axle/plate and head plate to hold it from rotating while applying torque to the Bear nut, then remove them again.) A special tool is provided to tighten the belt by rotating the axle/plate in its head plate recess. The axle is offset approximately 0.062” from the center of the plate part of the axle/plate and rotation within the recess raises the axle centerline of the assembly to increase the center to center distance of the sprockets to tighten the belt. The axle/plate
The smaller drive sprocket and belt are next to install. Remove the factory 7/16 “ bolts that hold the starter ring flex plate to the crankshaft of the engine. These bolts will be replaced with longer ones that secure this sprocket over Water Walker, LLC
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8/17/2007 assembly should be rotated clockwise as viewed from the back of the boat. to tighten the belt. The belt is tight when the belt can be deflected inward along one of its sides 1/8“with an approximate 50 pound force on the belt. washer for vibration and thermal expansion between the closer mount plate and the support block and the small round spacer on the other one and tighten 3/8 bolts and nuts to 35 ft. lbs. Remove the temporary bolts and nylon washers at the top of the axle/plate as described earlier. Place the four cover stand off studs into the head plate. Use Blue Loctite and modest torque with pump pliers or a small pipe wrench to tighten. Place the protective cover over these studs with the ¼” screws provided. Do not use Loctite on these screws so as to be able to remove them easily for routine service inspections later. Insert the special tool from the right side behind the top sprocket so that the two metal pegs can be inserted into two of the lower 3/8” holes of the axle/plate. Press the tool downward and turn the axle/plate clockwise in its recess. Repeat with a new tool position as needed until the above belt force and deflection is achieved. (The earlier described temporary bolts, washers and nylon slide washers need to be “snug” so as to hold the axle/plate securely into the recess of the head plate to assure that when the permanent bolts are drawn tight that no additional belt tension is developed.)Then rotate the axle/plate as much more or less as may be needed to align twelve of the twenty four holes with the twelve head plate holes. Install the mount half of the propeller hub using the gasket provided, the Nord Lock washers and torque the ½” bolts to 50 ft. lbs. Refer to propeller installation instructions for the completion of the Propeller installation. Notice that some of the holes in the head plate are “blind”. (You can not put a nut behind them) They have self­locking heli­coil inserts installed to receive 3/8” bolts. These bolts will be shorter and you are to match the sizes as may be required from the hardware package. In the areas of the head plate that can receive nuts behind, use the longer bolts and nuts as required. You will notice that with a drive socket and an extension you can reach through several of the sprocket holes to place some of the above described bolts and or nuts. Go ahead and torque these bolts and or bolts and nuts to 35 ft. lbs. torque. Use a large screw driver to move the flex plat teeth against the bottom of the engine mount plate to rotate the crankshaft and thus the sprocket to be able to install remaining bolts until all twelve are installed. During this process there are two of these bolts that attach the aluminum block braces, one to each engine head. (One is 3 ¾” long and one is 3” long.) Because the engine heads are offset, one block brace is further from the mount plate than the other. Use the enclosed small round spacer between this block and the mount plate. Place a 3/8” nylon Water Walker, LLC
After the mount half of the propeller hub is installed it is time to put the 90 weight gear oil into the roller bearing area of the driven sprocket. Notice that there are two 1/8”allen head pipe plugs in the sides of the sprocket. Rotate the sprocket (by the large screw driver method on the flex plate) until one of the plugs is about one inch higher than the other. Remove the two pipe plugs. Using a 90 weight gear oil spout type container (The auto parts
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8/17/2007 houses sell a quart container with a tapered small spout) insert oil slowly from the higher pipe plug hole until the oil just begins to drain from the lower pipe plug hole. Let it settle there, wipe off any excess and replace the plugs. You now have the internal cavity slightly less than half full of 90 weight gear oil for the bearings to run in. This oil should be replaced from time to time, say in a year. The rear end of your pickup truck uses the same type oil and it lasts for years in that assembly.
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8/17/2007