T5 Clutch fork....

[thesameguy]

Me too, I'm sure it's something obvious I can't see, but I've been looking at it for a week. I emailed Mcleod last week and haven't heard back.

$600 is definitely not cheap, but when you consider a Wilwood MC is $60 and a Tilton HTOB is $400, the spread really isn't that huge. I mean, I wanna save $100 where i can, but at the same time plug & play has its attractions! !)

[john keefe]

Andy... I can't find that specific HC kit on McLeod's website. Did you have a link? Thanks

Never mind, found something like that here: https://www.americanmuscle.com/mcleod-h ... -9604.html, guess it's theirs, or McLeod's kit # 14-327 (96-04 Mustang GT)

Sameguy... here's a video https://www.fordmuscle.com/news/mcleod- ... rsion-kit/
I guess it just floats, but it held in place by the tension in the pushrod at rest. You take up the slack with that cup section.

[thesameguy]

Nice find! I'm not sure how I feel about that solution... I'm sure it works, but I cant help but wonder about the feel, cable stretch, and replacing that MC at some point. Sticking with a more conventional "SAE style" MC is very attractive to me... I always like to have options when it comes time for maintenance, and lock-in with a totally unique MC doesn't fit in with my MO....

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Andy... I can't find that specific HC kit on McLeod's website. Did you have a link? Thanks

Never mind, found something like that here: https://www.americanmuscle.com/mcleod-h ... -9604.html, guess it's theirs, or McLeod's kit # 14-327 (96-04 Mustang GT)

Sameguy... here's a video https://www.fordmuscle.com/news/mcleod- ... rsion-kit/
I guess it just floats, but it held in place by the tension in the pushrod at rest. You take up the slack with that cup section.

I copied that McLeod pic from LMR site. 1982-2004 version kit
https://lmr.com/item/MCL-14325/1979-04- ... ersion-Kit
580 is a lot to spend, but I bet they would stand behind their product if you ever had a problem.

[thesameguy]

I think I may have gotten to the right place...



The plastic tube is slightly larger than and the same length as a Wilwood master cylinder, and it fits pretty well in this spot. There is clearance on the other side, and it's within a half inch of a good location on the pedal.

This could be a good match... a couple options could be use that American Powertrain bracket to angle it up a smidge if clearance to the shock tower is an issue, or switch to a Tilton master cylinder which is like 3/4" shorter (and twice as much).

I *think* it's low enough to get a fluid feed from the brake fluid reservoir, but if not I think there is sufficient vertical clearance for a dedicated reservoir with the wiring harness rerouted.

[thesameguy]

Guys at MDL say their Tilton slave setup on my 9" clutch should need 1.2" of stroke on a .750" master, which some math says 0.53 square inches of displacement. My master options are either go for the Wilwood .750" master and its 0.62 square inches of displacement, or move to a Tilton .810" master and its 0.55 square inches. The Tilton 76 series has these features, which I think are advantages over the Wilwood:

1. It's 3.2" long instead of 4.1" long, which means it'll squish down into that corner better
2. It has a configurable top or front outlet, and either can use a banjo, which means it'll squish down into that corner better
3. It has a configurable inlet - either a fitting for a remote reservoir, or an adapter for a direct-mount reservoir so if it turns out to not be low enough to get fluid from the brake fluid reservoir, I've got options.

I think using the Tilton & its bigger bore will result in some additional clutch effort, but the cable clutch has never been a light clutch anyway and I can't imagine this being worse. If it is, eh, whatever. I don't mind a heavy clutch so long as it's predictable.

MDL doesn't stock anything but the .750" Tilton, so I'm ordering elsewhere. But I'm moving!

[john keefe]

Just curious... 1.2 x 0.75 = 0.9 cu.in. volume displacement. Did MDL say how they came up with 0.53sq.in. as a displacement, not an area. Or is that referring to something some cross-sectional area at the T/O bearing?

[thesameguy]

V = πr(2)h

V = π .375(2)1.2

V = .53

No?

Edit: But, uh, it should be cu in, not sq in. Lol

[john keefe]

Oops, you're right. For some reason, I assumed 0.75 was the area of the piston, not the diameter. Silly. See... too much Christmas cheer and it'll take a week to get the fuzzies out, and thinking straight.

Had the same problem (skimming too fast, not excess cheer) in Higher Calc in ME. Used to piss me off no end to get a mid-term back with something like, "What is wrong with you? Analysis is correct, check your basic math. No credit." At least it taught me to triple-check before I make any cuts. 'Cause they don't make board stretchers as far as I know. Carry on.

[thesameguy]

Must be that time of year - I first did the math as a, what, cuboid... ? Then hours later realized, no, it's a cylinder. Then I had to look that formula up because math is *not* my strong suit.

[thesameguy]

Some progress!



The pencil llne along the plywood shows pretty accurate placement of the brake booster.... The curled up sheet metal is 32mm, the actual Tilton master cylinder is just over 30mm... It's *real tight* there on the wheel well, but there is a mm or so of clearance. I am hoping to use the port at the end for a banjo fitting, but another option is to use the port on the top which will net another several mm. If push comes to shove I can probably hammer in the sheet metal a bit, or possible make an angled spacer to get me 15 degrees or so of incline.

But, I think it'll be okay. Happily, there is overall fair clearance on the firewall.



The pushrod will end up to the left of the clutch pedal, but it's *close*. A long bolt through the pedal and a rose joint should net good action.



It's quite tight against the brake booster.... I may end up either adding a bracket to keep the end stable, or reinforcing the firewall on the inside to prevent any flex. Or, maybe I will laze out and just stuff some foam between the booster and master cylinder so when they do move, they don't make contact. lol?



I was hoping the master cylinder would end up about an inch lower, but there is no clearance for that. Pretty sure that means I'll be running a dedicated reservoir .... it's too high I think to be fed from the brake fluid reservoir. I'll mock that up tomorrow to be sure.

I'll take the measurements and do the math tomorrow to get a sense of pedal effort, but it's not like I have much choice. The stroke on this MC is only 1.2" so being close to the pivot point isn't a bad deal. I think even being this high I will have to limit pedal travel. I don't anticipate this getting in my way.

HAPPY HYDRAULIC NEW YEAR!

[john keefe]

Just amazed at the extensive support structures you're able to build, and have no catastrophic collapses.

[thesameguy]

Haha! I had intended to actually build a model firewall out of plywood, but it was late and dark and I didn't wanna bust out the table saw. Necessity is the mother of invention!

I realized today I've no idea where my divider caliper went, so I gotta go get a new one tomorrow. I want to transfer that wooden model to a piece of metal denoting all the center points for the clutch MC holes so I have a template to use on the firewall. I do not want to end up with swiss cheese up there.... it's a tight space, there's no room for error.

[thesameguy]

I think I got this on lock...



I cleared 5mm vertically, so there should be plenty of room... Plenty-ish?



Gotta go find a 1 13/32 or 36mm hole saw now. I have a 1 5/16" I can use if necessary, but that leaves me filing or grinding the hole away, and meh, that sounds awful.

(If you're wondering why the plate says "to firewall," it's 'cause it'll be bolted to the inside of the car... there's more clearance for a drill in there. )

[thesameguy]

I'm usually pretty comfortable to haphazardly cutting into things, but since space is really tight on the XR's firewall I decided to be cautious. I transferred my metal template onto another, more accurate template, and then back to a wood model... This is the "measure thrice, cut once" approach.



I got a 37mm hole saw that SHREDS sheelmetal (I tested!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I41775C/

So, this weekend, it's go time.

Except I just remembered I probably don't have another intake gasket set, and there is no way the booster is going back into place without removing the upper intake manifold. Drat. I really wish I had a tally of the number of times I've removed that thing... it's gotta be 30 or more. It seems I take it out twice a year! If I was smart, I would use this moment to install a rotated upper... but I don't want any more project creep!

Speaking of project creep, I'm really torn on how to fasten the master cylinder to the clutch pedal. Last night I was dead-set on using a high-strength shoulder bolt and a ball joint on the side of the pedal, but a friend of mine almost has me convinced to have someone machine a custom, offset clevis. Nothing is easy for me.