Looking for a Particular T5 Thread

[TomT/Williamsburg]

I wanted to update you all on my progress. Presently I have the stock 39 style t-out bearing setup in place save for the t-out bearing itself. The t-out bearing I am using is an early 90s Camaro unit that matches the diaphram p-plate I am using. I have not modified the stock t-out bearing carrier - I have just placed the Camaro bearing in front of the stock carrier. Everything lines up, has clearance, and will work very nicely IF I can get the center 1 1/16" 10 spline center in the clutch to be about 1/2" longer towards the tranny. That will give it a better byte on the splines of the main shaft of the tranny. I presently have only about 1/2" on it and less when the clutch is engaged. Fort Wayne Clutch is working on a solution and I hope to hear from them Monday .....

So - to the pictures ....

First pic - in case you do not know, I am using the Cornhusker adapter and kit. However, the hole for the return spring was too far forward (that is the tab with the hole in it), and left play in the cross shaft arm that could have resulted in the carrier popping out of the embrace of the clutch fork ....
Second pic - Johnrodz had come over to visit and suggested I drill a hole and run a cotter pin into the adapter to move the attach point further back, resulting in a tighter setup and no chance for the clutch fork to disengage itself from the carrier ....
Third pic - this is the t-out bearing "at rest" and the blue line represents the contact point of the fingers of the diaphram p-plate
Fourth pic - this is where the t-out with reside once the clutch pedal is pressed
Fifth pic - when everything is all together, this is where the clutch disk will sit on the main shaft of the tranny
Sixth pic - this shows how far "off" the splines of the main shaft the disk will be. The disk can reside as in the fifth picture if the center of the clutch disk has its main splined center be about 1/2" bigger going towards the center, leaving 1" of that center on the untapered portion of the splined end of the main shaft.

Hopefully, this is not clear as mud!

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Comments?

[38bill]

On mine there is play in the cross arm fork until the clutch pedal linkage is attached and that puts tension on it so the fork can not pop off. I believe that is typical. I think you really need it to be attached to the clutch pedal in the car to be able to see whats really going to work with your pedal travel. That's why I stuck with the stock overall length of the hub and TO bearing. It appears to me that yours is way to long to work. Can you shorten the stock hub like I did? What holds the Chevy bearing to the hub?

[TomT/Williamsburg]

I appreciate your comments - your working setup is really what has pushed me to get this accomplished .....

You are absolutely right though - I need to bolt everything together to see how she works. The t-out bearing will just be tack welded to the carrier in three spots and I can cut down the carrier for more clearance so I am good there. My main concern now is the clutch disk - hopefully Fort Wayne Clutch can come up with something .... if not I may have to be a bit more creative for that center piece .....

I will keep you posted ....

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Keeping you informed .....

Well, there is no clutch disk out there as per Fort Wayne Clutch to solve my problem so they are sending me another center piece. Once I mock everything up and determine what I need for length, I will weld the two pieces of center section together, trim it to size and send it to Fort Wayne Clutch for them to make a new clutch disk for me.

This is breaking new ground I know - I have my good friend Dave Havlir at House of Fab who is an excellent tig welder and, vs starting all over again, this is my only option at this time. Nothing ventured, nothing gained ......

[TomT/Williamsburg]

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I did a full mock up of the clutch setup which proved what I had suspected about the clutch disk residing only about 1/2" on the untapered splines (vs the 1" it should be on). I will talk to Fort Wayne Clutch one more time regarding some specific measurements. I did receive their center and I must say it is a lot heavier duty than what the cheap Chinese disk I have has. There is a clutch disk place in Richmond I will present my problem to as well. So, that portion is still in the works but .....

The t-out setup is going to work just fine - I have at least 3/8" clearance between my t-out bearing and the fingers of my p-plate ( check pic). No machining of the stock t-out carrier is needed. I also put some paint on the tranny main shaft through the fingers of the pressure plate to where the clutch disk sits on the shaft to determine the clutch disk position when not changing gears.

Here are some pics - you can see where I thought the clutch disk would reside on the splined shaft and I was pretty much spot on ..... I will keep you posted on this.

On a side note, my project as a whole suffered setback when my frame was discovered not to be straight yet again. I was trying to square up the front and rear suspension and it kept being off on the diagonal measurements. So, my buddy, jacksandeuces on the HAMB, who has built many 32s, came over and verified things were not right. He graciously offered to put my frame on his 32 frame jig after labor day .... that's hot rodding .....

[TomT/Williamsburg]

The welding of the two center hub pieces failed miserably - the two metals had so many impurities they both oozed oil when we tried to weld them. Now I am looking into making a center hub at the length I need or shaving of one or both of the adapters to get the difference I need ....

Nothing is ever easy .......

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Another update - a buddy of mine told me that some clutch disks from his racing days were made with shims or spacers to move the center hub of the clutch disk closer towards the tranny or further way, depending as their combination needed. I will go back to the local clutch shop in Richmond and see what they have to say ..... he used a riveted center hub like I presently have ...

Here are some pics of the weld process - to me it looks like a stick weld and my buddy confirmed it saying it was probably a nickel plated stick rod with the flux removed from the outside of it and then used in a tig weld.

If these updates are not relevant to anyone, I will stop - they are kind of off topic but I thought they might be of some interest to those doing or thinking of doing a similar motor/trans combo or run into a similar situation ..... you can PM me with your comments if you like ....

[38bill]

Tom, Keep going. I love seeing how others attack and solve problems.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Hey,c thanks - but if you follow me I tend to take a kind of erratic course! I do try to think outside the box however, I am not afraid to fail (just disappointed and frustrated when I do), and there's ALWAYS more than one way to skin a cat!

[white64]

is this what you guys are looking for, it's what I used on my '40 t5/8ba...

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Search...ide%20Bushings

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Thanks but no - we are trying to mate a Chevy p-plate to a Ford clutch disk for a Ford T5 trans. This requires a special t-out bearing setup, which is resolved, but the clutch disk is only on about 1/2" of splines on the main shaft to the trans. I need 3/4" plus of byte on the splined or else I will just shear off the main shaft splines on a hard launch.

Mush of what is out there is for a Chevy pattern T5 - the Ford is different, takes a different adapter. My tabs usxa T5Z which is the trans Tremec based on.

Read back in the thread and you will get more info .....

[TomT/Williamsburg]

A long day today, talking to many people about my problem after the long weekend. The result is that I am going to shave down my T5 adapter and what ever I get out of that is what I get - looks like a minimum of 1/4", maybe even up to 3/8". This was suggested by Russell Martin, the nail head guru I have ordered my parts from.

I ordered a McLeod clutch disk, 673-260130, so I can mock everything up, make my measurements, and know how much to shave off. I will also check my t-out bearing clearances and see if I need to shave the stock t-out bearing holder ....

Minimum I am hoping for is 3/4" of a byte - I would be ecstatic with 7/8-1". We shall see .....

[JSeery]

This sounds like a much better approach to me. Will you have enough clearance on the end of the input shaft and the pilot bearing?

[TomT/Williamsburg]

That is why I need to do a mock up and take careful measurements ....... I will keep you posted .....

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Got my new clutch disk in and I really like the way the center hub is mounted, moving it closer to the tranny, in essence helping to solve my problem. I will mock things up tomorrow to see how much of a shave I need on the adapter....

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Finally got a chance to check things out and it looks like I gained a little more than a 1/16th with this new clutch disk and I will shave the adapter just about 3/8". That will give me almost an inch of byte. I can't ask for anything more than that. I will have to shave the stock ford t-out bearing carrier about 3/8" as well.

The shave on the adapter is about where the black line is, even with the slight indentation on the adapter ....