Is anyone using a hydraulic throw-out bearing in their /6 with the A833od?? If so, what brand?

Thanks,
John Brayton

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1962 Plymouth Valiant

I had a friend who put a hydraulic T/O setup in his 68 Barracuda- 833 non-OD 4 speed (shouldn't be any different from your OD box). He had used an adjustable unit from McLeod as well as their hose & M/C. This was years ago before this was "popular" swap so he had to do a fair bit a fabrication to mount the M/C & get the pushrod "just right"- I think they might have kits now that need less/no fabbing. The end result worked great.

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63 Valiant Wagon
225 - 4 bbl

Thanks for the reply!! We have the car together at the moment but the tranny is making noise....I assume it needs rebuilding. While the tranny is out I would like to clean up the clutch fork area and the hydraulic TO bearing looks like a possible solution.....Hope to hear from others and their experiences.

Regards,
John Brayton

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1962 Plymouth Valiant

hi sl6 sages- i would never do this. prefer the low maintenance zbar and clutch fork because it is very reliable and seems more suited to the chrysler type borg and beck 3 finger clutch plate. have had bad luck with these in the bell housing t/o bearings. have had two of them leak prematurely (in a saturn) at a high cost of repair. all i had to do with a zbar clutch/fork release was replace the plastic cup bearings at the ends of the zbar(usually after 100k miles). the hydraulic t/o bearings i have seen worked with a diaghram clutch plate not the borg and beck type. the borg and beck exerts more clutch pressure on the t/o bearing which puts more stress on the hydraulic bearing. some units use a regular fork and t/o bearing actuated by a push rod on an external hydraulic cylinder bolted to the outside of the bell housing. much easier to replace these. just my 2 cents. regards bob f

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the input....I have a 65 Barracuda with all stock clutch/z-bar and it works great. The 62 Valiant is another story....very little room for exhaust and clutch operating system below the starter. I'm hoping to find someone that has used a hydraulic t/o bearing to see if it offers any advantages.

Regards,
John Brayton

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1962 Plymouth Valiant

bob does have a point- my friend DID put in a diaphram type clutch pressure plate. I'm not sure I would try the hydraulic concentric T/O setup on a B & B plate either. On modern cars/trucks, most all use diaphram plates- I seldom see hydraulic failures in general. But, when I do it's usually due to a seeping M/C or (conventional) slave cylinder, almost never due to a leaking concentric-style slave.

If you're concerned about (possible) leaks & parts replacement, you might consider a "normal" style hydraulic setup with an external slave cylinder on the bellhousing like the 80's pick-ups.

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63 Valiant Wagon
225 - 4 bbl

I've seen that mess in a 66 Dart, and dutra duals into a single pipe is about the best option given the lack of room for all the linkage in this body. I will also concur on the need for a diaphragm clutch cover for the hyd. TO bearing... but that leaves too few choices for the slant six field: the discontinued McCleod unit or a crappy Spec Clutch.

FYI.

-D.Idiot

Hi DI,

Thanks for the response. All the feedback I've gotten so far has been neutral to negative. I guess if it was a great idea we would hear more success stories. My rebuilt tranny will be here early next month so we'll see between now and then if anyone says they are using this system successfully.

JB

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1962 Plymouth Valiant

my 68 w-100 slant 3 spd had a hyd clutch

I think he's contemplating using the version that has a concentric piston that is coupled to the bearing retainer like the late vehicles have (I think Lou used this version on his T-5 conversion). I know the 60's trucks with 3 spd and NP-435 and some late Trucks used a kind that had a single pot master cylinder mounted to the firewall and actuated a slave cylinder that pushed the clutchfork (NP435 early 60's trucks had the slave mounted on the passenger side of the bellhousing, then switched to the driver's side on some 80's D-150's). I also know that it was a leaky system, and the clutch actuation was fine for hauling stuff but would not work for speed shifting or racing....

-D.Idiot

hi sages- curious- who ever made a good diaphragm clutch for a slant six car? also i had a 61 valiant and never had a problem with the z bar clutch linkage and exhaust. how did that issue develop. nifty little floorshift those models had too. the external hydraulic slave would be ok though but only with a diaphragm clutch. the b and b plate has spring pressure which i think would cause premature leaking or burst the hydraulic hose. only problem with the z bar was the ear would crack and have to be rewelded after 200k miles and of course the split half cup bearings in the zbar shaft. let me know what you think. bob f