VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 clutch collar and clutch lining 1919 FB 50

I need some information about the clutch collar and clutch lining fo a 1919 FB50. The clutch collar is made of wood but what kind of wood and how thick was it when it was new? Is there a better high tech material that has a proven track record? "Phenolic" has been suggested has any one used it? I have heard of people using Kevlar for the clutch lining but have heard nothing about how long it last. Is it really better than the leather? Where can I find the leather or Kevlar lining or the wood collar? Is there any one who keeps these things in stock? Gosh I have a lot of questions that I need answers to. I would appreciate any help or suggestions. Thanks thutch

I have seen several things use hard maple soaked in melted parrafin wax used for bearings. One example was the old radio flyer kids wagons from the 60s or earier used hard maple for wheel bearings. No kidding, but Dad still uses my sisters old wagon to haul firewood up to the house as we have done since the late sixties and no wheel failure yet. Also some old hay balers used mard maple for bearings on the plunger. Those run in a lot of dust and have a lot of force put against them when baling. They last for years! My old New Holland model 68 baler was about 40 years old when they were finally replaced! Depending on the bale size, and the amount of hay going in the plunger can run 20 or more cycles per bale and it doesn't take too many years to get 1000 bales logged on the counter. My guess is Chevy used hard maple soaked in melted wax for that collar. Dad just used leather for the clutch in his 490 since he worked for an industrial supply company that sold leather belting at that time.

Bob, Thanks for the information. Do you have any idea how thick the clutch collar was when it was new?

I sure don't have an idea, but I would doubt very much is gone from it. I would make one up an 1/4" or 1/8th too big and and see how it fits and the pedals work OR if the adjustments are all the way in one direction like it has been adjusted several times over the years, then put it all together with the old parts and take the adjustment back most of the way and do some measuring of the slop. That should give a good idea from where to start. The clutch in my Olds truck is a Borg and Beck disc type or I would measure mine. I am not sure when Olds went from the cone type to the disc, but I suspect it was in 23.

One of our local car club members recently wrote an article on relining a cone clutch on a Model T in our newsletter, The Running Board. You may find this article helpful. It's found on p. 8 of the June 2009 edition. You can find this at:
http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?club=eacc
Go to "events" and "older copies of The Running Board" and choose "Jun 2009". Hope it helps.

Arend, Thanks for the information. I found the article and printed it. This will be quite helpful, I am ready to start my clutch now. I would still like to know how thick the wood clutch collar should be. Hutch

those T model fords do not have a clutch. motion is initiated be tightening a band in the planetary transmission. even braking is accomplished in the transmission

Thutch,
If you can find any,try and use some linum vitae wood for your throwout collar.It is a VERY hard timber,not to easy to machine,but it is extremely durable in harsh enviroments.It used to be used as an out board propellor shaft support bearing in samll boats and submarines,as it didn't need lubrication because the salt water provided the lubrcation.It may be hard to source,and it will probably be expensive,but any good timber merchant,especially the older ones,should be able to help.
Any kind of phenolic board,whether it be fibre laminate or bakelite,will be far too soft to use,and will wear away very quickly.Another alternative would be to use aluminium bronze,but it would require frequent greasing to prevent wear.

:vcca:

"T" F---'s do have a primitive form of clutch.It consists of a whole pile of thin steel plates,forming a multi-plate clutch pack lubricated by the combination engine/transmission oil.

CJP, I agree about the softer materials. I found that the wood was impregnated with graphite by a patentented process. I found pabco@pabcoplastics.com they make graphite impregnated wood bearings. But, I still don't know how thick the wood bearing should be. I may look for the hard wood you mentioned earler, make it 9/16 in. thick, my used one is 1/2 in. thick and try to soak it in a graphite solution for several days. Thanks for your help. Hutch

You're right. I checked the article and the clutch was from a 1914 McLaughlin-Buick Model 24 Touring, not a Model T. My apologies.