Hi Brt651,
Thanks! The conrod protectors was your idea. I read your post and copied
I just came back from the Scandinavian Vincent Club Rally. I brought the engine with me in the car and had great discussions with several members. Ernst Hegeler, a German who owns a genuine Black Lightning, makes new crank cases and covers and have built a few engines with electric starter with the starter motor located where the dynamo normally sits, told me that I need to machine the inside of the cover as much as possible to make room for both clutch and belt. If I don't do that my 30mm belt won't fit under the standard primary cover even if I put the pulleys as far in as possible, unless I make a 8mm spacer between the crank case and cover. I might still need to make a thin spacer.
Another member who had managed to fit a Newby belt under a standard cover also machined the inside of the cover but before that he had the cover welded on the outside to add material. This is according to him a must to avoid using a spacer all together as there is not enough material to machine away as needed on the inside to make room for the belt.
I was also told that when putting the clutch as far in as possible the clutch shaft will need to be shorten.
So my next step is to measure as good as I can how much I can machine away on the cover and still have 2-3mm of wall thickness. If the result is that I still need to add a spacer I will probably instead go to the welder and have him add material on the outside of the cover and the smoothen it to make it look stock.
All the best / Patrik