Pressure plate failure on BE with Datsun 5 speed

We haven't put a lot of miles on our BE with the Rivergate/Datsun 5 speed, but the wee beastie was grinding gears recently. Jeff the Guru did a bunch of fibreoptic viewing etc. etc. and we pulled the engine/tranny today, and the three spacers/stops that pop rivet onto the pressure plate were all broken (brittle fracture). The bushing in the flywheel also fell out with the transmission.
I have no idea what caused the failure. I'd put the assembly together per the Rivergate instructions (I thought) and ended up taking it into a shop after I'd screwed up somehow and had some real rattles happening.
Apologies for not being able to be more descriptive, but does anyone have any idea as to why the failure might have occurred? And the shop had forgotten to bend the loctabs over on the flywheel, but stuff happens - no complaints against the shop or the kit, but I'm sure curious about my three broken pieces.
I'm going with Gerard's optional Datsun clutch kit; might as well go to the beefier clutch to handle all that 948 cc goodness. Doug

Doug,
Give Will at Rivergate a call and he can help diagnose your failure and possibly help you out with a replacement. While nice, the machining of the flywheel to fit the Datsun disc is not cheap.
Rut

Thanks Rut - as always. I'm going to take some pictures and send them to Will in case he has any wisdom and advice. We have two BEs (hopefully both on the road sometime this summer) and both with Rivergate kits and the Datsun 5 speed. I've also got an engine/transmission being pulled together with the precursor Paul Asgeirson kit. I've ordered one of Gerard's clutch kits, and will have a look at the economics (gulp!) when we've got it installed. Anything I can learn from Rivergate and the Forum will be good. Later, Doug

When you discover how much better the clutch works, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I have done many, many conversions for Rivergate owners, and in every single case, nothing but thrilled reactions at the difference. In fact, yours is the second one just this week. I guarantee you won't go back to what you had. With your original setup, you're talking about a 1930's technology pressure plate design, applied in a way it was never intended, then mated with a disc with which it was never designed to be used. There's a word for that...

I think you'll find you made a wise decision and that it will be well worth it.

twas_brillig said:

Thanks Rut - as always. I'm going to take some pictures and send them to Will in case he has any wisdom and advice. We have two BEs (hopefully both on the road sometime this summer) and both with Rivergate kits and the Datsun 5 speed. I've also got an engine/transmission being pulled together with the precursor Paul Asgeirson kit. I've ordered one of Gerard's clutch kits, and will have a look at the economics (gulp!) when we've got it installed. Anything I can learn from Rivergate and the Forum will be good. Later, Doug

Click to expand...

Gerard said:

When you discover how much better the clutch works, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I have done many, many conversions for Rivergate owners, and in every single case, nothing but thrilled reactions at the difference. In fact, yours is the second one just this week. I guarantee you won't go back to what you had. With your original setup, you're talking about a 1930's technology pressure plate design, applied in a way it was never intended, then mated with a disc with which it was never designed to be used. There's a word for that...

I think you'll find you made a wise decision and that it will be well worth it.

Click to expand...

Gerard,
I don't think any of this stuff is applied the way it was intended or used in a way it was designed. I think that 1930s design applies to most of our LBCs as well as their copies (Datsun). We are a dying breed along with our LBCs, but it's great that we do what we do to improve them and keep them on the road!
Rut

Thanks for the lecture "Obi Wan". Since you're in a mood for writing, how about you send me that serial number from the adapter plate you say you have?

Rut said:

Gerard,
I don't think any of this stuff is applied the way it was intended or used in a way it was designed. I think that 1930s design applies to most of our LBCs as well as their copies (Datsun). We are a dying breed along with our LBCs, but it's great that we do what we do to improve them and keep them on the road!
Rut

Click to expand...

Gerard,
No lecture intended or given, just an observation about our cars. I'll be at the beach for awhile and I'll check out the serial number on the adapter plate I say I have when I return home...what's up with that?
Rut "Obi Wan" on the road

Just to complete the circle.Rut

Gerard said:

When you discover how much better the clutch works, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I have done many, many conversions for Rivergate owners, and in every single case, nothing but thrilled reactions at the difference. In fact, yours is the second one just this week. I guarantee you won't go back to what you had. With your original setup, you're talking about a 1930's technology pressure plate design, applied in a way it was never intended, then mated with a disc with which it was never designed to be used. There's a word for that...

I think you'll find you made a wise decision and that it will be well worth it.

Click to expand...

I LOVE the Datsun clutch. Bigger... stronger... nice action.