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TR2/3/3A TR3 bling

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T

TexasKnucklehead

Jedi Knight
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Can it be called BLING if it will never be seen by anyone but the installer? (Me.) -It will be balanced with the flywheel (also slightly lightened) for the toyota 5 speed conversion.

Jer
 

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All you need is Scotty to engineer you an aluminum bell housing now!!!
spock-spock-star-trek-smiley-emotic.gif
 
Very nice. Remember - good bling needs to be polished regularly. <span style="font-style: italic">That</span> will certainly increase the length of time for an oil change!
 
There has been quite a bit written about this type of clutch asssembly compared to the original type which has 3 spring loaded fingers in the center. What was written long ago is that the type you show is similar to a SAAB replacement part and it will be great if you want to take off like a race car every time you drop the clutch in 1st gear. Whereas the original type clutches are very much smoother.

I once drove a TR4 with a clutch like yours and as I let out the clutch pedal there was nothing .... then all of a sudden - like 1/8" more of pedal travel - WHAM ! - the clutch was fully engaged. It really surprised me and I suggest you check the archives about this and wait for other opinions as to whether this is true or not. You want to have a clutch which functions as you would prefer. BLING means nothing if you find you would rather have smooth clutching.
 
We have a diaphram clutch like yours and hydraulic t/o on our Toyota 5-speed HVDA equipped TR3A. And it is smooth and precise as a Toyota. No wham. Interesting that Toyota doesn't even offer manual trannys any more - they're all automatics.
 
I just had my flywheel drilled and tapped (and dowel pin moved) for this very same clutch pressure plate (purchased from Herman as part of HVDA conversion). He recommended it.
I hope to someday actually be able to report on its performance.

Jer, how much did you take off flywheel and what was final weight? Mine was about 20 lbs and machine shop didn't want to remove any more material than it had when I brought it in. I'll try and snap a photo or two next time I stop by the shop.

Pat
 
Pat, sounds like you and I are on the same page and in the same time zone -not literally of course. I dropped off the flywheel at the machinist today (he already has the head), so I can't answer those questions yet. The machinist owns a TR4 and has drilled TR3 flywheels for TR6 pressure plates before. According to him, taking a lot of weight off the flywheel isn't always a good idea. He claims that for each percentage point of engine performance increase, likewise a percentage of the flywheel should be removed. "Slapping an aluminum flywheel on a stock engine is not souping it up". -But he admits "that flywheel is too heavy".

I'm hoping for results like Peter -with the toyota 5-speed and HVDA conversion.

I've seen that article on the pressure plates before, but I'm not sure it's applicable with the replacement throw out bearing. I hope not.

It will be some time before the body is ready to be put back on the frame...
 
PeterK said:
We have a diaphram clutch like yours and hydraulic t/o on our Toyota 5-speed HVDA equipped TR3A. And it is smooth and precise as a Toyota. No wham. Interesting that Toyota doesn't even offer manual trannys any more - they're all automatics.
Click to expand...

No manual transmissions?? Wow.

One of the reasons I bought my current daily car (2004 Mazda 6) was because it had a 5 speed with a V6 although I did check out the new Mazda 6 and they no longer offer a manual with the V6 engine. :frown:

My wife and I have always had manual transmissions (much to the chagrin of my 16 year old learning to drive). Her Tbird is the first automatic we've owned and if they had made a manual that's what she would have wanted.

Scott
 
I have the HVDA conversion in my TR3 and it has the same pressure plate. It is a very smooth take off and when you want it will grab and make the tires sing,
 
Here's the bling installed on my TR6 just a couple of weeks ago. It's what's on the inside that counts.... :laugh:
 
The pressure plate didn't fail, but the clutch disc did. I broke down the last two times I took the TR3 out. It's barely over 15,000 miles. This last time it had to come home on a flat bed. The missing spring in the picture was stuck in the flywheel. Herman tells me manufacturing started taking short cuts, like not using a fold on both sides to retain the springs. It's back together now and I'm hoping to drive it to Pennsylvania next week. Also, I had the short crank pilot bushing, instead of the long one, which probably didn't help.

New clutch and pressure plate, new alternator... what will the next failure be?

I do like the 5-speed. I can set the cruise at 85, and let her sing.
 
It seems I can no longer upload a picture. I deleted a bunch of old pictures, but it still says I'm way over my limit. Did something change or am I doing something wrong? No matter what I do, it says my quota is exceeded.
 
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