Traditional Hydraulic clutch - help!

I'm building a 1929 Model A highboy roadster with a 292 Y-block and T-10 4 speed. I'm using slightly modified f-1 pedals, and mustang master cylinder. I've got it set up for a manual clutch right now; just a simple rod from the pedal to the clutch fork.

After reading last year's Holiday issue of The Rodder's Journal for the 43rd time this month, and obsessing over the William's Brothers 1929 model A roadster, I thought maybe I could somehow adapt a 1950 Ford single Brake M.C. into a Hydraulic clutch reservoir. I have questions, though:



1.) Is this a good idea? Is this a terrible Idea? Should I just leave well enough alone with the mechanical set-up I'm rocking now? Can it work?

2.) Is there any advantage / disadvantage to mounting the reservoir to the firewall, or would the frame be better?

3.) Can anyone talk me through, or explain to me just where the 'actuator' rod or whatever it's called that would push the clutch in goes, and how it works?

4.) The actuator rod: Can I make one? Is there a 'traditional' alternative to Wildwood?

5.) In the game rock, paper, scissors, how can paper seriously beat rock!?



I really have NO IDEA how a Hydraulic clutch works, but I really would like to learn.

Thanks!
-Jake

 

1) depends on how good your current set up works. If it works pretty good and you don't have any real "issues", then the mechanical deal will be more dependable and be one less thing to leak. Hydraulics are cool for when you don't have a good mechanical angle to work with. Sometimes it works better to plumb some lines rather than figure out a system of bell cranks, etc.

2) depends on how stiff your firewall is and how much room you have under the floor. You can add bracing to the firewall on either side, and even use the metal dash as part of the support. Mounting under the floor leaves a cleaner firewall, but will take up sometimes-valuable exhaust room on low cars.

3 & 4) the "actuator" is called a slave cylinder. It's a real simple hydraulic piston that either pushes the clutch fork from the front, or pulls it from the rear. Pushers are seen more often than pullers. Pushers usually mount to the bellhousing itself or off a bracket that bolts to the bell via the same bolts that hold the bell to the engine block. There aren't a whole lot of "traditional" choices for slave cylinders, but early 60's Chevy/GMC pickups had one that mounted on the p***enger side (but I've seen more than one adapted to the driver side). I like the 74 Toyota Land Cruiser slaves (see pic) because their shape is easy to adapt.

5) Paper covers rock, but it is relative to the size of the paper and the size of the rock. This also ***umes the rock is at rest, and not hurling through the air.

 

Slide- THANK YOU!

... I dig the LandCruiser slave, pretty straight forward, easy...

wow, thanks again

 

The brakes and clutch on my 1960 f-100 use the same MC setup. Both are mounted to the firewall.

 

No prob. I forgot to add that you GENERALLY want to use the same size bore on both the clutch master cylinder and the slave cylinder. There are certainly exceptions, but this usually works as a good starting point.

The Land Cruiser slave I use is a 3/4" bore (but isn't really "traditional"). The Chevy truck ones are 1-1/16" bore if memory serves.

I'm certainly no expert, but this is just stuff I found. Maybe some others can give you more Ford-specific info.

 

later jeeps use hyd. setup. most new cars use the hyd. clutch setups, they seem to be pretty smooth. they always got the bad review from the racing crowd because the claim was it slowed down shifting.

 

Someone makes ahydraulic release bearing.
pos,speedway?it can solve alot of problems.