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1275 Clutch release bearing

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abarth69

abarth69

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Has anyone seen these things fall apart? I had to get towed home the other day as my clutch stop working. It looks like the carbon core is out of the metal holder.

Cheers
Mark
 
seem to recall a conversation about this about a year ago Mark.
 
Toast

With who?

Cheers

Mark
 
abarth69 said:
Has anyone seen these things fall apart?
Cheers
Mark
Click to expand...

Yes, heard of it dozens of times and experienced it myself a couple times. Another reason I now put 5 speeds in just about everything that not completely original.
 
Apparently the batch that were retained with a roll pin were definitely a problem. Did yours have a roll pin?
 
So what do I use after I pull the engine ?

I want to get the parts on order in the next couple of days


Cheers

Mark
 
You're probably stuck with a new graphite bearing, alas.

For a while, you could get a ball-bearing release bearing upgrade for the 1275. I remember seeing them at Minimania, but I don't think they're made any more. I have seen them for sale on ebay occasionally. I know, this isn't very encouraging, but if you look around, you might get lucky.
 
This was part of a discussion with my vintage racing friends too. While some have added the newer roller type bearing (or even the trick hydraulic units), many of us still prefer the old, solid-carbon unit, as long as it is a good quality unit.....and that's the catch.

If it's made in the UK or Europe, it should be good. If made elsewhere, quality may be suspect.

Some of us (me included) are hoarding old, used ones. The parts car I just bought has one that look original and has very little wear. It's going in my racer over the Winter.
 
I think the Borg & Beck brand are the best ones. I'm not sure if you can source them separately or not, so you may need a whole clutch kit.
 
Yeah, B&B is probably decent.

Also, it hasn't been mentioned, but with a carbon bearing, you should try to hold the clutch down as little as possible. If you're sitting at a light, put it in neutral and let the clutch pedal up. This reduces wear on the carbon block (and reduces wear on crankshaft thrust washers too).

With racing, this isn't much of an issue since we're never sitting at traffic lights.
grin.gif
 
Well it was a B&B unit but the release bearing was damaged in shipping so I asked the vendor to send another one. Maybe this is part of the problem.

I'm still confused about the option of roller release bearing can I use such a unit?

Cheers

Mark
 
abarth69, give it some thought and don't be in too big a hurry to get the engine back in the car. You might find a few things you wish you had done while the engine and xmission is out of the car. If I wanted a good quality roller throwout I would check Peter May. It might be worth the money. Pulling out the motor is a PITA, so fix everything you can right now. You can get to things, paint things, check the condition of things, etc. If you are going to keep a stock rib cage xmission then I would consider having a good look at the laygear in there if nothing else. They used to be 150$+ but I have seen a few around NOS for under 50 bucks. On mine the first gear teeth on the laygear were in bad shape and I replaced only the laygear and it fixed it up nice and the transmission is still good but I replaced it with a 5 speed later on.
Just some advice from things I have seen. If the motor has any miles on it, rings and bearings for the 1275 are not at a bad price either.
 
Hi Kim

The engine and clutch are like new after a full rebuild only got 600 miles on it.


I need the info on all the parts I need for roller release bearing. Do you not need a new pressure plate and clutch to use with the roller option \


Mark
 
If you look at 5.6 and the picture it says it fits in the standard fork. That price is in pounds and I don't know if he has an american counterpart over here but it looks like what you would need. How come the throwout to wear out in only 600 miles? I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something. With all that new stuff and to have to pull it in 600 miles for that is aweful. Look's like peters kit would be in the 100 dollar range but worth it to prevent another motor pull. minia mania had one but I also heard there was something not right about it, but I can't confirm that at all. When I pulled my 1275 the first time the throwout was through the carbon and into the steel.
Peter May
 
Mark:
Make sure your release arm centers the carbon throw out bearing exactly! I replaced one and had a bent release lever and worn release arm bushing. The carbon disintegated after a very short time. The release arm is what I'm blameing it on though I haven't got enough miles on the replacement to be sure.

Kurt.
 
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