[Fot] Spit clutch question

[Brad Kahler]

The later single rail gearboxes will also bolt up to the aluminum bell 
housings but a few mods need to be made. 

You can see in the following picture the hole that we added to the 
aluminum bell housing for the shifter rail.  Unknown to me there is a 
small oil weep hole on the steel bell housing that was absent in our mod 
of the aluminum bell housing.  Thanks to Tony Drews who spotted the 
issue with the weep hole while we were racing at Mid-Ohio in 2002 we 
found that with that weep hole left uncovered every time Susan applied 
the brakes (she doesn't do that to often!) oil would pour through the 
hole into the clutch area and of course caused a huge oily mess. 

http://www.141.com/triumphs/projects/tristan/photos/Bell-housings.jpg

I don't have a picture of the patch welded over the hole but once we did 
that the massive oil leak went away.  Bottom line is you have to provide 
clearance for the shifter rail to protrude into the clutch area and then 
you have to weld a bubble type patch over it to allow the oil from the 
shifter rod to drain back into the transmission.

Brad


robertten1 at aol.com wrote:
> Amici -
>
>
>
> The alluminum flywheel sounds great from a weight savings point of view but ... its one of those conversions that unfortunatlely lacks all the pertinent details to make the swap successfull.? Unfortnately I do not remmember what that particular detail was, I vaguely remember something about modifing the T/O Bearing carrier (?)? There are 2 different T/O bearing carriers: one is for the very early Spits with the 3 finger B&B pressure plate/ flat flywheel.? The other is for all the Spits with the diaphram laycock pressure plate/ recessed flywheel.? No I do not no which is for which just that one is longer than the other.?
>  
>
> As for the bellhousings ... cast iron versues the alluminum there is no dimentional difference, between the gearbox and rear of the engine.? Thus they are very interchangable with no secrets to make the swap other than what has been stated about the thin versuses the thicker alluminum casting.? From prior experience you DO NOT WANT the thin cast housing, it WILL CRACK radially around the flange and cause severe problems.? How can you tell if you have the thick alluminum bell housing?? Hold it side by side to a cast iron bellhousing -? it should look as if it came for the same mold, flange should be the same thickness as well as the rest of the unit.? The thinner alloy bellhousings have a smoother less ribbed finish? and obviously thinner all around compared to the iron bellhousing.
>
>
> The alloy housing will bolt up to the GT6 gearbox for those going for a CR Gearbox set up.
>
> Good luck all,
> Bob T
> '64 Spit GT? autocrosser