hydraulic clutch thoughts

[Terry Rust <trust@domain.elided>]

Vinnie wrote:
>I was admiring the hydraulic throw out bearing Part #8288 on
>http://www.performancebodies.com/clutch/clutch.html and was
> wondering what the chances were of retrofitting such a puppy on a 304/T19?
>
>Is the IH clutch compatible with GM or anyone else..
> (I havent been there yet, but it would sure be nice to setup
> a hydro clutch assy..)

I thought I'd offer my thoughts, I have a CNC Hydraulics set up on my CJ as
do several folks in my club, we all like them really well. The CJs (for
those who don't already know this) have a stock mechanical clutch setup
that can leave you in a real bind under certain circumstances, my CNC set
up has cured those problems 100%. The kit noted above looks very similar
but I would suggest a couple things
1) get the push type slave cylinder, preferable with mounting ears in
place, I was able to use existing holes in my Jeep bellhousiong to easily
mount the slave cylinder.
2) Not sure about scouts, but if you get the hanging pedal assy you will
have a bunch of leftover parts, I just got a univ master cylinder with a
heim joint rather than the standard push rod end, and mounted it to the
firewall and the stock pedal.
3) run most of the line between the master and slave as hard line, a short
piece of braded SS brake line will save some serious cash over a long one.
4) I used the stock jeep adjuster nut to adjust the freeplay once I had it
all set up.

I like my hydraulic set up really well, the girl;ing referenced above looks
nice, a little cheaper, but I didn't compare apples to apples so it may be
a wash in cost, there are several other outfits that serve the desert
racers with hydraulic actuators, even hydro throttle cables!, so it would
pay to look around.

One note, a buddy used stock GM parts, he spent about what I did but his
Master cyl is at floor level (mine is right next to the brake MC) and his
resivoir is up high, so he has additional leak points between the cyl and
the res. Plus his res is prone to contamination if the hose were to be
severed.

my $.02, toodles

Terry  Rust

"Suppose your neighborhood is infested with off-road vehicle scum or you
chance upon an unattended muscle wagon where it shouldn't be. A quick slash
job is in order."
 Eco Defense,Dave Foreman. A New Ludd Book, Earth First! Books, Tuscon
Arizona 1985.