T5 Clutch fork....

[thesameguy]

Today didn't go as well as planned... road block after stupid road block.

The one I am dealing with now is this:



I'm not putting it back in. Well, I hope I'm not.

There is no part number on this fork, but some googling makes me thing the part number is E3ZZ-7515-A ...

Somewhat related, I think I'll replace the pivot ball at the same time... part number D5FZ-7B602-A (I think).

Does anyone know different?

[thesameguy]

It may not matter. The fork appears very NLA. Two OE Ford sites show it as available - one of which I use a lot for Chrysler parts - but virtually all say discontinued and NLA... So I'm guessing I will put my order in only to have it canceled.

This is a problem.

[john keefe]

Let me look, I may have an older one laying around, or at least its not as bad as that one. That retainer fork is spring steel, and I don't know if a good welding shop can repair it, but you might ask. Welding will screw up the heat treat, so it will have to be redone.

I suspect you could get a machining shop to rivet on new, very thin spring steel bands over the damage. Might make for a tight fit on the T/O bearing.

NLA doesn't leave you much choice, but you could convert over to an hydraulic clutch setup. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Howe-Rac ... 21395.html

[thesameguy]

Yeah, I took a diversion down that road last night, wondering if Turbocoupe hydraulic setups were more available ... They are not.

I was also looking at Modern Driveline's hydraulic setup.. it uses a HTOB, and they have some hardware to adapt a master cylinder to a Fox body clutch quadrant... I've no idea if that helps with the XR at all, but I think in broad terms Ford clutch quadrants are generally somewhat similar to each other, so maybe it's a leg up.

I REALLY don't want to drag this project out further! I also really don't wanna commit another five bills to it.

I'm gonna place the order and wait for the bad news... In the mean time, I'm looking for used/good, and I may take a stab at moving the retainer spring from an SN95 fork to the XR. They are similar, but like a half inch off. Maybe there is an angle there involving Dremels and rivets.

[thesameguy]

No useful angle with the Dremel... the shape of the spring metal component is not... compatible.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

I read on the internet (so it must be true) that you can use the throwout bearing from a 80-82 Jeep CJ-5, since the bearing has the clips instead of on the fork. Or possibly a similar clip from an early ranger can be riveted onto the clutch fork. May be worth a try.

[thesameguy]

For $20, it might be worth a try. Looking at photos, I'm not sure how the bearing stays engaged on the fork, but I'm guessing if it was an issue Jeeps would already suffer from it. I think I will probably order one to at least check it out and have it on hand.

I'm going to email MDL today.. I don't want to pump a ton more money in right now, but I guess it's inevitable at this point... There *definitely* won't be clutch forks next time I need one!

[john keefe]

For those who haven't seen one... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Centerforce-N1 ... SwbWpepwSd

That actually has possibilities, if the diameter really does fit the Ford input shaft retainer/sleeve. Here's a clutch fork: https://www.ebay.com/itm/JEEP-1980-1986 ... SwBUtck1Vc

I don't know, but if the Jeep fork won't work with these T5's, seems you could just cut off the spring steel on the 2.3L fork, do some grinding to eliminate the rolled edges, and end up with the flat fork prongs that work with the Jeep T/O.

[thesameguy]

I think I'd follow the Plan B - cut the spring off the Ford fork, "adapt" it to use the Jeep release bearing. It really would be a matter of whether the Jeep bearing fits inside the Ford fork and over the Ford retainer. I think at the end of the day all T5 retainer snouts are the same OD ... so it seems likely.

Also curious if anyone has any experience with the various Sierra/Cosworth/etc. hydraulic conversions...

http://www.reyland.co.uk/clutchtransmission/

or

http://www.sierrasrus.co.uk/hydraulic-c ... 4594166478

Also:

https://anemboengineering.co.uk/ford-si ... b-2wd-4wd/

[john keefe]

Yikes on the TKO conversion! Reyland is noted for really hi-end stuff, and pricing. They had one special-build RS500 that topped 200mph; if I can find that link, I'll post it. But, I like the Supra diff conversion kit with the precision stub axle adapters so you can use the stock (RS) CV's. Speaking out of ignorance, though, I wonder how much stronger it really is compared to the Ford 8.8 swap.

And, you've got too much free time to be doing that much on-line research.

[thesameguy]

Wish I'd found that Supra kit before committing to the Eaton. Not sure I would have made another choice all said and done, but it's never bad to have options.

[thesameguy]

So I've got emails out to everyone about using Sierra or Mustang parts on the XR...

I also went back and read the info from the guy who used a Maxima setup. He tucked his MC under the brake booster, and then I *think* used a remote reservoir. That could be a good solution.

I'm also looking at this:

https://frsport.com/mcleod-1434002qd-hy ... ll-kit-w-m

Well, not specifically that, but the angle of the thing makes me wonder if installing it upside down, pointing up could be an approach. I think clearing the brake booster would be easier, and I think there'd be enough pedal throw to do its job. That price though. Ugh.

[thesameguy]

I get this sinking feeling the next thing I'm doing is removing the brake MC and the pedals and then drilling holes in my firewall.

[thesameguy]

Eh.... Phase 1 complete....



Could have been worse, I suppose. Getting the brake booster out without moving the upper intake manifold is not recommended... I will definitely have to remove it before reinstalling the booster, but this was a fast path to measurements.





In the first picture, the bottom of the ruler represents the circumference of the booster, so places a master cylinder cannot go. The second picture was just to give me a sense of space, and to help me hopefully locate one horizontally.

I've not heard from anyone I emailed, but if I'm lucky and their conversion fits then half the works is done. OTOH, if it doesn't, I think my next stop is probably ordering a universal, remote-reservoir MC and figuring out how to mount it in this spot... this spot with decidedly not-flat sheetmetal. One approach could be to mount it to the wheel well and use a very long pushrod to reach into the cabin. The upside of that is getting to drill a much smaller hole in the firewall, and it means tucking the MC that much closer to the booster and thus that might higher on the clutch pedal.

I will mention that between the intersection of "it'd be nice is MDL's solution works" and "damn MDL's solution is expensive" is that mounting the MC low like this means I can feed it from the brake fluid reservoir and not have to run a separate one. Lots to think about here.

Oh... I think I am abandoning the Jeep release bearing option. None of the FLAPS have it or can get it, and Rockauto is out of three of five brands. That makes me think this part is about to be NLA'd itself. Since everything is already apart, I guess now is the time to retrofit stuff.

I think what i wanna find is a side-mount master cylinder with a threaded end, a ~.750" bore, and a 1.4" stroke. Mount it to the wheel well, use a long pushrod and a rose/heim joint at the side of the clutch pedal, and those dimensions should make it compatible with MDL's HTOB (which feels like a painless option). Failing that, one of Wilwood's universal MCs with an annoyingly complex bracket that I probably lack the skills to build.

[thesameguy]

For good measure: