Inquiring minds want to know-Throw out/clutch finger issue

[BobM]

Originally Posted by ken ct

Last i heard John FWC was out of cores with the adj. screws,so unless you send in a core to them with the screw adj your out of luck.You buy one of their cores w/o them.If thats the case i would scoure the swaps for a core with them to send in.Only what ive heard.ken ct.

Just spoke to Scott FWC and says they have a new batch of early Ford pressure plates.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by BobM

Just spoke to Scott FWC and says they have a new batch of early Ford pressure plates.

Did you ask him if they have Made in the U.S.A. throw out bearings?

[Straightpipes]

Dick, I appreciate your attempt to gather information on this potential problem. There is a guy up here having throwout bearing noise in a 47 Ford. The clutch was assembled 3 months ago with one that he got from Lou. He is pulling the engine this week and I'll get a good look at it. I put an inspection scope in there but couldn't see it well enough to identify a problem. Butch

[russcc]

If you are looking for a USA made TOB, I suggest calling Fred Wilner at South Side Obsolete in Faribault MN. If there are any US ones, Fred would likley have them.

[BobM]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

Did you ask him if they have Made in the U.S.A. throw out bearings?

John, didn't find out about the t/o bearings as I have to call back tomorrow as they want to be sure that we get the right p/p to match the t/o bearing; it was after closing when I called. Will let you know about Made in U.S.A. t/o's.

[37fordpickup]

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Sent my pp and cluth to FWC right after Christmas for rebuild and they shipped it back out the same day. When I asked if they also had TO bearings the answer was negative. I have a very good looking setup now and I almost hate to install the tranny and cover it all up.

[Terry,OH]

28-48 Pilot Bearing B-7609 Balkamp 3-4100, NCH 6203 2NSE9C3, KOYO 6203RS

28-48 Throwout Bearing 78-7580 Federal Mogul, BCA 2065

[Hoop]

"Attention Wal-Mart shoppers .... we have a Blue Light Special in the throw out bearing section."

Consider this.

Are high quality bearings only made in the USA?

Some of the best performing bearings go into ... Asian automobiles and trucks ... into European automobiles and trucks.

Do the Asian and European car makers insist on USA bearings?

... Try imagining what it would be like to attempt to sell an American bearing in Japan.

Problem is that Americans have developed a reputation for being "Wal-Mart shoppers."

China can produce anything in any quantity and any quality. Why are we seeing cheap throw out bearings?

... Come on. You know the answer.

(Surprising how many used, old T.O. bearings are still good.)

[jerry grayson]

HOOP, ditto on the good used TO bearings. I keep all the used ones along with the used U-Joints.

[Straightpipes]

Ha Hoop, You have a point. I put 200,000 on a Nissan pickup and never changed the clutch.......

The problem with imported parts is that the importer accepts the crap and the buyers are programmed to accept inferior products. Years ago folks demanded quality.

[barnfind08]

I only have 600 throw-out bearings u.s.a. left at the moment when they are gone they are gone. These were from the u.s. government about 30 years ago. My address and phone number is on my partial website southside obsolete.com the cost is 24.00 plus 6.00 postage.

[rickmass]

This might not be the right post but does any one know how to gease the throw bearings on a 1934 ford pickup with a 59ab motor.Tank,s Rickmass

[revenski]

I would like to bring this post back into an active status. I have a ’38 one ton 4 speed with an 11” inch clutch. I am doing a complete ground up restoration, and just received a “New” replacement clutch and pressure plate. My concern is that there are differences between the parts which I removed from the truck and the new parts that I received. Before I go any further, the old parts were badly rusted and the truck probably hasn’t run for decades.

One of the differences that I see is that the clutch release levers are slightly longer and do not have any adjustment screws. The discussion in this thread provides some thought on this issue. My other concerns focus on differences between the old clutch plate and the new replacement. I see 3 differences right off: 1) the splined hub on the old part is 1 5/8” long or high and the hub on the new part is only 1 1/16”; 2) there are only 5 larger damper springs on the new plate as opposed to 8 smaller springs on the old plate; and 3) the total thickness of the clutch disk with linings for the new plate is 11/32” as opposed to 7/16”.

Am I asking for troubles down the road if I use these “new” replacement parts, can I proceed safely with these parts, should I consider modifications or other options? Once I get my tonner going, I would prefer not to find the need to replace the clutch and pressure plate because of problematic variations in design. Your additional insights would be greatly appreciated.

[JM 35 Sedan]

You may want to consider finding good original 11" clutch and pressure plate cores and send them to Ft. Wayne Clutch for rebuild. I don't trust the origin and quality of the new replacement C&PP's being sold today.

[wingerdinger]

As long as the thread is revitalized, I am going to respond. It seems you can't really get to the root of the problem without getting brand specific.
I replaced the clutch and pressure plate on my `35 Big Truck, 11".
My old one had the adjustable fingers. The new one has longer fingers, but the clutch and pressure plate came as a 'kit', with a new pilot bearing, and a new throwout bearing. The throwout bearing has the working surface all the way to inside, with no protruding hub at all.. problem solved.
I can't find my paperwork, but this kit was bought at a local auto parts store, and it claimed to be American made.
Without any previous knowledge or experience, I made my purchase decision based on the fact that sometimes there are improvements in design over original design, and I was very interested in getting away from the hard push of the original clutch.

[revenski]

I did purchase the clutch, pressure plate and bearings as a kit, and it appears to me that the TOB may mesh with the clutch release levers without a problem, but I'm not certain with what I read here. I'm still wondering about the clutch variations.

[rotorwrench]

I don't know if any company manufactures a "NEW" Long type clutch that is made like the OEM Borg Warner parts were back in the day. Personally, I gravitate towards "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. I send all my old OEM types to Ft Wayne Clutch too. Their turn around is quick and quality is excellent.

The new stuff might work fine but I've heard more than one problem story the last couple of years. The 11-inch clutch has some strong springs originally but with the advent of better Marcel sping facings in the clutch disk stack, the need for heavier springs is not as necessary as it once was but I still like the flyweights of the early design. Those flyweights hold a lot better tension on the disk at higher RPMs and decrease the load on the clutch pedal.

[Fordors]

The marcel is used in some discs only to provide a softer engagement of the clutch. As it is flattened out the wavy marcel spring cushions the engagement and will have no effect on the static load of the pressure plate. If you use a disc with a marcel on an application that did not have one before keep in mind that you will need more throw out bearing travel to compensate for the marcel springing back to it's relaxed state.

[revenski]

The original clutch had a Marcel spring as does the new clutch. The difference here is that the old clutch had a solid disk from the center hub to the outer edge. The replacement does not have this solid disk. I’m doing a little more reading and am learning a little more about clutch design. The damper springs in the old clutch and drive limit pins allowed for much less travel than the damper springs and limit pins in the new clutch. I’m sensing that the increased travel is a good thing for comfort. As a side note, this truck is being restored stock as much as makes sense.

[expavr]

"As a side note, this truck is being restored stock as much as makes sense." Food for thought if you're still undecided. When I restored the tonner I changed from the 11" clutch to a 10" clutch which makes a difference if you're planning to use the 4 speed trans and do much driving. The double clutch action in traffic can be a pain with the heavier springs. The change involved re-drilling the flywheel for the 10" clutch.