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Poor man's lenco? (TH400 with clutch)

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#3 ·
interesting! I kno they used to use something similar to this on the circle track's, but didn't think it would hold up in a drag application.
 
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#6 ·
Dude has been trying to sell that for 6 months. Was on the classifieds and on racingjunk. I can't wrap my head around it especially for what he's asking
Chris
 
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#8 ·
Dude has been trying to sell that for 6 months. Was on the classifieds and on racingjunk. I can't wrap my head around it especially for what he's asking
Chris
 
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#10 ·
EPR 2X10 said:
Dude has been trying to sell that for 6 months. Was on the classifieds and on racingjunk. I can't wrap my head around it especially for what he's asking
Chris
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It's ok on dirt because the wheels slip in the dirt. The pedal takes the line pressure out of the valve body and when you let it out it bangs. There is no clutch slip it's either off or on.
 
#11 ·
Youngins........

It was very common. More so with a 727 than a Turbo 400.

The Clutchflite was an automatic transmission developed by B&M in the 60s specifically for drag racing, usually in a Mopar with a Hemi. In the case of the Mopar version, it was a 727 Torqueflite that had the bellhousing sawed off. In place of a torque converter, the Clutchflite utilized a heavy flywheel and a clutch setup. There was a spider assembly to drive the transmission pump. The idea was that you could leave as hard as a stick car, while having the consistency and speed of an automatic. It was used in the 60s because torque converter technology was still pretty primitive, and it was thought that the Clutchflite would be a good compromise of hard launches, quick shifts (that most drivers couldn't make), and not have the lack of efficiency of a torque converter (Drive-Through) at the top end.
The Clutchflite proved to be both unreliable and a safety issue.
The first NHRA Pro Stock car to try a Clutchflite was the Motown Missile.
 
#17 ·
spidergearsman said:
VITAR made clutch turbo obsolete by 1971
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I had a clutch flight in a blown altered around 1977-1978.
Would get 2-3 runs out of it and clutches were burned up.

Switched to Vitar clutch turbo around 1979-1980 and never had any more problems.

Clutch set up was a Crower 2 disc and by adjusting the space between the clutches and weight on the fingers, the launch could be dialed in.

Jim
 
#20 ·
railbird said:
Youngins........

It was very common. More so with a 727 than a Turbo 400.

The Clutchflite was an automatic transmission developed by B&M in the 60s specifically for drag racing, usually in a Mopar with a Hemi. In the case of the Mopar version, it was a 727 Torqueflite that had the bellhousing sawed off. In place of a torque converter, the Clutchflite utilized a heavy flywheel and a clutch setup. There was a spider assembly to drive the transmission pump. The idea was that you could leave as hard as a stick car, while having the consistency and speed of an automatic. It was used in the 60s because torque converter technology was still pretty primitive, and it was thought that the Clutchflite would be a good compromise of hard launches, quick shifts (that most drivers couldn't make), and not have the lack of efficiency of a torque converter (Drive-Through) at the top end.
The Clutchflite proved to be both unreliable and a safety issue.
The first NHRA Pro Stock car to try a Clutchflite was the Motown Missile.
Click to expand...
Spot on, when I was a little younger my dad had a couple of Clutchflites done by Fairbanks way back
 
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