Here's some pics of my Clutch-Turbo 400. AFAIK, it's the first being built in maybe 30 years. The input shaft is unique with a very large end. I need to make a custom pilot bearing for it. It has a full manual reverse valve body. Note lack of governor. The case has the bellhousing milled off, with a B+M front plate to mount a scattershield. The 3-prong part on the shelf is from Winters, the first new one made. My trans came with a broken one. The filter is a Chrysler unit. Old trick racers used. It is a much better filter. You mount it by doubling up on O-rings, and adding an extension to the mount that butts up against the pan. The pump has many unique small parts, note the strange drive setup. It will be run with no trans cooler, just a loop, with no converter there will not be any heat buildup.
COOL! Remember them being the hot setup years ago. Still see a few parts ans pices at swap meets occasionally. jerry
A friend just picked up a Clutch Flyte for cheap...Outlawed by many associations back then....not sure now...but they are dam sure neat. Mark
What's the benefit of using a clutch-Flite/clutch-Turbo set-up over a well-built slick-shift with a Vertical Gate shifter? -Brad
I'm running a clutch-flite behind a 354 hemi, was first used in a funny car in the 60's then to a bonneville car and now a hot rod. I've never heard of any ban (at least in straight line racing) they were just out done by evolution of racing transmissions. they are a automatic trans with a clutch. they lack the multple of the torque convertor. and the clutchless shifting of the lenco really put them on the trailer. had a friend that ran one on the street with a blown big block and I've always wanted one, I found two at the same swap meet. one set for a chrysler and the other for a chev. got talked out of chev one (its in a jeep sand dragster now)
the benefit is that I would not miss a shift....that may not benefit you, though. Thanks for the pics repoman!
An automatic uses planetary gears and hydraulics to shift. I have already removed the parts that cause slippage between gears. This will create immediate gear changes under high pressure. 1. Gears are much stronger than cog gears. 2. Impossible to miss a shift. 3. Hydraulics create super-hard shifts. 4. Dependable power-shifts. Back in the day they were called a "poor-man's Lenco". You cannot shift a traditional manual trans as hard as one of these. They are very hard on drivetrain parts.
At this point, this is all hypothetical, 'cuz I haven't done it yet, but I do have the parts, and will be putting it in the gasser behind the 480-inch 409. I'll be running a Hemi 4spd with Liberty high-nickel gears. It's set-up to slick shift, meaning no clutch needed for gear changes. I have a brand new Hurst V-gate shifter. Side-step the clutch for the launch, and then just slam the shifter forward and backward for gear changes. Violent as hell, but it's the same set-up the Mopar Super Stock Darts and Barracuda's ran behind the Hemis, and I've been lucky enough to get a ride in an original. I'm not trying to have a wizzing contest saying my trans is better than yours--I'm just trying to learn what would be the advantages/disadvantages between both types. With my 4spd, it will shift hard at WOT, and will ba damn hard to miss a shift with that Vertical Gate. Thoughts? -Brad
Hell yeah, your 4-speed will give some nice, violent power shifts. Should just about take your head off behind that '09. But you're still swinging a lever with your arm with cogs, vs. a hydraulic shift with planetary gears. You MIGHT miss a shift. The hydro CAN'T miss a shift. Actually, one advantage for a true manual is the ability to perform a true power-shift. That is, foot to the floor, grab a gear, bang! This gives the engine a split second to rev up before grabbing the next gear. Depending on your trans/rear ratio, this usually gives your a higher mph. With the hydro, it is impossible to let the motor rev between shifts, because there is such little time between gears. My big disadvantage with the hydro is the same reason I'm putting it in, the thing shifts so hard that they were famous for breaking u-joints, rears, and axles. I need to overbuild my driveline or I'll break it everyday.
Both combos are pretty cool. My understanding is a clutchflite or clutchturbo is more forgiving on part throttle shifts, like street driving. A slick shifted 4 speed would have to be power shifted, even at part throttle, making them a pain on a street car. Anybody ever driven one on the street?
whats your opinion of running it converterless and clutchless by just dumping main line pressure with a valve? It's common in sprint cars, how would it work on the street VS a clutch setup?
the frictions of an automatic trans are thin. They do not like to be slipped much as in a take off from a full stop. I thought sprint cars used an "in - out box" . ?
I don't think the clutch packs can handle that amount of energy repeatedly - starting a street car from a dead stop is much different than just changing gear ratios behind a cushioning converter. Keep in mind that the typical sprint car weighs less than half of a street car. The valve idea could work at first, but not for long...
Crosley, you're the man on transmissions, but for the others.The three finger part in the first post hooks the pressure plate to the to the pump. so the trans is at pressure at launch and these clutch-automatics run with double disc clutch's to absorb the shock of the launch. I also like the Idea of hydraulic throwout bearing with a bleeder valve. works like a line-loc, except it times the release for consistant launches at the strip
I have an old clutch-flite that is missing the pump drive spider. Is it the same for clutch-flite as the clutch-turbo's? Looks like it might be.. If not, does Winters have them for CF as well?
I recall a magazine cover shot of an El Camino running that set-up. The front wheels were about 5' in the air. The write-up said he rev'd it to 5,000 rpm's and dumped the clutch. The picture was taken just before the driveshaft twisted. Have fun with it.
Unlimited stall speed. Rev it to whatever rpm's you want and dump the clutch for racing, or drive it easy on the street.
Winters is retooling due to all the calls they have had the past year. Call and ask for Charlie. If Charlie isn't available, hang up and try later. The Clutch-Flites were more popular than the hydros, so he might have one laying around.
Powerglides are common with the direct-drive setup on the dirt circles. They use a ball valve to turn the pressure on and off. There's another recent thread about them here somewhere. That is a direct drive system. Nothing to slip. I don't think it would be possible to drive on the street. Imagine driving a car with a clutch, and side-stepping the pedal everytime you take off As it is, the Clutch-Hydro has a limited lifespan. It is hard on internals. My trans has the input shaft locked in the case, it happens when you blow out the clutch packs. It'll come apart with some finesse though. I hope mine will last a summer at a time before rebuilds.
Hi, new here, sorry I know this is an old thread but I was searching on the net for info on the clutch hydro, clutch flite and clutch C6 info and seen this thread. Repoman, if your still around I would like to ask if you got this tranny assembled?, The reason I am interested is I am confused by one of the pics showing the front plate. I have been on the winters site and according to there pics that front plate looks like the one for the clutch C6? so I am wanting to know if it also fits in the 400 case?. I have talked to Charlie a few times at Winters in the past and he told me that they "Winters" made all the kits for B&M and Fairbanks. If anyone one out there has anymore info on this topic it would be really helpfull. Link for clutch c6 http://www.wintersperformance.com/catalogs/SideWinder/33.htm if you click "prev page" in the above link, it will show you the clutch flite and clutch hydro kits front plates, I use to have a b+m clutch hydro and my front plate was not like yours but like the one on the winters site. I have a b+m clutch flite right now but I am trying to find parts to get a clutch C6 put together, thats why your/that pic interests me. heres mine with a small block ford lakewood shield on it.
Hi, just in case some people here might be interested, I found a Clutch C-6 kit and posted some pics of it. I think this is the only ford example on the net at this point. http://www.network54.com/Forum/260730/thread/1168507752/clutch+C-6++info...+poor+mans+lenco...
I picked up a CLutchFlite setup missing the drive shaft at the springfield swap meet. Not sure why I bought it. OK, I knew what it was and just thought it was cool. Anyone interested in it? B&M on the casting. I'll get a pic of it.
Awesome piece. There was one a guy had in part of a 66 chevelle package deal, but I passed on it. I'd still take the 4-speed crash box with an inline... less parasitic loss for one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLsH4NIuG84
I remember reading an article back in around '70-'72 in Pertersen's "Complete Ford Book". The title was "Clutching the C-6" -- pretty cool concept. It was all about the Winters product. If anyone's interested, PM me and I can probably find it and scan it. EDIT: Ok, I just scanned them into three pdf documents. Unfortunately, they're almost 1MB each, so I think they are above the posting size limit here and I don't have an offsite account to post them. I just emailed them to Kaz, too, so he also has copies to email.
MY roadster came with a SBC and clutchflite. My understanding was that the previous owner had spun the car a few times because you couldn't put it in netural at the end of a run, it would lock up. Didn't make sense to me. I did feel he spent most of his time on the salt fooling with the trans instead of making the motor run better. I didn't want the Chevy of the 'Flite anyway so I never ran either.
ran a fairbnks in my sand funny for 10 years...only issue i had was a broken p/p spring when loading after a day at track......damn near but the car in the bed of my tow 4x4.....hardest, most violent launchin thing ya ever dropped a pedal in...would love to stick one in my topy........
WOW, some great replys so far... honestly any reply is good on these things lol. Has anyone here ran/used the ford version?, It would be nice to get any kind of info on the workings of the ford one as I will be running it on the street.
My unit was a B+M. I don't remember the numbers on the plate, and it's now hidden behind a Pontiac block. Winters made all kits, true! The different companies just had a few different tricks when theu built them. Charlie is the guy to talk to at Winters. He should have everything you need. It was over two years ago when he set me up with my partsm and he said they were tooling up to make the parts more available.
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