[Fot] Tilton Clutch Adventures

[WEmery7451 at aol.com]

Dear FOT,

About fifteen years ago, I bought a Tilton aluminum flywheel/clutch system
from Dave Webber of Melvern Racing.  This clutch setup has worked flawlessly
through many rebuilds and engine blowups until recently, when I did something
stupid.  I did not change the driven disc in time.  The lining disappeared from
the driven disc causing the clutch to slip, resulting in the pressure plate
heating and warping.

My machinist told me that he could get another pressure plate from a
warehouse, which he did.  We installed the clutch, and struggled the transmissi
on back
into the car.  After starting the car on jack stands, the clutch shifted
several times and then quit working.

Out with the transmission again, and the ears on the pressure plate were
bent.  They had caught on the little buttons in the faceplate.  At that time, I
figured that the machinist had furnished me with the wrong pressure plate (much
lighter than my original pressure plate).

After contacting both Tilton and their main supplier, Taylor Engineering; I
learned much to my discouragement that I had Tilton's updated modern pressure
plate, which has replaced the heavier one.  Both Taylor and Tilton told me that
I was bending the ears when I installed the pressure plate.  If this were
true, why did the clutch shift several times and then quit working?  I had also
installed the heavier pressure plate many times down through the years and
never bent the ears on it.

I asked Taylor if they could furnish me with the previous heavier pressure
plate.  After looking around their shop and not finding one, I was told that th
e
only way they were able to get this heavier pressure plate in the past for
customers was to order it from other distributors who might happen to have one.
The last time that they tried, they couldn't get one.  This seems to indicate
that other people were having the same problems with that new flimsy pressure
plate.

I have been using the stock throw-out bearing, which was used with the stock
diaphragm Triumph clutch.  This bearing is bigger in diameter than the bearing
recommended by Tilton.  I had found out years ago that Jack Wheeler was using
this bearing, so I continued on using it.  Both Tilton and Taylor told me
that it was acceptable to use this bearing.  It just made a difference in how
hard you had to push the pedal.

I mailed my clutch parts to Taylor for inspection, and ordered a new
faceplate and driven disc. He informed me that I had over stroked my faceplate.
  The
springs should be replaced.  I do not disagree with this.  My machinist showed
me how the flimsy pressure plate fingers would catch on the buttons and bend
if I over stroked the unit.

After receiving back my clutch parts and getting the new faceplate, we
installed the new faceplate with a new driven disc (a few more grunt hours
installing the transmission).  We could not make the new face plate disengage, 
even
after first rebuilding the master and slave cylinders, and then installing new
ones.

My machinist told me to bolt the new faceplate and driven disc down on the
flywheel that I am using, and bring them out.  He will put the unit in a press
to see if it will disengage.  It did disengage with a lot of pressure using the
stock throw out bearing.  He then used a smaller throw out bearing, and it
released with about half of the pressure.

I furnished him with an empty transmission case with linkage, guide tube, and
throw out bearing.  He is presently going to try to make me a spacer to
accommodate a smaller diameter throw out bearing.  Some material may have to be
removed from the guide tube.

I also had him remove enough material from the heavier warped pressure plate
to make it true, and to remove the same amount of material from the mounting
points of the old face plate.  In desperation, we installed this system and at
least this clutch now disengages.  We will not know if this system will work
until the car is on the track again (or will it slip with the modifications and
over-stroked springs?).  We also worked with the free-play to assure that the
clutch disengages near the floor, trying to prevent over stroking.

Tilton did tell me that they were coming out with a heavier pressure plate in
the spring - another indication that others are having problems with the new
flimsy pressure plate.

>From the vast knowledge of this list, would anybody be willing to offer
advice, recommendations, thoughts, insults on what we are doing wrong, etc.?
**************
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