by mhuppertz » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:16 pm
Here's some interesting flash traffic on the subject...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warlock_440
Clutchflite?? I think I've heard of them. Care to elaborate? Sounds interesting.
Devin
Well, let's see. I started with a clutchflite that was based off of a pushbutton 727 that had a very whacked valve body. I did a huge amount of research on what a 727 likes and doesn't, with a slant towards safety and durability. That research, plus the fact that i didn't want to use a pushbutton trans, made me want to upgrade it to a newer style 727. One problem cropped up though. The pushbutton trans had a smaller input shaft and stator support than the linkage shift 727, so if I wanted to update all of it, I had to have shafts made (input and pump drive tube). Also, when I took measurments, I found that the input shaft was one inch too short for a mopar bellhousing. (It turns out the trans was made for a chevy application.) I called Jim's Performance transmissions, and he said he could make me the shafts for $500. Well, he made a commitment he couldn't deliver on. He made the pump drive tube out of an old clutch turbo 400 tube, and put the two halves of it together with 1/8 inch roll pins. This was unacceptable to me, so I sent it back. I guess it's a good thing he didn't try to make the input shaft! I ended up having Mark Williams make them for me. It wasn't cheap, but the shafts were a work of art! I cut the bellhousing off of a case to accomodate the adapter plate (which also pilots the throwout bearing), and started the trans build. I used a lot of parts from A and A Transmissions, including thier aluminum front and direct drums, lightened sun shell, and bolt-in sprag.
Well, on to how it works. The clutch is for starting and stopping only. The pump is driven by the pressure plate release levers whenever the engine is running. The internal passages for torque converter oil flow are rerouted to send oil straight back to the lube circuit, and no cooler is needed, since there is no converter to make all that heat. It shifts like Godzilla kicked the back of the car, but it is not a driveline-clattering type of shift that would break parts. The best thing about it is that the stall speed is wherever I want it. At the strip, I dump the clutch at 5200 rpm, and it takes it all without a bit of complaint!