WATTS CLUTCH

Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration
Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: WATTS CLUTCH
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ROGER OLIVER on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:46 am:

WHERE CAN IF FIND THE PERSON THAT MAKES THE CLUTCH. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD CLUTCH FOR MY T.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:54 am:

Please, please cool down :-)
Have a look at the MTFCA front page - there you'll find a link to "suppliers" - on the suppliers page among many others you'll find:
Watts Clutch
41769 Sod House Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
Call 541) 493-4669

http://www.mtfca.com/suppliers/Suppliers.htm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Miller, Sequim WA on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:55 am:

By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Monday, July 09, 2012 - 10:54 am:

Kep:

I use a watts Clutch and my hand crank Ts turn over fine.

By the way the phone number in some of the slightly older Vintage Ford magazines is outdated. They are no longer selling Watts Clutches at that number. The new number for John Watts is 541-493-4669. Or RV Anderson sells Watts Clutches. His number is 716-267-3526


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:09 pm:

Dave, Do you use any certain clutch spring with your Watts discs?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:31 pm:

Roger, why don't you just sort out the issue with your stock clutch?

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Dumas on Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 12:00 am:

Roger,

I second Stephen's motion. Now two folks have suggested you stay with the Ford clutch.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Paul Mikeska, Denver CO on Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 12:22 am:

Rodger,

3 out of 4 of my running T's have Watts’s clutches in them. I am not sure of the dates but one of them has had one for over 20 years. I have not adjusted it since it was installed. Yes, you need to install the Watts heavy spring in them. I don't care what the self appointed experts say but the Watts Clutch is the way to go. Smooth shifts and a real neutral. The T that I don’t have a watts clutch in will try to run you over when you start it cold. In all fairness I have not had that engine out of the car since I bought it but it is adjusted correctly. I bet that the drums are scored where the clutch discs contact the drum.

Paul


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Gould on Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 12:40 am:

I second Pauls opinion re the Watts clutch.
The kit sold by R.V. Anderson includes a heavy spring and a modified push ring, both of which are needed. The springs supplied with Watts clutch from the manufacturer have had problems. The one supplied by R.V. is the right one to use. It can be obtained from the parts suppliers separately but test it to sure it produces about 110 lbs compressed to 2". I set a bathroom scale on a press and compress the spring on the scale to 2 inches and see what the scale reads.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Schedler, Sacramento on Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 01:09 am:

I'm with Paul and Richard.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 01:15 am:

Who said they were an expert? The truth is provided it is adjusted properly and the brake drum lugs are in good shape the stock clutch is just as good as any of the accessory clutches.

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 01:18 am:

I sure like to hear you guys recommend the steel disks. I sell brake drums and when you destroy your soft cast iron drums I have plenty in stock. If you have garage queens or drive across town to an ice cream parlor once a month you will be OK with steel disks.

brake drum


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 02:25 am:

If you back off the throttle when going into high the grooves will be prevented. There are a lot of brake drums that show little wear on the lugs and some that are badly worn, the difference is the driver.

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 03:53 am:

Stephen D Heatherly:

I am glad you think that, As I said before I have a good stock of brake drums when you are ready. apparently you forget that when you put the brake on it also cuts the soft cast iron brake drum.
By the way I think you are a little confused about transmissions. Its when you go into low that the steel disks cut into the lugs not when you are shifting into high.
I kept one of the brake drums that had the entire middle of the LUGS chewed away by steel disks. When I moved to Berthoud I threw it away, now I wish I kept it to show people what the steel disks do to a drum

trai


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 03:59 am:

Stephen Heatherly:

The above picture is a broken 26 lug shoe. I find them when taking a trani apart. People think that the shoes protect the lugs on a 26 from damage from the steel disks, think again.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 04:15 am:

Terry Woods:

I test all the springs that I work on. I don't use any that are under 110 lbs at two inches. The majority of springs are around 100 lbs but if you test enough of them you will find some that are 110 lbs or even better. I have a spring checker but you can do the same thing with a bathroom scale and a press. Use your caliper to measure the spring when its compressed to 2 inches. All spring less than 100lbs gets thrown in the iron pile. If you don't want to use your press and a bathroom scale I would think that someone in your club would have a spring checker.
spring checker


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 04:15 am:

Terry Woods:

I test all the springs that I work on. I don't use any that are under 110 lbs at two inches. The majority of springs are around 100 lbs but if you test enough of them you will find some that are 110 lbs or even better. I have a spring checker but you can do the same thing with a bathroom scale and a press. Use your caliper to measure the spring when its compressed to 2 inches. All spring less than 100lbs gets thrown in the iron pile. If you don't want to use your press and a bathroom scale I would think that someone in your club would have a sprin checker.
spring checker


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 04:35 am:

Dave, I'm often confused about all the planetary stuff going on in the trans, (especially when I tried to calculating ratio) but I've understood the brake as directly connected to the output shaft, so there are not necessarily any discs cutting into the cast iron when braking.

You also wrote "Its when you go into low that the steel disks cut into the lugs not when you are shifting into high." I can't follow you there? The clutch should be disengaged when going into low, it's when you're letting off the low band and engages the clutch you're going into high - thus perhaps may get marks on the lugs from the steel discs if the rpm difference is big and the clutch engagement sudden.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 06:47 am:

No, I am not confused. I have rebuilt a few T transmissions and know exactly how they work. I understand that when you are in low the discs are being pushed against the brake drum lugs because there is some friction between the discs but, when the pedal is dumped out, even though the discs are already in contact with the lugs, sudden engagement and shock is certainly not good for the lugs. Do you think it is possible that the lug shoe in your picture was broken through unusual pressure such as the brake pedal being stomped down with the transmission in high? Are you sure that lug shoe in the picture is an origional Ford part? Also when I took apart both 26 transmissions none of the lug shoes showed any signs of damage. I have 2 narrow extra brake drums and both have near perfect lugs even though the bushings show obvious signs of wear. Why are the lugs not damaged in this case?

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Huson, Berthoud, Co. on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 10:52 am:

Stephen Heatherly:

The lug shoe is an original shoe. I took it out of a trani that had all of them broken like that. By the way I find that all lug shoes show a good bunch of ridges from steel disks.
I wish I could show you the pile of brake drums that I have that are eaten away so bad by steel disks that are now just scrap.
The first person to cast new brake drums was Hermon Harder in Colorado Springs. I used to be able to send brake drums to Hermon when the pile would get to big but Hermon no longer does them and sold his molds to someone else so I no longer have a place to send them. I guess I will take them to the scrapers next time I take a load.
By the way I once had two thousand steel disks that I managed to get rid of. I am now back up to a thousand. If any one that likes to use steel disks would like some FREE, please stop by and get a bucket full. They just take up room.
Guys, as I said before its your T use it anyway you want, Anyone driving a T is OK in my book.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Dumas on Friday, July 13, 2012 - 04:33 pm:

My T's ae not garage queens and I have had no problems with the Ford clutch. I will stay with it. For those who want to use the Watts clutch, its ok with me.


Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.
Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration