All this talk about clutch problems, and hearing that Kirk Cowen lost
a clutch in the middle of a tunnel, leads me to relate MY clutch
horror story...
About 15 years ago I was driving Stirling, my 1972 B-GT across the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, eastbound, in the left lane. Feeling
pleased with myself after a very enjoyable weekend in the City with a
lady friend (add your own prurient thoughts here). Anyway, I
suddenly felt the speed drop off as my revs went sky high. Shifting
down didn't help, and it was obvious that the engine output was no
longer getting to the rear wheels.
I coasted to a stop in the left lane, climbed out of the car, and
waited for the inevitable appearance of the huge, orange Caltrans tow
truck. He offered to tow me all the way to the parking lot at the
East Bay toll plaza, but after waving a $50 bill in his direction, he
agreed to tow the car to a friend's place in the Oakland Hills.
Suffice it to say that I got Stirling home to Davis the next weekend,
and started to tear out the engine and gearbox.
Fearing a terminal problem with the overdrive, I fiddled around with
the input and output shafts with the tranny in gear. All seemed
well. Scratching my head, I decided to check the relatively new
clutch. I pulled off the pressure plate, and the disk fell out in
two pieces! A center hub with fragments of webbing attached, and a
perfect outer ring of friction material, no longer joined to the hub.
That ring of friction material now adorns my garage wall, with the
legend boldly inscribed in the center...
NO MORE REBUILT CLUTCH DISKS!
Just a subtle reminder in case I ever decide to economize in the
future.
Cheers, Paul Kile
Paul D. Kile
kile_paul@aphub.aerojetpd.com
(916) 355-5162
GenCorp Aerojet
POB 13222
Dept 5784 Building 20019
Sacramento, California 95813-6000
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