[LaserDad]

Well, my new Wilwood master cylinder didn't work out. I guess I should have done more research on it. Here is what the kit actually looks like:

Here's the one I already have:

You'll notice that the old one has a bleeder at the output. There is also more clearance between the reservoir inlet and the mounting flange, which allows you to put a bolt in from the master side, instead of the inside of the car. It may not seem like much, but the inside method will require someone helping you. The master side will allow you to do all of the mounting yourself.
The old one also has a narrower mounting flange, which will make it more compact. The newer one is more compact, but fatter.

Since GLHS60 has confirmed that we need a stroke of 1-3/16", the Howe slave cylinder might not work. Since it requires 0.99 cu in of fluid for a full stroke of 1-1/8", it's master will need to be larger.

I can get a larger size, but I am going to try the 3/4" version that I already have. Instead, I'm switching to the Wilwood slave cylinder. It has a slightly longer stroke, but only needs 0.60 cu in of fluid, for a full stroke.

This is the 3/4" version that I already have.

The 3/4" master has a volume of 0.48", so it shouldn't give a full length stroke, but Wilwood states that the 3/4" cylinder should work, so I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, I can try the 13/16" version.

What I like is that the 13/16" has the same outer dimensions, and features, as the 3/4" version. That means I won't have to modify the mounting brackets that I've already made.

The downside is that the parts won't arrive until the end of the week.

 

[LaserDad]

I was able to do some work on the clutch pedal. After cutting away the plate on the back, the pedal became more flimsy. Since the cable setup pulled vertically, the pedal was plenty strong. My setup puts the stress near the center, which tends to make the pedal twist side to side.

I replaced the nylon bushings with oiled bronze.

This is where I drilled a 5/8" hole for the pedal's mounting bushing, and a 1/2" hole for where the clutch slave cylinder's rod end will mount.

The clutch pedal shaft has a sleeve between the pedal and the mounting bracket.

When you use the two bushings, they are a little longer than desired. They end up overlapping the circlip groove, so you need to trim one of them.

I added a sleeve inside the pedal, for the bushings to go inside of.

This puts the clip snug to the bushing.

This makes the pedal much more rigid, but I still plan to box the back side, once I confirm that the holes are where I want them to stay.

Another strengthening approach is one that I say Tom Allard use. If you weld a piece of 3/4" pipe inside the pedal, it gets really stiff. I think it would make drilling the holes more difficult, but it would be really rigid.

 

[LaserDad]

I now have all of the parts that I think I need, but didn't have time to get very far. This is more of a teaser, but I am really encouraged.

The Wilwood slave cylinder looks almost identical to the Howe cylinder, but is shorter in overall length.

The only mods I made were to swap the rod end to the other shaft, and to shorten the threaded shaft.

That allowed me to really shorten the overall length, which will allow us to use the slave cylinder in place of the clutch cable.

The clutch arm can't be set any closer because each notch, on the clutch arm shaft, moves the other end of the arm 1-1/2 inches. All I had to do was open up the hole in the clutch arm, where the rod end mounts.

Tomorrow, I'll work on the firewall mounts, and re-test. I don't know how far the clutch arm will move, but I think this is going to work.

 

[LaserDad]

I didn't get to spend a full day on the car, but did manage to make some progress. I am going to use this post as an instruction for how to assemble the kit.

Here are the plates, including the original firewall spacer, which is being replaced by the aluminum spacer. Also, the spacer at the bottom right will not be used, so there are only four plates to work with.

In this post, I am only going to cover installing the two large plates. All of the holes need to be tapped. The holes won't need drilling, because they are already sized for tapping.

These are the four mounting holes from the master cylinder power booster.

From the inside of the plate, thread 4 long bolts through the plate.

Place the plate against the inside of the firewall, and put nuts on the other side. This will allow the plate to stay in position, while you mark where the other holes will be located.

Put the marks on the inside, as there is more room to work. Drill the holes to allow the 8mm bolts to pass through. For the clutch master, you can use a hole saw, or a large step bit drill.

Once you have the holes drilled, mount the other plate on, using only the two bolts where the brake master cylinder attaches. Remove the four bolts from the inside of the car.

Thread in all of the bolts, to make sure that your holes are positioned correctly.

Remove the two brake master cylinder bolts.

 

[LaserDad]

The mounting bracket for the pedal/steering column does not have holes for where the brake master cylinder bolts will protrude. Put the mounting bracket back in place.

From the engine compartment, locate where the holes need to be, and remove the mount.

You will need to drill a hole in the passenger side, but cut out a section of the driver's side, since there isn't enough room for a nut to go on.

To make the cut, I used a jigsaw with a long blade.

This is as far as I've gotten, but I hope to have enough time tomorrow, to actually try the hydraulic clutch.

 

[LaserDad]

I made some good progress today and am happy to say that the setup will work. This is a short video of it:

My wife laughed at it, but I couldn't be happier. It proves the concept works, and might encourage others to try it.

 

[LaserDad]

Here is the assembly process that I didn't finish yesterday. One thing to note is that the bolts that go through the firewall mounting plates need to be full threads. Otherwise, the plates won't fully compress.

This is how the inside will look. Note that the bolts are long enough to allow nuts to be added, to lock everything down, after you put the pedal/steering column brackets in.

 

[LaserDad]

This is the assembly that will support the brake actuating rod, so that it can't fall out of the master cylinder, no matter how much jarring it takes.

When I took the power booster apart, I salvaged the actuating rods and the rubber insert.

When you combine the two rods, the overall length is 135mm.

The rubber disc allows the rod to move freely, while keeping the nose of the shaft inside the master cylinder's recess. A cover plate ensures that the shaft can't fall out and become misaligned. I don't think it is absolutely necessary, but there's always that chance of something unforseen happening, and I believe in Murphy's Law.

The bores do not need to be aligned. In fact, if they are misaligned, the disc will not be able to get close to the master cylinder, which good.

When you press the brake pedal, the rod will need to be centered in the disc. That means that the disc's spacer section needs to be adjustable. By moving the brake pedal in and out, you can make sure that the disc is centered. Once that is done, pin the spacer to the inside mounting plate, making both plates one.

Then you can remove the two bolts and put the cover on, without worrying about the spacer plate moving.

The unknown is how the brakes will feel without the booster.

 

[LaserDad]

Now onto the clutch master. I already covered mounting it in a previous post, so I won't go over that part again.

I didn't know where the clutch rod should mount, so I ended up slotting the clutch pedal and trying different positions.

It seems that the best spot is 3" from the pivot point.

If the gap is less, the pedal will travel farther, but the clutch rod will bind inside the rear of the master cylinder opening. When I depressed the clutch pedal, it felt stiff, but I soon realized that it feels uniform, and doesn't have that changing feel that the cable setup has.

The pedal doesn't go all the way to the floor, but is only a couple inches from it. With carpeting and a floor mat, you probably won't notice it, once you get used to it. Also, I was surprised to find that the clutch pedal doesn't feel like it twists, as it is depressed. I will still box it in, but it may not be necessary.

So what's next? I want to try eliminating the rod end that mounts inside the clutch arm. I hope to move the arm an inch closer to the slave cylinder, making it more like the cable's orientation. The key is to make sure it doesn't bind. I'm convinced that the people who have failures have an alignment issue, which puts uneven stress on the internal piston.

 

[LaserDad]

I didn't get to spend much time, but was able to shorten the length of the slave cylinder setup. I removed the rod end and used a bushing to retain the cylinder's bolt, that used to go into the rod end.

The bushing is hollow steel, 1-3/8" long, with a 3/4" diameter. Since the bolt is 5/16-24", you can use a smaller diameter, solid or hollow, and probably aluminum. I wouldn't try hollow aluminum, though.

This setup allowed me to rotate the clutch arm one more tooth closer to the original position. It also should not require opening up the hole in the clutch arm, where the stock cable mounts. You also won't have to cut the bolt, because that only had to be done for the rod end.

I'm convinced that the Wilwood slave cylinder will work better than the Howe, because it is shorter, and allows a full stroke, using the Wilwood 3/4" master cylinder. The Howe cylinder has a slightly longer body, but it also has a much longer moving shaft, which can't be trimmed shorter.

I beefed up the clutch arm using steel spacers that I welded in place.

Here's the video of the latest mod:

I must confess that I found myself climbing into the car and pressing the clutch pedal, several times today. It sounds stupid, but it's so satisfying.

 

[LaserDad]

I want to finish up a couple things. I boxed the clutch arm much more than it needed. I probably didn't need to, as it didn't deflect once I tightened the rod end bolt.

Also, back in post#10, I showed the clutch master mounted so it was angled, with a bushing on the top bolt. Back then, I thought the angle would be needed to keep the rod from binding when the pedal was pushed in.

Once I changed where the rod end was mounted, the angle wasn't needed. That allowed me to just mount the master flat against the mounting plate.

That saved a lot of machining, as the angled adapter plate would have taken a lot of time to machine.

 

[LaserDad]

It's been way too long for an update, but I've almost reached the point where I can start the engine. All I'm waiting on is a new fuel pump. I just finished bleeding the hydraulic clutch and verified that there is 1-1/8" of clutch arm travel. That should be enough to do the job. I'll post an update, with video, when I can start shifting with a running engine.