<VV> 7/8 inch pressure plate compression

[djtcz at comcast.net]

snipped and bottom posted

-------------- Original message -------------- 
have checked everything again and my measurements were accurate (approx.
7/8" finger compression).  Also, I have confirmed that I have an early
flywheel (not recessed), and a flat fingered pressure plate.  There is just
a lot of pressure plate compression that occurs as the bolts are tightened,
which results in the fingers ending up relatively close to the clutch disk
hub.  It makes sense to me that, given such a situation, I would have
problems getting the disk to fully release, which is consistent with the
symptoms I have been experiencing.

At this point, I don't know what to do.  If nothing else I will call Lon at
CU as soon as they are open and ask if the pressure plate could be too thick
or something.  (Is it possible to tell anything by getting the "standard"
measurements of the distance between the pressure plate ring and the "legs"
that bolt to the flywheel, so I can compare those to mine.)  I am at a loss.


Clark's shows 63 and earlier flywheels as flat, and later ones as stepped.

My recollection of my late's flywheel was stepped, with the friction surface some distance below the pressure plate mounting surface. If some one resurfaced the flywheel "flat" and eliminated the correct step, the result would be similar to what you described.  My 1965 Chassis shop manual does not describe the step or provide a dimension, but the cutaway Fig 7.1 shows a step whose height is about 1/2 the driven fricton disk thickness. The specifications say the friction material is 0.135 inch thick. 


--
Dan Timberlake