8ba flywheel to '39 trans question??? Help!

[B_man_Al]

Hi George ..

Will your clutch & flywheel fit an 8BA engine or does it need to be redrilled or otherwise modified? I am definetly interested if it all fits.

Thanks Al

[Rem]

Another question, for future reference: what style flywheel and clutch does a French/German flathead use? As I understand it, they are essentially an 8BA with the 59A-style rear half-bellhousing, so I would guess they have the later flywheel and clutch?

[nostalgia59]

Originally Posted by Mac VP

The fingers of the pressure plate extend in toward the center...beyond the contact surface where they touch the throw out bearing. I've seen enough trannies with damaged front bearing retainers to know that the wrong pressure plate can and does cause this problem. I'll try to post a pic of a typical damaged retainer if I can put my hands on one that didnt get tossed into the scrap barrel.

I've heard of guys machining the retainer or cutting it back a little to keep it from rubbing on the clutch fingers. Anyone done this??

[B_man_Al]

Does anyone have the nominal center of contact to center of contact measurements for a clutch intended for the larger throw out bearing? I'm looking for this measurement when the clutch is fully bolted up to the flywheel . My earlier measurements (posts) on this subject were in error because they were made with the pressure plate loose and the arms get effectively longer as they are compressed. I'm at about 2.06" avg of the three fingers with my 8BA 9.5" clutch and this puts it near the inside edge of the throw out bearing surface, close to the hub. This is consistant with Macs input on the subject.

Al

[Robert Dip]

I have been trying to read between the lines, and still am not sure of....What is the difference between an earlier 59AB flywheel and a later 49-53 ?? I presently have an a new aluminum flywheel that is supposed to be for a 49 & up. I want to use it on a 59AB engine with '39 Trans....is there a problem with this....starter engagement or whatever??
This has been bothering me for a long time...advice would be most certainly appreciated....Robert

[Junknshit]

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Reading and rereading this thread made something pop into my mind. Yeah, it hurt having to think for a moment.

One of these flywheels puts the ring gear further from the crank flange than the other one (out or in from the rear of the block). I know this isn't early Ford, but nailhead Buicks used different ring gear locations for stick and automatics, but used the same starter by using a spacer between starter mounting at engine and starter for one of them. This pulled the starter out to line up with the ring gear. (approx 1/2" thick) Is this something that could be the next aftermarket part for our flat motors?

[Russ/40]

Nice thought, but the problem is the reverse of what a spacer would resolve. A starter end plate that is thinner than stock to replace the stock one would be the answer for the problem. The starter needs to be moved to the rear of the vehicle. Perhaps a bendix modification would also solve the issue.

[Junknshit]

Aaaaaahhhhhh shoot Russ/40, now you made me have to think again.

[B_man_Al]

My clutch guy suggested the following solution to the 53/39 compatibility problem. From what we could see, the interferrence between the fingers and the TO bearing occurs on the TO bearing inner race, and not the collar. I have at least .040 to each finger from the collar. So he took the TO bearing apart and milled the inner race back so it now sits about 0.10" inside the TO bearing surface. The fingers will contact the surface at about 0.150" from the edge, in the engaged position, and should increase as the clutch is depressed.

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it should work. Attached is a photo of the modified bearing. Any tomatoes or cabbages to throw with this solution??

Al

[Russ/40]

That seems like it would work well. My personal preferences tend to lean toward not doing things that may get someone else down the line in trouble. Imagine 30 years from now, when the next owner goes and replaces the throwout bearing, he will be in for a very bad surprise.

[B_man_Al]

Maybe I better post a big warning sign inside the bell housing !! Is there an international symbol for this? (TO bearing with a red circle and a slash through it) Gonna try to see if it works OK tomorrow.

Al