Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

Nope as a matter of fact the spacer they are sending is .25". They say no issues at all. Of course same guys said the clutch was amazing...lol

Actually got to the bottom of it. I was sent the wrong clutch. Probably a refund plus headed our way. Just part of it though. Zoe says we just were not supposed to be racing it yet, the universe has an odd way of working things sometimes. But overall it has been pretty good to me so just letting it flow. Lol

Spacer came today, clutch shipped yesterday. Here we go.

 

Seems like things happen for a reason. Even if we can't necessarily figure it out.

 

Well Randall sounds like things may be lining up for you hope you bring your AAA game cause the big bad dodge just keeps getting better hope you can bring your cobra down to mokan on Labor Day weekend and run with our group of cars at funny car chaos

 

Ain't she purdy? LOL

Tracking number on the clutch says Monday.

 

Too nice to hide.

 

Well if you look close after it is installed you will be able to see about a 1/4" of it. LMAO!

 

Looks like a sanded finish, not Blanchard ground.
I'd check it's perimeter with a set of calipers to make sure it's thickness is exact all the way around.

I'm not impinging their quality, but since you have built this 10# stuff in a 5# bag deal AND have taken darn near every part back out after 'final assembly', it's time to NASA QC every part before it goes back in.

EDIT:

 

BODABOOM BODABING...


ITS A WONDERFUL THING!

 

You got to be thinking an automatic with a transbrake would have been cheaper by now. Hell of a build! Good luck.

 

It would have been cheaper to begin with. LOL By a whole bunch.

 

Oh how sweet it is...Well it is not gold, lol ...but I will take it. Pretty cool set up from RAM. So this is the Pro Street 10.5 with 900 Series Metallic friction material for in excess of 1000 hp. I think that will do it. However at the same time because of their custom in house built cover on this unit, they are able to control the static pressure, release length and lever position of the clutch. Long story short, you don't have to go to the gym to get in shape just to operate the stupid thing.


And I also snagged one these little jewels.

RAM came up with this killer pedal height adjustment system that lets you put the release point where you want it in the pedal stroke. It gets plumbed in between the master cylinder and the release bearing. By adjusting the screw, fluid is initially diverted to the adjuster cylinder, and once the cylinder fills the remaining fluid travels directly to the hydraulic bearing to actuate the clutch. This in effect adds ‘freeplay’ to the pedal and moves the engagement point downward towards the floor.

That is one of the things I was a little concerned about in the few times I DID GET to the drive the Cobra. The actuation point was almost immediate. I had decided I would simply have to adjust and learn I don't have to pound it while running through the gears (as if you need something else to remember just before launching the car) LMAO! Not to mention there is very little room down their to attempt some kind of amazing precision pedal work. Now we can adjust it to whatever point I want. Cool.

 

Got this one yet?

 

Yes sir. Cool photo though. That is a photo right after Randy bought the car from Shelby. That is, as advertised there the first and original Dragonsnake. That is the red Cobra from Viva Las Vegas.

 

Love the clutch technology! Thanks for sharing.

 

Well it has been a battle but the clutch is finally installed and we are ready to mate the trans back up and start putting her back together again. For something that seems to be a pretty straight forward process, it certainly kicked our backsides. It all started Friday night when I decided to just slip out and check all the clearance etc. to set the thing up. I grabbed my "DIGITAL" calipers and with a straight bar in place across the face of the bellhousing, measured to the fully compressed bearing face. It was 4" and change including the bar. I read the number outloud and Zoe wrote it down. As always, I closed the calipers, made sure we were zeroed out and took the exact same measurement, 2.5" and change! What?

I measured that thing 10 times and got 10 different numbers. I looked all over for my dial calipers but could not find them anywhere. I don't even remember the last time I used them. Not going to find a good set in this town after 8 p.m. so we just closed up shop. Saturday morning we headed to Springfield for breakfast and afterwards I snagged a nice set of calipers with a freaking gear driven dial. LOL

When we got home we made quick work of the three measurements needed:
A. Bellhousing face to bearing face


B. Crank flange to block or in my case scatter sheild plate


C. Clutch from fingers to mount face


After some simple addition and subtraction we had our initial cushion (or space between the throw out bearing at rest and the clutch fingers). We are looking for around .200. However the initial number surprised me as from all the talk from RAM I thought it was going to be close. We had too much cushion and we were going to need a few shims. That just didn't seem right so before we went any further, I looked back over our numbers and discovered I made a mistake. Instead of subtracting the sum of B and C from A (from above). I had simply taken the big number and subtracted the small one. You would assume that would be the right direction, but in this case it was backwards. This also obviously meant if the clutch number is bigger than the space where it is going (not to mention needing an additional .200) we are in trouble!

Our actual number or cushion space was -.042. That's right "MINUS". We have to find nearly a quarter inch to make this thing work. So we sat for a bit studying the situation. I can't see putting ANOTHER .25" plate between the trans and bell. But just for grins, I measured the input shaft bearing protrusion etc. and we could probably get away with it but I really didn't want to do it...but it didn't seem like we had too many options. We took the bellhousing off again to just have a look. This time the throwout bearing was still on so I got to look at it for the first time totally exposed.


Check that out, the bearing housing was actually bottoming out on one of the two bolt heads that holds the bearing retainer in place. Without the bellhousing on you could clearly see it. I am thinking hell that bolt head and lock washer are probably worth at least an 1/8 of an inch.


AND right behind the bearing retainer is this aluminum centering plate. It only has two jobs, the front lip centers the retainer over the shaft and the plate gives the retainer something to bolt to with two 1/4-20 bolts (one of which was in the way) LOL. The aluminum plate itself seemed to be thicker than it really needed to be (if you know what I mean)!!! For crying out loud it is only held in place by two 10-32 Machine screws. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I loosened the bolt in question which re-clocked the head a bit and the bearing slid right passed it and finally rested flush on the retaining plate. I remeasured and re-mathed (lol) and discovered we had picked up .080 or so which now put us on the positive side of things. We were right at .043 on the cushion. So back to that aluminum plate. I couldn't imagine anyone missing .150 or so off that thing. So I called up a buddy that has a machine shop and we paid him a visit Sunday morning. I told him we need the upper lip as is but the rest of it could use a diet. I said leave me .125" on the outer lip but take the rest of it off.


He took a bit over half the thickness off the back side and left me with an 1/8" thick lower lip. We ran back to the shop and of course head long into the next set of problems. I installed the machined part and bolted the retaining plate to it. No issues until I got to the clocking point on that stupid bolt head. It was tight when it was blocking the bearing housing and loose when clocked to left to miss it. So I carefully started to clock it to the right but before I got it where I needed it, poof, stripped it out of the aluminum plate. You probably saw that coming. I did too but I did it anyway. LOL


Just as well, I needed a bolt with a round head anyway. I found a couple just a bit larger, drilled
and tapped the crazy thing and reinstalled it and the retainer.


Much better. A bit of red lock tight and we are back in business. Now I know what you are going to say. Look at all the adjustment available there, why not just rotate the throw out bearing to the right and don't get anywhere near the bolt head in the first place.


It is hard to see but on the right side of the bearing housing just below the bolt on the right side is where the fittings screw in for the the hydraulic fluid line and the bleeder line. Move the stud just one hole to the right and it rotates the fittings into the bolt head. You could keep going but then the fittings would be on the top of the bearing which is not the best idea, not to mention my exit hole for them is on the lower right of the photo. So in this particular application, this is the only workable placement.

So now with our modifications complete, we remeasured the bellhousing to bearing face. You could have cut the tension with a knife as I started the math.......290! Now we are talking. I will be honest, I have absolutely no idea how they measure these stupid shims. I do know they had no markings on them. I put the newly acquired calipers on them and I had a pile of .055 and two .035.


I slipped a .055 and .035 on thinking that will make us .205 and we will call it good. But after measuring and checking the math, (twice) we only had .175 cushion. I could probably have ran with that but I wanted to figure out how the stupid shims worked. We put both of the .035 in which on paper should have taken us to .195 but it didn't, it actually made it worse if you can believe that. Then I started playing with them to see how they fit together. Most stacked on top of each other in what looked to be an even fashion. However one of the .035 shims looked like it had been stepped on or something as it was much flatter, not the same shape. So found a .055 and a .035 that seemed to fit together the best and we tried the whole thing again. Again I have no idea how but we got .197 and that will certainly work!


Before taking the clutch all apart I carefully marked every layer so I could put it back on exactly in the same orientation as it was shipped. I snagged new flywheel bolts last week and we installed them with a bit of red lock tight and 80 ft./lbs of torque.


Then one layer at a time we lined up my marks and reassembled it on the engine.


So there you go. That is as far as we got before calling it a day. Actually calling it a weekend. I certainly hoped to be further along but you get what you get. LOL

 

This thing is kicking and screaming every inch of the build WOW. Great that you finally worked it out.

 

They all do. LOL!

 

Invest in a depth micrometer. Easier to use and WAY more accurate for what you are doing.

 

And prick punch those alignment marks before the brake clean hits those surfaces (and you know it will).

vic

 

No worries on the marks. I made them last night just before taking the clutch assembly apart. Less than 10 minutes later it was back together on the flywheel. I am pretty excited we are going to try and get the trans back on the motor in the next couple of days. I have to elongate my trans mount bolt holes to accommodate the 1/4" plate we DID use. We are also going to run the valves really quick (just checking to see where they are right now). Then grab the shoe spoon and slide this thing back in place.

 

Not to stick a stick in the spokes but once you get the bell on check again. Trans mount face to fingers and throw out brg to trans plate. One should be .200 or so more [or less] than the other..

 

We kind of have the fever right now. Saturday night we caught some local street racing. Some pretty badass cars. Zoe had never seen anything like that in person. She was pretty excited to be there and see it. But even on the street, I am a terrible spectator. Lol

And... I am going to do you more than that Seb. I am going to hook up an extra clutch pedal and Wilwood mastercylinder from the old left overs shelves. We are going to bench test this whole system out of the car. Then have a look see at the cushion.

 

Sounds like a plan.

 

You going to have Zoe or Dad hold the pedal when you push it.

 

I am going to bolt it to the welding table. Dad and Zoe are just going to make shifting noises!

 

Well we got the NSRA Street Scenes Magazine this week. Since we caught an award there this year, the Cobra got a little print. Jackson's Mom's Rod did the same.

 

KOOL!

 

Like ZZ Top would say "we're nationwide".
Well, that should give you a boost of confidence Randall.

 

The car with the blue spoke wheel looks like it has a bent axle

 

No James it has a mustang front end with air bags and the chassis builder didn’t know how to install it correctly to avoid that camber when it’s deflated I seen that car there and was just disgusted by that