Help needed - fitting r380 to v8

If the 90mm is to the bearing slide tube, it's that that's touching the clutch splined part - and I think that it's either a reflection or rubbing marks where they're touching. Is the clutch disc the right way round?

Yes 90mm is from the very tip of the shaft to the bearing slide tube.

But it's 79mm from the bell housing face to the bearing slide tube... So that's our max travel. Then it's 60mm from flywheel face to the buldge of the friction plate.

Surely the smaller number is on the correct side? 60mm of "hole" and 79mm of shaft.. Thus, some shaft left over.

No?

farmershort said:

Yes 90mm is from the very tip of the shaft to the bearing slide tube.

But it's 79mm from the bell housing face to the bearing slide tube... So that's our max travel. Then it's 60mm from flywheel face to the buldge of the friction plate.

Surely the smaller number is on the correct side? 60mm of "hole" and 79mm of shaft.. Thus, some shaft left over.

No?

Click to expand...

flywheel sticks out from rear of engine so you need to add that in as well

jamesmartin said:

flywheel sticks out from rear of engine so you need to add that in as well

Click to expand...

Agreed, but it can't ever make contact with anything box side can it? It's the friction plate at the front of the action, for the given diameter of the shaft and bearing slide... So in my mind it should just be flywheel housing face to leading edge of friction plate. Which is 60mm

it means clutch fits further in to bellhousing than bellhousing face suggests, id remove clutch ,then if it fits ok try with just cover

jamesmartin said:

it means clutch fits further in to bellhousing than bellhousing face suggests, id remove clutch ,then if it fits ok try with just cover

Click to expand...

I'm not ignoring the clutch removal suggestion, it's just too late tonight, and I've got a mate coming to give me a 2nd pair of hands tomorrow... Just trying to do as much as possible with maths... And kind of enjoying it if I'm honest!

measure the distance of each from engine rear face then you can compare

The bearing tube wants to go in past the clutch cover surface by 16mm. I'm guessing that the surface of the splined centre boss is about 10mm in from that surface?

boguing said:

The bearing tube wants to go in past the clutch cover surface by 16mm. I'm guessing that the surface of the splined centre boss is about 10mm in from that surface?

Click to expand...

You mean the clutch cover spring tines to the friction plate spline boss leading edge?

James will know this - I've been told that there are different thicknesses of flywheel for the V8. This one has the back surface 35mm out from the ccase mating face. Is it the one that you'd expect James. (FarmerShort gave me that dimension elsewhere).

farmershort said:

You mean the clutch cover spring tines to the friction plate spline boss leading edge?

Click to expand...

No, I'm ignoring the springs, I meant the surface of the clutch cover to the back of the boss (the 'rim' around the taper that becomes splines). And is it slightly polished, or was it the light making it look that way in your pic?

The leading face of the friction plate boss (at the buldge, not the splines) to the leading face of the cover plate spring tines (so including the thickness of the tines) is 20mm.

But... The opening in the tines is about 50mm. The diameter of the bearing slide tube is more like 45mm. Ergo, the tube should be able to go in through the cover plate. I checked that the bearing has play when fitted, and it does.

boguing said:

No, I'm ignoring the springs, I meant the surface of the clutch cover to the back of the boss (the 'rim' around the taper that becomes splines). And is it slightly polished, or was it the light making it look that way in your pic?

Click to expand...

So straight edge across cover plate, to inner face of the friction plate boss? Sorry if I'm missing something..

The difference between the two highlighted bits!

So the inner red bit it what I was measuring to anyway... And the spring tines bend inwards slightly don't they... So the answer will be just over 20mm

Well, unless I'm missing something, that all looks OK. But it is perfectly possible that I am!

Are you absolutely sure that you don't want to nip out to the garage and whip the clutch off?

boguing said:

Well, unless I'm missing something, that all looks OK. But it is perfectly possible that I am!

Are you absolutely sure that you don't want to nip out to the garage and whip the clutch off?

Click to expand...

It'll take me an hour to get the gearbox all lined up and connected again, and pack up time... And I don't have a clutch alignment tool (till.my mate brings it tomorrow). I know there's the trick with the soft wood and a scrap clutch, but again, too late in the evening for all that.

If the maths is checking out, I'm edging toward the dowels... That right one being ever so slightly thicker, and the little bit of swarf I found in the bellhousing dowel hole.

Long story short... I'm too inexperienced.

I had effectively fitted the box correctly the other night... I just had no idea what was acceptable in terms of nipping the bolts up. Basically the new dowels were very tight on the holes, and needed ever so slight help from the bolts. But it all went in perfectly.

We did do the whole clutch off thing, but it was identical when it went back on.

So... Another of these mechanical task where there is no way of bypassing experience with knowledge.

Victory looks like this:

Well done! Looks very tidy.

Looking on the bright side - I now have a good set of dimensions to work from.