Ok....just curious...Clutchflites....

[art leong]

Originally Posted by drooze

I figured some of you would have some experience with this....and well its as off the wall as it gets...

This is curiosity question nothing more, something I have wondered about for years and have been familiar with since I was about 14, I know some of the donwsides of this tranny, Ive got 2 in my shop, NHRA would probably have a stroke if they saw one again...and I cant see how its not legal, directly the closest I get is
"

Lockup
converter permitted if OEM-equipped with lockup converter and

OEM transmission is used.
"
Nowhere does it actually say in Stock a torque converter is required. Im talking about the old clutchflites, I picked up a couple about 2 years ago when I went to the "Geezers" reuinion with the old man who had pulled em from a FED, and they were complete and functional. Id been looking for one for years and couldnt pass up 2. They were nice conversions, not the B&M template and cut a hole in your bell conversions, but nice done for an aftermarket bell housing, I was going to put one in my 49 plymouth Business coupe and hang on to the other for some other strange project or another my mind will someday come up with.

I dig em, always have, they were one of those "mechanical curiousites" that fascinates me and the history behind it, and was thinking the next logical step is a computer controlled clutch activation on one, not hard to do, combination hydraulic lock and release.

I dont like automatics, I dont work on them, I dont understand the right approach to their modification, they rob power blah blah blah....the torque converter is the biggest mystery to me, I understand the principals but I dont like something I cannot service or modify....seems like voddoo to me. And the vendors play that card...not all but some.

So with a clutched automatic, well....I can change my launch speed at any time, thus an almost infinatley adjustable stall.....let the pedal out. Let it shift for me.

I THOUGHT these were legislated out , but maybe it was just an effect of converter technology surpassing the once (and brief) use of these.....like I said I can nowhere specifically see in the rules where its disallowed, but that also dosent mean squat.

There is a company that still makes them with the GM (The original "Hydro Clutch" was that the name and fords was "Clutch-O-Matic" is this correct ?

I have over the years collected anything I can get my hand on for them....pump drive spiders etc. I was thinking of eliminating that on as its a weakpoint and using an external pump...but thats not the point.

Are they in some strange way still legal ? They were built by the Major Manufacturers for a brief period for competiton use, all 3......

Just curiousity.....and boredom...Im tired of trimming carpet and my mind wanders.

Where they would get you is the clutchflites had the front of the cases taken off. I don't think you can modify the case. With todays converters I don't think the clutchflite would be much help.