[TR] [Spits] Thrust washer "what if?"

[Mark J Bradakis]

By the time you hear noises the crank has already
machined its way into the block, crudely, I might add.
Well, one noise that you will hear is the grinding
of gears when shifting, as the clutch pushes the crank
into the space where the thrust washer used to be,
rather than compressing the diaphragm spring enough
to disengage.

A common problem on Spits, GT6s, TR250 and 5s, as
well as MG Midgets with the Spitfire 1500 in them.

One fix is to machine the main cap to hold an additional
thrust washer so there is a full 360 degrees of coverage
on the rear side.  That's the side that takes the lion's
share of the wear due to clutch usage.  Then the thrust
washers are pinned into position.  Of course, the fix has
to be done BEFORE the block and crank are destroyed.

mjb.