Hi I have a fly wheel for a 9 1/2" car and I need to install a 10" truck ( long style ) P/P. Do I need to have the flywheel drilled to fit the 10" P/P ? Can any body recommend a shop that can do this if I need it done ? I am in Perry Ohio about a half hour north east of Cleveland. Thanks Jim T.
On a forum that covers about 64 years of cars and nearly as many makes some Additional information would be great. like year make and model of what your working on.
I took a 1960 Oldsmobile flywheel to a machine shop with a Chevy pressure plate that I wanted to use and with a C N C mill he had it done the same day. Just make sure the pressure plate clears the inside of your bell housing.
Sorry about the lack of information. I have a 53 flathead mercury engine with a fly wheel that is drilled for a 9 1/2 " pressure plate. That size of pressure plate is for a car. I am setting up this engine with pick up water pumps a cast bell housing and a 39 ford three speed transmission. In order to do so I must purchase a 10 " long style pressure plate. The 10 " pressure plate has different bolt pattern. Therefore I will need my existing fly wheel drilled to except the 10 " pressure plate. M y question is there a reputable machine shop near me that can do this for me ? I live in Perry OH about 45 minuets from Cleveland OH. Thank you for any useful information . Jim T.
I would think even a somewhat disreputable machine shop could do this, it's a pretty simple job in the machining world.
No problem! Well I guess you didn't appreciate the humour, but it is a quite simple job, so any machine shop should be able to do this for you.
Machine shops with a CNC machine can do it easily but generally they are going to have a higher hourly rate than some small shop with no CNC machines. The work can be done basically two ways on a conventional milling machine (Non CNC) (Computer Numerical Control) They clamp the flywheel to the table surface and use a dial indicator to find the center of it. Then they calculate where the hole locations are and make moves in both the X and Y directions to drill the holes. They need a digital readout on their milling machine to do it best as that eliminates the slop most older machines have. If they don't have a digital readout, I'd go elsewhere. (Note: It can be done without the digital readout but takes a conscientious machinist to get it right) The second and better way in my opinion is to find someone with a "rotary table" to go with the milling machine. The table simply cranks in a circle and has degree marks around its edge. They center the milling machines spindle to the center of the rotary table and clamp the rotary table to the milling machines surface. Then they set the flywheel on the rotary table and move it around until its concentric with the rotary table. Then clamp the flywheel to the rotary table. Now when the rotary table is cranked and rotates, the flywheel attached to it will rotate with it. Kinda like mounting a wheel onto a brake rotor............ Make 1 move in the X direction (left or right) ............the radius of the circle you want to drill. Tighten the milling machine clamps so nothing moves. Simply twist the mills clamp handles with your hand. Drill the first hole. Crank the handle on the rotary table the correct number of degrees by looking at the degree marks on the rotary table. Drill the second hole. Repeat as many times as needed . Very simple and very little probability of an error. You can see the degree marks. Once the flywheel is clamped to this type of table, you just crank the handle and it rotates the number of degrees you want.
I run the Merc clutch in my stroker flathead in my '40 Tudor with stock trans and love it. Is your "truck" a big "truck" or a "pickup"? I understand for a big truck. Dave
I know this is insane in theory but when I was 15 I watched a guy scribe a circle line on a flywheel using the outer edge next to the ring gear, set the holes of the bigger pressure plate on the line which was actually not exactly in the center of the holes, center punch the 6 holes and use a bench drill press to drill, tap, and counter sink for shoulder bolts. He did it all in about 45 minutes. I was there to help him put in the transmission. I rode in the car and I was just as smoothly as before. At 19 he didn’t have the money for a shop to do it or pay for a balance job either.
You must be a blast to hang out with. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/1949...MIrvf2zPCY_gIVeRatBh1GzwLtEAQYASABEgIV6vD_BwE
All you need is a 6 inch steel rule, a couple of drills, a tap and either a drill press or a power hand drill. All tools that are found in any auto shop. You need to get the ***embly balanced afterward no matter who does the work or what methods they use.
We did this in high school only we set the PP up on the flywheel & used a dial caliper tail to measure from the sides of the flywheel over to the edge of the PP & moved the PP around until it measured the same all around. Clamped the PP down, used a locating punch that fit snug in the PP holes, punched & drilled & tapped them. Seems like it was a tractor that the owner was adapting some other engine to. Worked great. Be sure to use the proper bolts, PP bolts have a shoulder on them to keep the PP in the correct location. Good Luck!
Many ways to do this. I use my mill and have the DRO figure out where to drill the bolt circle. Back in the day I would lay the pressure plate with the bigger (or smaller) bolt circle on the flywheel and carefully measure the distance from the mounting bolt hole to the outside of the machined surface of the flywheel and move the PP until all the holes measured equal from the outer edge. Clamped the PP down and used a transfer punch to mark then drilled and tapped.. this was before I owned anything except a drill press. I did many this way for circle track cars in my youth.
I forgot to mention, before you do any drilling, punch mark the flywheel to the clutch cover so it always goes on the same location.
Yeah, the manuals used to emphasize putting the pressure plate back in the same place, but it seems nowadays pressure plates are more often than not replaced when changing a clutch disc. Except by me, I just change the discs, providing the plate hasn't been burnt up.
This used to be a common thing to do way back when. I called about three "Pro" machine and flywheel places in LA proper and inland empire and the valley. Nothing. Shipping would be costly. Skill lost due to lack of p***ing the knowledge and apprentices.
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