Hydraulic Clutch Conversion, 915 transmission/Bad knee Options

[GeorgeRud]

Are there any members that have converted their larger engined flat 6 or V8 conversion cars to a hydraulic clutch? I tried a search, but couldn't find too much information. My problem is a very bad left knee that is not getting better (at least until I get a knee replacement done), and a very stiff clutch pedal on my 915 gearbox. Mine is one of the early ones without the spring assist, so it is not easy to hold the clutch in without seeing stars!

Does the hydraulic conversion make the clutch effort any easier? My factory six has much lighter clutch actuation , but I need to do something to lighten the force needed to actuate the clutch in my conversion car. If someone has the correct bores and stokes needed for the hydraulic conversion (or perhaps the actual parts to use), that would be very helpful.

I'm hoping that someone has gone down this road and can give me some feedback! Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Katmanken]

Not sure why your pedal is too stiff. I have a thought.

One is you might have a diaphragm type heavy duty clutch for whatever large engine you are running. Had a LUK 200mm diaphragm clutch in my Ghia and it was a bear. Couldn't make it slip but it was so hard to push that it ate a clutch cable a year, and broke three clutch pedals. But, it handled all the power from the monster engine and when it engaged, it laid rubber in two gears without any slip.

If you have a stiff diaphragm clutch like the LUK, you can get a softer pedal by keeping the clutch and going with a smaller clutch master cylinder or a larger diameter slave cylinder. The force applied to the pedal will be less, BUT the tradeoff is the pedal travel must increase. It's work in = work out where work is force times distance and the equation must balance.

So, your solutions are a new softer clutch that is easier to deflect (ie requires less work to actuate) OR keep the clutch and use a smaller piston in the front clutch master cylinder or a larger slave cylinder to produce the necessary work with less force/ longer pedal travel.

That's it for alternate choices.

Hope that helps.

Ken