Well I still have 3rd & 4th gear anyway!

[Winston]

The family favorite is in the garage and covered. I even went so far as to scale back the insurance coverage because the old clutch just finally gave up.It's as much my fault as any ,downshifting into corners and then poppin right back to speed. You have to have a little fun now and again.
Anyway..........since I've had contractors in the house recently I'm probably going to have to hold off on the repair for now.
I've looked at what the big three offer and don't offer and I just wondered what is the best route to take.
When I do replace the clutch I'm going to do it right,even
competitive parts if available.. I know you can have what ever you want if you've got the bucks. Seriously I would appreciate just some quick thoughts so I can begin my plan of attack.

 

[Hayfever]

As much as I dislike the guys attitude sometimes (he's been arrogant and rude twice I've talked to him, and sweet as can be once, oddly enough the 3rd time, yesterday) the best person to talk to is Ted Schumacher. He manufactures a lot of the performance parts Moss USA sells and in this case appears to have a couple different levels of clutches.

If he's too hard for you to deal with, Doug Braden (who I get all my parts from) is a distributor for TSI. I bought my TSI roller rockers, rocker oiling kit, hardened shaft, & tubular pushrods through Doug, and on other orders he's beat Moss, TRF, and VB list prices on everything I've purchased that came from them (he's a distributor for all 3).

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi Winston,

Most of the TR4A clutch kits are good as far as the driven plate and diaphragm are concerned. I've converted to one in my TR4. I've heard some folks prefer the Luk over the B&B, etc. I'm not totally sold.

While in there, I'd suggest removing the flywheel, have the face dressed and have it balanced. There is a pilot bearing in the rear of the crankshaft that could probably be reneweed. Be sure the flywheel is securely bolted back to the tail of the crankshaft with new locking tab washers. Also have the clutch and driveshaft balanced seperately. All this balancing will help the car run smoother and reduce vibrations that might lead to wear.

I think the later clutch release cross shaft is used in 4A. If so, it lacks grease zerks. I'd suggest fitting a TR4 type that can be greased. You have to get under there occasionally to adjust the clutch about once a year or every 12,000 miles anyway. Just squirt a little grease in the bushings while you are in the neighborhood.

Also be sure to use the longer brass bushings for the shaft (or double up on the short). Be sure not to cover the grease ports, preventing it from getting to the shaft.

While on the topic of the shaft, the dreaded taper pin that holds the release fork should be replaced with a new, high grade one. Make sure it's a good fit. And, it's good policy to double up the fastening with another 1/4" Grade 8 bolt off to the right, straight through the fork and shaft. Top that off with a nylok nut, or safety wire it in place.

Speaking of nuts, replace the nuts and bolts on the drive shaft while you are in there. TRF sells a kit that is good, but is really just Grade 8 bolts with the right length shank (no threads in the holes in the flanges) and all-metal self-locking nuts. If you can get those locally, fine. If not, TRF is a good source for a kit. I did need to shorten the bolts they supplied by about 1/8", just becasue they ran awfully close to the differntial housing on my car.

At the end of the fork are two dowels that fit into the throwout bearing carrier. When the fork is swung by the shaft, these dowels push the carrier and TO bearing toward the clutch. The dowels tend to wear on two sides. You *can* extend their useful life by gripping them and rotating 90 degrees, so that fresh surfaces do the work. Or, just replace them. They are peened in place.

You might want to replace the tube the throwout bearing carrier rides on. I understand RevingtonTR offers one made of bronze and carefully redesigned to prevent any possibility of the TO bearing carrier hanging up on the tube (might be called the "front cover", I forget).

This is an opportunity to replace the front and rear gearbox seals, too, if you wish. If you replace the front cover, it will need a new gasket.

It's also a good oppotunity to lift off the top of the gearbox, clean it out and look around inside for any potential problems.

I saved the best for last. If you choose to use the standard throwout bearing, people get in trouble with those when they just press them onto the carrier with a vise. Those folks often find themselves pulling the gearbox again in a relatively short time to replace a noisy TO bearing.

The original style of TO bearing needs to be pressed in very evenly and squarely, and needs to be rotated at the same time, to prevent damage. TRF sells a tool to do this. Or, they will sell a TO bearing already mounted properly on the bearing carrier.

Alternatively, with TR4A/250/5/6 there is the option of using a Gunst bearing. This is more expensive, but designed to ride lightly on the clutch all the time. It will hold up longer than the stock bearing. Might be overkill for an occasionally driven TR4A, and is probably help on the later 6 cylinder cars, which have some other issues to deal with in addition to the TO bearing installation problem.

A more "modern" possibility is to use an annular hydraulic clutch release. This eliminates a lot of the wear and trouble-prone parts like the shaft, fork, slave cylinder and more. It's pricey, but can handle heavy duty clutches and high output engines. Tilton makes a "universal" that can be adapted, as do several other American manufacturers. Several of the British TR specialists offer hydrulic releases already set up to bolt right onto our cars, but at a higher price of course. This type release can be used with very heavy duty, competition grade clutches. Might be overkill unless you are going racing!

If you retain your clutch slave cylinder, this is a good time to rebuild it. Be sure to keep your adjustable one, don't "upgrade" to the later self-adjusting type. It's also a good time to rebuild the clutch master cylinder, if you think it's needed.

How much you tackle at the same time as the clutch is up to you, of course. But, it's a good opportunity to take care of a lot of things, if you wish.

Cheers!

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L

 

[AltaKnight]

Good write up Alan!
I'd better start saving up and making a list, it's only a matter of time.