I got a worn clutch drum lugs. any good advice on a repair to them? Sniders adviced taking the drum to my maching shop and having the lugs machined to fit the 26-27 replaceable lugs.I check on the cost to do so and I can buy a new drum for that cost.I am thinking of filling the lugs intill they are smooth and calling that good enough.If I do so it will leave about 1/16 th gap on all side of the disk notch that goes over the lug. can I get by with this ???
I wouldn't try to. I was lucky enough to find a used clutch drum for mine that was in near new condition. I felt darn lucky to do it. From what I understand there's a person that puts the "wear" lug caps on them somewhere around the Minneapolis area. However I seem to remember something to do with the placement of the bolt holes relative to the lugs and weakening the lugs by machining them. Answering your "lug" question is one of the big issues with pre-26 transmissions. Mostly because of the cost of the replacement drums.
I think careful filing is fine. The deal is you want the outer clutch discs to engage all the lugs simultaneously. By that I mean you want each lug filed down the same amount so the edges of the notches on a clutch disc contact each lug at the same time. If you file the lugs using an outer disc as a guide, you should be fine.
Filing the lugs would probably work but, there is also a groove in the surface of the lugs towards the center of the drum for a tab to set in which prevents the shoes from moving. Before doing anything I would have the drum magnafluxed to make sure it is not cracked.
Hopefully this picture will give you an idea of what the groove looks like.
Stephen
I have never seen a clutch drum with any wear, they are only marked,they are hard steel. Do you mean the brake drum. If so then filing is good if you don't have to take too much off. If you have to file too much off the brake drum lugs they WILL CRACK !
If you install a watts clutch you will never so much as mark your lugs. Your Watts Clutch will last as long as you ever drive your car.
If reinstall the steel large disks your brake drum will soon look like the picture below and you will have a tough neutral.
David,
Cutting down the lugs enough to install the 26/27 wear caps is really not an option. If you look at the photos above, the 26/27 lugs do not have the bolt holes drilled in them like the earlier style does. If you narrow the earlier style lugs there will not be sufficient wall thickness left between the lug edges and the tapped hole. In short, they will break.
Filing is o.k. to some extent. If you have to file a lot you will weaken the lug in the same manner as above. Also, you will not be able to file the EXACT same amount off each lug. This will make one or two lugs thicker than the rest and will cause those lugs to bear all the load placed on them by the discs while the thinner lugs will do nothing.
All this being said, the lugs do not need to be perfect. Show us a photo of yours. Maybe they're still o.k., even if grooved somewhat.
In a more general sense, one of the biggest problems I see people facing on this forum, and in my own local club chapters, is their inability to recognize, or to admit to themselves, that some given part is simply too worn out and dangerous to use. Recognizing when a part has reached the end of its useful life can, at times, increase the term of your own useful life. Again, this is a general statement and not solely aimed at you David.
Another thing a lot of people forget is that if a drum is worn that much on the inside lugs, how much is the O.D. of the drum also worn. This something to kept in mind. Dan
Dan has a good point. If the lugs have excessive wear it means that the drum surface has grooves or at the very least wear on the drum surface.
I have found that a drum that has minor or no wear in the lugs will have minimal wear on the drum surface.
This is a part that if its worn in one area its worn in another.