The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 52 3100 1/2 ton Clutch Fork Wear

I just got my 55 235 engine running for the first time since the rebuild. I beadblasted the clutch setup linkage. I have 3 clutch forks, I notice wear on the tips where the throw out bearing rides. In the picture on the left one has very little wear. Where the right one has a lot. I put the throw out bearing on the left fork and no play, very solid. Where the right one has play on it. Needless to say I installed the left one. With the 11 inch clutch setup and the rebuilt sm420 4 speed. I tried the clutch out, sense I still had the front end off. I just went couple of feet forward and then backup in reverse. No problem, no chatter, no grinding. My question would it made a difference if I had used the right one in the picture. With the wear on the fork I would think you would have to adjust the linkage to make up for the excess play on the fork worn tip. Thus over time wear on the clutch plate for adjusting linkage and not getting the full life of the clutch setup. I`m curious if a lot of people have installed the worn tip fork with the new clutch setup. In the picture there`s a Ebay listing for a NOS clutch fork for $60.00 plus. I would take the worn clutch fork to the weld shop for $20.00 they would weld up the worn area. And I would use the bench grinder to clean up the welded area. I would think you would want to get as much usage out of the new clutch setup. Say a new return spring, clean the threads on the adjustment linkage rod with new bolts. That would include getting the fork fix. Does that make sense or am I just acting like a silly goose.


http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s554/icecreamman55/007_zps2tdwcdws.jpg


http://www.ebay.com/itm/351323991808?


____________________________________________________



Steve

The wear is not on the side that releases the clutch. You would probably get a little squeak out of it. You did best by using the unworn one.