Let's Talk Clutch

[maacobob]

Hi Guys,

As we all know those old AA Trucks can sure pull a load. The clutch system at that time was heavy duty and real tough to operate. It's now eighty years later and I'm trying to put some life back into this old popcorn truck. I'm hoping to get a lot of opinions on what I'm thinking of doing.

This truck was not running for a long time and the clutch pedal would not move at all. I've been advised to think that the clutch disk was frozen. I soaked it down with Rust Buster and now I have some movement in the clutch pedal. If this is normal and this clutch pedal is going to be that tough to work with, I want to make some changes. I'm thinking of changing to the lightened flywheel with a pressed on ring and a V8 pressure plate and disk. Do I need to make changes in other things such as the starter or the throw-out bearing? Pretty much any parts or pieces that are related to this clutch set-up.

Let's get a whole lot of chatter going on the "pros and cons" how to? why? and why not? Who sells the best product and are there any books, prints or pictures for what I'm trying to do? Keep in mind this truck will have limited weekend use, no heavy loads driven by some old guy with a bad left hip (that's me).

Thanks!

Bob

[smilebigtt]

I would say to call several of the parts catalogs and ask their tech people. Question, by putting in a lighter flywheel aren't you defeating the reason thses trucks could do such heavy work? By reducing the flywheel weight aren't you therefore reducing the force of momentum needed for designed engine operation?

[Hardhatz]

Starting when I was about 6 I used to drive my Dad's AA around the farm for hours on end & I was so little I had to lift the steering wheel like a barbell up to my chin to push the clutch to get it in gear. Then, I'd jump up on the seat to see where I was going, cos I could not see out with me feet on the pedals Then, use the hand throttle & steer it. Probably took me 3 or 4 years to get it above 2nd gear, after I got tall enough to see out while pushing the clutch.

As I recall that I feel wistful about how we have evolved to the point most kids don't get to do things like that. I wonder what was going through my dad's head at the time, for his patience & trust must have been under duress, but he never said a word.

To address your question Bob, Look into the idea of a helper spring. You'd need to add an arm & spring that was just over center with the pedal fully up. Lots of cars in the 60s & 70s had such a thing, in case you need to peek at something to see how they work. I had one on a 70 Torino, something like this:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6592494-0-large.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1967-Fai ... _500wt_898

The idea is you situate the spring so it PRESSES DOWN on the pedal for you, all except for the last 2 inches of up travel. At that point, you pass over center so it stops pressing, and in fact lifts the pedal slightly. If you find a pedal set like this in a junkyard and the trans is out, the clutch pedal will generally be very tightly stuck to the floor. Use care in playing with it, without the pressure plate to absorb the spring pressure, the pedal will snap down quite forcefully after you press it down an inch or 2.

This is a pretty simple fix that really works. Probably cut the effort in half or more.

[E.Moore]

If you lighten the flywheel, your engine will develop more RPM. Do you want that with a low gear AA rear end ?

If the original clutch is removed and the clutch housing is not cracked, replace the worn clutch & brake pedal shaft, make sure the pedals are not bent or worn out and rebend them and rebush them and replace the worn out pedal return spring, clevis pins, trunion, pressure plate and clutch disc with a 9-3/4" diameter disc ( a standard 9" will do just fine) with spring dampened center section, new USA made release bearing and new USA pilot bearing and a new clutch release fork & hub and replace the transmission input shaft bearing collar if the old one shows any sign of wear. The original flywheel should get a new starter ring gear and a good cleaning. That should be enough without going overboard.

If you like spending lots of money, go for all the modifications that people make to get more power from their engines. People primarily do the modifications to the cars and not the AA trucks, to make the cars go faster. I'd like to see a few AA's sailing along at 5800 rpm at 50 mph. Might run hot, or maybe not. Maybe a rod knock would result, or maybe not. I'd rather watch a tightly twisting AA on YouTube, instead of standing next to the road. My feet get slippery and I can't walk very good when oil gushes from an engine.

If the clutch is repaired with genuine Ford parts, (they can still be found if one is patient) the amount of pedal pressure is about the same as the Model A car, which is certainly not excessive.

[maacobob]

hey

sorry i didn't say this a pleasure ride working days were over a long time ago

so heavy duty is not the key word here

i want a new dependable very easy to operate clutch my thought is light weight fly wheel v8 set up i hear it's the way to go

has anyone done this ?

can i get some feed back ?

[Chris Haynes]

I would simply remove the pedal, remove the rust, lube the shaft, spray Aerocroil in the throwout shaft, grease the throwout bearing and drive it.

[REM]

[quote="maacobob"]
i want a new dependable very easy to operate clutch my thought is light weight fly wheel v8 set up i hear it's the way to go




I don't believe the lightened flywheel and V-8 clutch will be any more dependable or easier to operate than the stock set-up.

The V-8 clutch is necesssary if lightening the flywheel and the light flywheel is most beneficial with a modified engine in a light vehicle. It allows the engine to rev quicker (seem snappier) but has little to do with power.

The stock set up in your truck is much better for the application.

[maacobob]

hey now thats what i'm talking about , i really do appreciate the info .

there is a lot of info on a web such as this to be shared, it does all of us alot of good to know how & why things work again thanks

i'll get back later on some interesting items if i can ask more questions to rem & e. moore
any one else have there thoughts on this lets hear them.
thanks guys
bob

[maacobob]

hey

i hear all that every one commented great stuff to me it proves that this is a good places for info we all have & can share

if a light fly wheel will rev higher and cause more harm then good like a possable rod knock
that we don't need we don't need a lighter wheel ias we are not running a performance eng.

is it true that it will spool down faster & make it easer to shift ???

one other comment was to keep it stock i;m ok with that i really need more then anything is easy pedal operation

with a stock rear gear is it harder on the eng to rev to high ????

what is stock rpm ???
thanks every one

bob

[tiredtruckrestorer]

Hello Bob,

Maybe you should consider using a regular Model A clutch and pressure plate. The AA's pressure plate had heavier springs and thus makes the clutch pedal harder to push. If your truck is not going to haul loads and or your popcorn truck body is not real heavy, then you may get away with just the regular pressure plate and smaller diameter clutch disk.

Keith

[maacobob]

keith

thats just what i might do after all the info i've gotten and it's all been great to hear

i think keep it simple and the csr clutch sounds like it

thanks every one
bob