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Old January 22nd 2016, 05:10
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owdlvr owdlvr is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Canada - West Coast
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So the clutch project is going to need a milling machine...and, realistically, it’s going to take a couple of test parts to get it all correct and working. I mean, true, I could painstakingly measure and model the inside of the bell housing, but it’s faster to make a part, revise it, and make a new one. So…I kinda went overboard on “the Christmas bonus”...



Okay, its not a ‘real’ mill, but rather one of the smaller “Mill/Drill” machines. Table size is 33”x8.5” and its got a 1.5hp motor in it. At 650lbs, it’s about the largest machine I can get and still realistically move. Plus, it’s the perfect fit in our garage, any larger and it would be a pain to squeeze in there. So far I’ve found it to be quite capable, even using a 3” facing mill was no problem at all. True, I won’t be taking ¼” of steel off in a single pass, but do a number of light passes and it works just fine.



The Tilton slave cylinder finally arrived, and I sat down at the computer to remodel the adapter using some thoughts I’ve had while waiting. My original design couldn’t fit the 0.150” clearance they spec between the bearing and clutch fingers. If I swap out the studs holding the clutch guide tube with button-head hardware, however, I can do even better.

I suppose I should mention at this point that I’ve never actually been trained on a mill. My high school didn’t have a shop class, and while I’ve borrowed a buddies once or twice it’s always been for a specific modification to a pre-built piece. Turning a chunk of metal from the store into a finished part is totally new. I’ve used a lathe a fair bit, made a bunch of parts there from scratch, so I did have some knowledge to work from, but not a lot that was mill specific. I think it’s much easier now a-days, especially with the You-Tube. Not sure how do something, there’s a video for that!

After working out the part design, I worked out what I think are the most logical steps to make the part, ensuring the front and back both end up “on center”. First I had to make a pallet to go on the rotary table, something big enough that I could bolt the parts, and a jig to. Then I made a simple jig to hold the part after the first flip.



And then I started machining the “bottom” of the adapter. The bottom, or bell housing side, integrates the clutch tube mounting shape into it. Originally I was going to make the part to fit over the factory clutch tube, but I figure I’ll just machine in the necessary bits. The backside will be done in two stages, first the main steps, then the part is flipped for front-side machining. Then it will be flipped one last time for some final work on the back.


...will make more chips tomorrow.

-Dave
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