Re: [T3] In the shop

["Keith Park" <topnotch@nycap.rr.com>]

Change your front main seal too... and be sure to use a RED one and not a
black one.

Your clutch problem sounds like a broken spring on the pressure plate or a
plate that was overheated for some reason.  Ive found the stock clutches
more than enough... even with the fully loaded boat behind my car I still
havent had any problems with the clutch in the past 91Kmiles, I do use the
sprung disc's though.

The Kennedy plates, or any high-pressure plate, have a couple inherant
problems that you should consider.
First off, they tend to tear the clutch stop out of the floor pan under the
pedal, the also break the clutch arms quite often, especially the early ones
will almost certainly break.  You can however beef up both these weak spots
and with a strong left leg... drive the stiff clutch without too much worry.

Keith

> What we found was uneven wear on the flywheel and to a lesser extent on
the
> pressure plate, which allowed the clutch to slip and bump on takeoff. Our
> leading hypothesis at this point is that the combination of the 1641 with
> the effectively taller first gear created by the ring and pinion change
has
> left the stock 200mm pressure plate relatively weak. Something to watch
for
> there if you're considering this sort of upgrade.
>
> While the motor's out we'll be fixing a leaky cam plug -- which will be
> replaced with a machined plug and O ring -- and resealing the deep sump,
> which was installed while on the car and so we couldn't get an ideal seal
on
> it.
>
> Something else to watch: I found that the main-jet plugs on both carbs had
> loosened up on their own just enough to seep. it might be wise to add a
> quick twist on those to your tune-up list.
>
> Since I'm not really into spending $200 for the Kennedy clutch, my
mechanic
> will be shopping for a deal on a clutch at the Copperstate show this
> weekend, and if nothing turns up there we'll be ordering a competition
> clutch from Chirco for around $100.
>
> Steven Ayres, Prescott AZ
> '66 343
>
>
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