VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 28 clutch fork

Hello,
When I bought my 28, it did not have a bell housing and the clutch fork was floating around a box. I have never seen what type of pin or bolt holds the fork to the bell housing. The bracket that is on the inside of the bell housing, where the fork will be mounted, has one oblong hole about 3/16” wide and one hole that was once round but has now been worn to be slightly oval. My plan is to make a shaft out of round stock that will hold the fork to the bell housing. To fix the oval hole, I will partially weld it closed and then open it up with a step bit. The oblong hole I will open it up with the step bit to the same size as the other hole.
What do you think of this plan? Is there an easier/smarter way? Any feedback would be appreciated.
Jim

Hello Jim,

That oval hole is deliberate. The pin that holds the clutch fork in has an oval end. It also has a shoulder so that when inserted into the bracket mounted in the bell housing a cotter pin can be inserted thus locking the pin in place. Look through your extra parts boxes and cans for a 5/16" or 3/8" pin about 2" long. It will have a shoulder and a hole for that cotter pin.

That pin must be removed to pull the clutch fork. The clutch fork must be removed to remove the clutch cover from the transmission. The bolt holes in the transmission go all the way through. That bolt is easily missed when assembling the drive train and is one of the most common sources of transmission leakage. Don't laugh, it is no joke and very easy to miss.

Art

Art,
Thanks for getting back to me. I assumed the oval hole was intentional, I just couldn’t picture how a pin would be secured in it. But thanks to your description I can now see how it works. I will look through my parts boxes again for the proper pin.

I’m glad I didn’t move forward with my original plan. Too much work. If I can’t find the original, I will fabricate a new one with an end that will fit into the oval hole. Thanks for the information, and for saving me a lot of time.
Jim

Let me reiterate "The bolt holes in the transmission go all the way through. That bolt is easily missed when assembling the drive train and is one of the most common sources of transmission leakage." that Art wrote. More than one of us has missed installing all the transmission mounting bolts and then had to take it all apart again to plug the leaking hole where the bolt was not installed.