[PROPEL]

Well, since I have not installed my Unorthodox flywheel or S-10 clutch yet...

I'd like to beef up the stock clutch fork by boxing it in with new steel. Has anybody done this before? Any advice or pitfalls before I head in this direction?

The reason I'm considering this is because I once had an Opel clutch fork split in two on me while in stop-and-go traffic... metal fatique on the 30+ year old part. Don't want this improved drivetrain to overstress the new fork in the same way.

Walter

 

[RallyBob]

Use caution! The clutch fork is hardened steel, designed not to bend. It will probably crack at the extreme limits of the welds due to embrittlement. I've never welded one personally, but I've seen them reinforced and they always crack. I suspect if you annealed it first, then welded it, then heat treated it again, it would be fine.

Interestingly, the clutch fork for my ZF tranny is not stamped steel, but rather cast steel (solid and heavy). Since the ZF was made for motorsports, this may have been a weak point back in the day.

Bob