Re: DID ANYONE LOOK (nope now it's clutches)

["Armand Eshleman" <aje1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On June 10, 2005 Jim Boone wrote:

> On June 9, 2005 andrew hay wrote:
>
> > one thing hits me - clutch size.  you'd have a challenge getting 300hp
> > through a 9 1/8" disk!  and the 196 flywheel isn't drilled for
> > anything bigger.  it is the same size as the '64-'70 though, so if
> > it's thick enough in the right places it could be drilled.  they have
> > the 10"/10.5" pattern.
> >
> > hmmm...  maybe the flywheels are similar enough that an early 199/232
> > one would bolt on without much work...
>
Since posting last, I recieved an email from Randy Guynn, in which he states
in part:

"The roundy- roundy racers have used very small diameter clutches for years.
9 inch down to 7 inch. These clutches hook up 500-700 H.P. on Sprint Cars. A
small clutch such as this should work fine for AMC street power levels.

Stock clutches will not hold that kind of power very long. These race units
hold up fine.

Small diameter weighs less and robs less power from the engine to swing."

Makes sense to me.  I'm sure there's a way to use one of these high
performance type clutches behind the old six and it would hold up against
whatever you could squeeze out of it.

Jim Boone
Mims, FL


There is a vast amount of dirt track roundy round racing going on in and
near my home town. I have seen a system used for power transfer utilizing a
flex plate (from an automatic transmission) and a series of clutch plates,
discs and a pressure plate. It's called a multiplate clutch or something.
It's only about 7 or 8 inches in diameter and easily handles 500 to 600 hp.
The advantage and the reason these guys use it is because they want instant
rev increases and decreases for their style of racing. This system is
lighter and because of it's smaller diameter and weight it has less inertia
which allows very quick rev up or down, great for driving on dirt. High
horsepower road racers don't blip the throttle like that on the track
because the car gets squirrelly but the dirt guys like that back end to kick
out.  Randy is correct except that the sprint cars around here have an
in-out box, no clutch what-so-ever. It's either in gear or it's in nuetral.
Maybe elsewhere they actually use a clutch, never seen one though. I think
small diameter clutches capable of handling 300 horsepower should be easy to
find. Don't all the "tuners" use stuff like that?

Armand