Clutch slave cylinder rod length ?

DanEC · #1 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 03:25 PM

Does this strike anyone as a problem?

In test fitting the clutch slave cylinder it looks like I'm going to have to shorten the rod length to about 3-1/2 inches or where the tape line is in the picture. The part to the left is 3-1/2 inches

I have one 1/8 inch spacer underneath the clutch fork pivot bracket on the Quicktime bellhousing. The 1/4 inch one Quicktime supplied left no free play on the throw out bearing. No spacer gave about 3/4 to 1 inch free play at the fork end, between the fork hitting the bellousing opening and the bearing. So I made a 1/8 inch spacer and ended up with about 3/8 inch free play at the outer end of the fork. Even if I had left the spacer out that would only give me about 3/8 to 1/2 inch more distance from the slave cylinder. The clutch fork is from Brent and the clutch is all McLeod including throwout bearing.

Other than shortening the rod a lot and a little off-center alighnment between the fork and the slave cylinder, it should work in my mind.

When I was installing the bellhousing it looked like the fork was clearing the clutch cylinder. Now I'm not so sure. I hope I don't have to pull this transmission out again.

ERA Chas · #2 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:14 PM

Can't tell-is the ear on the slave bolted to the front or rear face of the block casting? Should be front.

FWB · #3 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:25 PM

Dem-Dare rodless slaves er fer takin' it outer gear

ya'll need the rod type to put'er inner gear...

DanEC · #4 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:28 PM

Chas - yes, it's bolted to the front - loosely. Apparently it bolts to the same hole as the bellhousing and with the bellhousing bolt in I can just get a few threads engagement. I'm going to have to find a longer 7/16 bolt and run through from the bellhousing side and bolt the hyd cylinder to it.

In the manual, ERA shows a spacer to move the cylinder towards the front and maybe I need one of those. They say it's not usually necessary however????

DanEC · #5 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FWB

Dem-Dare rodless slaves er fer takin' it outer gear

ya'll need the rod type to put'er inner gear...

Yeah - clutch action is a little iffy right now. (But I don't want to start sawing off the rod until I make sure I don't have something screwed up)

ERA Chas · #6 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:40 PM

Yes-get longer bolt. Then get with Putnam and Brent -the spacer sounds right.

ERA Chas · #7 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:47 PM

Mine any help?

DanEC · #8 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:47 PM

Yes - I was just looking back over the manual and it mentions that the fingers on some clutches push the rod end of the clutch forward. I guess McLeod falls in that group and I'll have to get with Bob on a spacer. I think I'm going to have to go to all-thread to get all of this bolted together.

Thanks

ERA Chas · #9 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:50 PM

Come to think of it-mine has the ERA super-duper HD actuator which required me to cut the thread rod shorter. DON'T use all thread, use the ERA rod:

DanEC · #10 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Mine any help?

That's pretty much what I have right now - except I haven't found a long enough threaded bolt for it all yet. I even painted the steel sleeve on mine black like yours.

Most of the bolts I've looked at that are long enough have too long of a threadless shoulder. 7/16 inch bolts are not as common as most sizes at the hardware and lawn and garden stores.

patrickt · #11 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 06:41 PM

I use the spacer. It has two separate holes, one for mounting and one for the slave. It actually moves the slave back and in.

ERA Chas · #12 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanEC

Most of the bolts I've looked at that are long enough have too long of a threadless shoulder. 7/16 inch bolts are not as common as most sizes at the hardware and lawn and garden stores.

Dan-friendly advice. Don't use garden store hardware on your clutch-or anywhere else on a car of ERA's quality.
McMaster or Aircraft Spruce will get you milspec hardware which is leagues safer and smarter. Doesn't matter that it's not a racecar.
See the grade eight bolt head in my pic?

patrickt · #13 (**permalink**) 06-17-2012, 07:12 PM

The "drawers" in the bolt aisle at Lowes have a nice selection of Grade 5 and Grade 8 stuff. Sometimes, I'm told, Grade 5 is preferred over Grade 8... but I only made to the sixth grade so it doesn't really matter to me.

DanEC · #14 (**permalink**) 06-18-2012, 05:10 AM

I usually buy Grade 5 stuff - I have some Grade 8 but I don't use it much. If the spacer has a separate hole for the clutch cylinder then I may have a grade 5 bolt that is long enough to get a good thread engagement into the spacer. They were too long to use in the upper transmission to bellhousing mounts as they bottomed out on the side of the bellhousing. It just looks different from the ARP bolts I used in the other positions

I'm still surprised Ford uses 7/16 bolts to secure the transmission instead of 1/2 inch. Maybe the 1/2 inch bolts GM used were some sort of engineering trade-off related to the aluminum transmission cases.

Patrick - your clutch rod doesn't look any longer than what I will end up with so I guess the spacer will work. I suspect I'm going to have to get in there with a dremel or cut off wheel and trim my clutch fork.

Thanks