Home made Hydraulic Clutch Setup

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ChallngeAccpted

ChallngeAccpted

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Hello everyone, First and foremost I have spent at least an hour each day for the past week or so researching this and have not found any real answers. Who has built their own hydraulic clutch setup using parts from other vehicles. The reason I am wanting to build my own is so that when my slave cylinder starts to leak I can just go to the local auto parts store and fix it the same day. I just haven't seen anyone post their setup with their results. I think lots of people would benefit from this, especially those doing a manual swap and dont want to spend over $1000 for new parts on Brewers. Thanks in advance!
 
I wanted to do just this last month, and it's a black art. I went in circles just to get the answer "call brewer's and get a kit". I wanted info to help with figuring out what master I could pair with what slave, and got nothing but a runaround. Not only here but at 2 other sites ....
 
I'll be doing it... Looking at using the master & slave both from a Mustang... Ford used a Tremec transmission in that application.. I figure if the OE matched the parts I should be fine without re-engineering it... Mounting the T/O bearing to the trans should be a slam dunk, just gotta fab the M/C mount & since a buddy bought a 5.0 Coyote engine/trans with all the extra parts which included the pedals I can copy the geometry from that
 
I've messed with a few hydraulic fabs.
I prefer Toyota stuff for my racecars cuz of the variety of m/c sizes for brakes, remote reservoirs, - and for clutches I used Toyota Land Cruiser clutch slave and fab mounts as nec.
You may have a clearance issue for the clutch master, you may have to mount it at an angle to clear the inner fender .
Good luck, it can be done .
 
inertia said:
I've messed with a few hydraulic fabs.
I prefer Toyota stuff for my racecars cuz of the variety of m/c sizes for brakes, remote reservoirs, - and for clutches I used Toyota Land Cruiser clutch slave and fab mounts as nec.
You may have a clearance issue for the clutch master, you may have to mount it at an angle to clear the inner fender .
Good luck, it can be done .
Click to expand...
Yeah, if your using a older design with a clutch fork rather than having the release bearing mounted directly to the hydraulic cylinder the Land Cruiser slave is very adaptable...
 
I bought (and cant remember from who, on here), a marvelous cast adapter that mounts on the firewall to operate a modern master, at an angle and operated by a rod coming through the stock firewall hole.

He only made a few, but if you are a decent welder, you could fab the same item. You could do this by building a welded angle "wedge" that would mount the cylinder
 
What transmission are you using that you need a hydraulic clutch?
 
RustyRatRod said:
What transmission are you using that you need a hydraulic clutch?
Click to expand...
Need? Or want... Hydraulic throw out bearings eliminate unneeded linkage that creates friction & tends to wear out... On a car a buddy has owned since high school he was constantly complaining about how hard the heavy clutch was on his knee... He'd tried a few different clutches, all the pivot bushings were new & no matter what he tried he just wasn't happy with it... I suggested trying a hydraulic clutch & the difference was amazing probably 25% less effort to operate the clutch...

Go ahead, tell me how tough you are & how your a manly badass are & that you still drive a heavy clutch & don't care...

The reality is my buddy has owned his Coronet R/T since 1977 & in the last few years his knee bothered him enough that he wasn't driving the car... We converted the clutch to hydraulic kept the old clutch & now he drives the car again..
 
A properly done hydraulic clutch is seamless. I think one of the big issues in the old days was that they "were not fast enough." I believe this was caused, mostly, by too small tubing. I used 1/4" hydraulic hose on my old Landcruiser and you could slam that thing like nobody's business.
 
1WildRT said:
Need? Or want... Hydraulic throw out bearings eliminate unneeded linkage that creates friction & tends to wear out... On a car a buddy has owned since high school he was constantly complaining about how hard the heavy clutch was on his knee... He'd tried a few different clutches, all the pivot bushings were new & no matter what he tried he just wasn't happy with it... I suggested trying a hydraulic clutch & the difference was amazing probably 25% less effort to operate the clutch...

Go ahead, tell me how tough you are & how your a manly badass are & that you still drive a heavy clutch & don't care...

The reality is my buddy has owned his Coronet R/T since 1977 & in the last few years his knee bothered him enough that he wasn't driving the car... We converted the clutch to hydraulic kept the old clutch & now he drives the car again..
Click to expand...
Well, I've been working on cars since 1974, so I think I know the benefits. That wasn't my question. Now, why don't you tell me about what a presumptuous prick you are?
 
Here's the McLeod setup. Looks fairly easy to replicate. I believe that is a later Z28 master, IIRC.

McLeod 1434002QD: Direct-Fit Hydraulic Conversion Kit - JEGS High Performance

hydraulic clutch master.jpg
 
1WildRT said:
Need? Or want... Hydraulic throw out bearings eliminate unneeded linkage that creates friction & tends to wear out... On a car a buddy has owned since high school he was constantly complaining about how hard the heavy clutch was on his knee... He'd tried a few different clutches, all the pivot bushings were new & no matter what he tried he just wasn't happy with it... I suggested trying a hydraulic clutch & the difference was amazing probably 25% less effort to operate the clutch...

Go ahead, tell me how tough you are & how your a manly badass are & that you still drive a heavy clutch & don't care...

The reality is my buddy has owned his Coronet R/T since 1977 & in the last few years his knee bothered him enough that he wasn't driving the car... We converted the clutch to hydraulic kept the old clutch & now he drives the car again..
Click to expand...


If the clutch is hard to push it’s a junk clutch. Simple as that.

Ill say it again, there are two and only two clutch discs I will use.

One is a full rag disc. With that most cars need about 2400 pounds of plate load. No centrifugal assist. Maybe less if the driver has a clue.

The other is the sintered iron disc. In a 3200 pound car you‘ll need about 1200-1400 pounds of plate load with no centrifugal assist.

Neither one of those will be hard to push. Having driven both systems, I’ll take mechanical linkage and a good clutch any day over a junk clutch and a hydraulic system every day of the week.
 
67Dart273 said:
I bought (and cant remember from who, on here), a marvelous cast adapter that mounts on the firewall to operate a modern master, at an angle and operated by a rod coming through the stock firewall hole.

He only made a few, but if you are a decent welder, you could fab the same item. You could do this by building a welded angle "wedge" that would mount the cylinder
Click to expand...
Like this?

hydraulic-firewall-mount.jpg
 
Didn't some of the 80's trucks use a hydraulic master/slave setup to get rid of the mechanical linkage?

If you look, there are several threads out there on fabbing a slave cylinder mount to a Mopar, I just don't have the links handy. This is the path I will be taking this summer. Not sure about the master yet but they aren't too expensive if you have to experiment.
 
Iam working on converting an 80s truck to a stick, and I looked and looked and looked for info on matching up parts and components to build my own hydro clutch setup, and all anyone wants to do is to tell me to buy someone else's "kit".... Gee thanks.
Not what I was after.
A Dodge truck isn't a Camaro. Wilwood makes lots of different pieces that I wanted some guidance on what works with what, so I could match components that would work best on my application. But answers were vague.
I wound up doing what I didn't want to do, due to lack of information. I bought the factory components for an 87-up D150, but my original point was trying to avoid just that because that setup is all plastic and just looks so chincey..... For what I've spent for the bracket the master clips into, and the master/slave combo, I'm sure I could have come up with something better, not necessarily cheaper but more bang for the buck... And I see nothing anywhere about a hydraulic t/o bearing that would work on an 833OD anyway.....
 
I have a hydraulic throw out bearing in my Coronet, it’s great. I understand the kits are expensive but it will save time and aggravation to just bite the bullet and get one.

If you do go the DIY route, You’ll have to make sure whatever slave piston you use works with the clutch pedal travel and does not under or over throw the capacity.

You’ll also want to make sure you have shims to tailor the distance the piston is off the clutch fingers. It’s basically the same thing as a disc brake piston where the piston needs to be close to the rotor surface but when you release the pedal it retracts. You want it in the right spot or you will have problems with the application/release.
 
BTW I have had the hydraulic T.O. bearing on the car for three years and it has not leaked a drop. I also drove a hydraulic clutch equipped Mazdaspeed 3 (turbo 6 speed) over 120K miles and that one never leaked either. Unless it’s installed improperly or abused beyond it’s limits it will be fine.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well, I've been working on cars since 1974, so I think I know the benefits. That wasn't my question. Now, why don't you tell me about what a presumptuous prick you are?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm the presumptuous prick, and yet it is you who comes on here to question why a poster wants to do something to his car... Where as I have suggestions on how to accomplish the original stated goal....
 
1WildRT said:
Yeah, I'm the presumptuous prick, and yet it is you who comes on here to question why a poster wants to do something to his car... Where as I have suggestions on how to accomplish the original stated goal....
Click to expand...
I only asked why he wanted to do it that way. What was wrong with that? I'm not rasponsible for how YOU perceive my question. I asked because there are other possibly easier ways to do it and I was not aware whether he knew that. It was you who jumped to conclusions first.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I only asked why he wanted to do it that way. What was wrong with that? I'm not rasponsible for how YOU perceive my question. I asked because there are other possibly easier ways to do it and I was not aware whether he knew that. It was you who jumped to conclusions first.
Click to expand...
Yeah, maybe I jumped the gun.. Sorry.... To many posters reject adding modern technology when it really can be beneficial... Like I mentioned in my first post without changing the clutch eliminating the stock linkage and going hydraulic reduces the pedal effort quite a bit.. Yeah you gotta get the engineering right but that's not that difficult... In my buddies case he's had surgeries on his knee so reducing the effort was important...
 
1WildRT said:
Yeah, maybe I jumped the gun.. Sorry.... To many posters reject adding modern technology when it really can be beneficial... Like I mentioned in my first post without changing the clutch eliminating the stock linkage and going hydraulic reduces the pedal effort quite a bit.. Yeah you gotta get the engineering right but that's not that difficult... In my buddies case he's had surgeries on his knee so reducing the effort was important...
Click to expand...
I'm not rejecting a thing. It's like with my T5 swap. Gill Welding makes an adapter to adapt that transmission to the original slant 6 three speed bellhousing. So that means you can retain the original z-bar and clutch linkage and not change a thing. No fabbing for a hydraulic clutch. It's a real time and effort saver that I did not know whether the OP was aware of or not. I wasn't arguing one way or the other was better, just letting him know there might be another way. I'm fully aware how much less effort a hydraulic clutch requires. I simply wanted him to know there might be an easier way, IF less pedal effort was not ALL that he was looking for.
 
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