[854 bears]

Thank you Bill, but the wheels are actually being powered via timing belt, so the pulleys I will be using have a further reduction of four to one, giving me a final reduction of 12:1 which is what our team has used before with much success. I am confident in my overall design, but am just looking for help on how to mount the thrust bearings or washers, due to the limited space, and also i am trying to save as much weight as possible.

I have attached a picture of bevel gears which are similar to the ones i will be using. In the current configuration the CIM will be bolted to a 1/4" plate (which is overkill, but is necessary to mount it at the 90 degrees required to save space. This mounting plate comes almost flush to the shoulder around the output shaft on the CIM. I am not sure how thrust washers work or are mounted, so please explain further.