OK, so now that i have it figured out i guess it's time to post up the correct way to do this. There are two different ways i figured out. The first way is if your input shaft bearing bearing guide has broken off and the second if its still in tact. I will post both ways to help as many people possible.
I have removed all my posts that had my initial failures since it was the first time i tried this and believe me... i learned alot about clutches and bearings while on my journey.
Aight lets get down to the nitty gritty folks.
So... Rage doesn't make their HTOB kit anymore and the few places that DO have them as kits sell them for rediculous prices. Kevin is working on a kit as we speak to bring to the masses which is cool, but i am a hot rodder at heart and i like to say "i made that" instead of "i bought that". Anyways, heres a simplistic how to on setting up your own HTOB using a Southwest Speed HTOB.
Important Measurements
Input Shaft bearing collar: 1.216" OD
SWS HTOB: 1.730" Compressed Height
------------2.490" Fully Extended Height
------------1.379" ID of inner race
------------0.760" MAX travel (with a 3/4" CMC)
(
Bearing collar intact method)
Necessary Materials:
A:
Southwest Speed HTOB for stock clutches
B:
4' of -4 AN stel braided hose
C:
-4AN clutch adapter
D:
At least a foot of this tubing
E:
DOT 3 Brake Fluid
OK! Now that we have all our must have parts to complete this method lets get to work.
Assembly of HTOB system
Step 1: Remove Transmission ( make sure you remove the slave cylinder also)
Step 2: Remove Master Cylinder. This is kinda trucky, you have to loosen the 4 nuts that hold the brake master cylinder. Then you remove the 2 nuts that hold the clutch MC in place. All 6 are 13mm. From the engine bay you can pull the brake MC out about an inch or so just to give you enough clearance to remove the clutch MC.
Step 3: Remove the plastic line from the stock clutch MC. Remove the cotter pin and use a small punch or a a small drill bit to push the fitting retaining pin from the body of the clutch MC. Once that is removed install the Summit Racing -4AN Adapter in its place and re-install the retaining pin you just removed. Now that theres nothing connected to the Slave cylinder, Put it up for sale in the
F/S Section...
Step 4: Attach one end of the -4 AN hose to the fitting on the MC. Tighten to spec. (8 ft/lbs) DO NOT USE TEFLON TAPE. Reinstall Clutch MC. Tighten the 2 clutch MC nuts first and then the 4 brake MC nuts. Torque to spec.
Step 5: Moving on to the tranny... Remove the clutch from the bellhousing. You should now be able to see the wretched fork and TOB. Remove those items and discard them at your own discretion. I personally made a "bling bling" necklace out of them. Some people have giant clocks on a chain.... I have a clutch fork.
Step 6: Oh glory, almost done. You should now be looking directly at the Input shaft bearing retainer collar and the dust shield that covers it. This is where that tubing you should of purchased comes into play.
Step 7: Find that tubing you bought. I found that 2 to 3 inches is more than adequate for this step. Cut it to size (make sure it does not extend farther than the stock collar.) The ID of the tubing you purchased is 1.209" I know this is less than the 1.216". This is the tubing i ordered and it fit very snugly over the stock collar i just had to heat it up a bit to slide easily over. Don't break the stock collar like i know some of you will by gorilla smashing it.
Step 8: Slide tranny back under vehicle and put it in position to raise back up into place. Take the other end of the stainless line and push it through the Slave Cylinder opening. Attach to HTOB (8 ft/lbs).
Step 9: Call a friend over or get your disgruntled wife/ girlfriend to help you out. If you went with the latter of the two choices i just gave you, explain to them which one is the clutch pedal and explain the difference between "Hold it in!" and "OK, now let it out slowly".
Step 10: Prepare to bleed the HTOB. Remove the clutch fluid res. lid. fill about 3/4 way. Now go back under car and MAKE SURE THE BLEEDER IS POINTING UPWARDS. Hold the damn bearing in your hand and make sure the bleeder is pointing torwards the sky. The bleeder utilizes a 1/4" box wrench to tighten/ loosen. Open Bleeder....yell out "OK, push it in and hold it" wait like 10 seconds and let the air/ fluid come out...Close bleeder tightly then yell out "OK, let it out SLOWLY" the fluid res
should be a bit emptier. Repeat this step in its entirety (Step 10) until ONLY fluid comes out when you tell them to hold it in. Also, do not let the fluid res go empty or you will have to start over.
Step 11: After the HTOB is completely bled, shim accordingly and then slide it over the input shaft and orient the bearing to where the steel hose isn't excessively binding. DO NOT OPERATE HTOB WITHOUT RESISTANCE ON THE BEARING FACE. if you do, it will push the HTOB apart and you will have to reassemble it and repeat step 10.
Step 12: OK! Now that the bearing is snugly impaled upon its new home. Install clutch onto input shaft splines and give it a spin like the Price Is Right Wheel. Make sure theres no binding or any way the steel hose could get caught in the PP fingers. If so the re orient HTOB and repeat the clutch spinning. Look through the Viewing hole for this step...
Step 13: After your happy with your spinning test results
Reinstall Transmission. Now enjoy your new HTOB setup.
You may be thinking "Hey LJ, this just sounds like you took a tube... slid it over another tube... and then put the bearing on there?" Well.. thats exactly what i did and its working fine for me so far. And you also may be asking "Why so many steps written in a witty yet asshole-ish manner?" Well... frankly people sometimes need deliberate literal instruction in order to complete a task. Also, if you break your shit while using this method im not at fault. The whole essence of hot rodding is to think outside the box and open up your mind. If you find a better way to do this i am gladly open to suggestions! I released the intact collar version first because i replaced my Input shaft bearing and thought this would apply to 99% of you guys anyways. The second way requires fabrication but none the less doable if you dont want to shell out the 60$ - 80$ for a new ISB.
(Stock Bearing Collar Broken Method coming soon)
