Triumph Repair: 1975 TR6 clutch, crank shaft, clutch lever

Question
QUESTION: We have a 1975 tr6 in our shop for clutch problems. The issue is that the clutch lever on the transmission is about 1 1/4" away from the pin hole on the slave cylinder by the time it contacts the pressure plate. It is to the point where the piston popped out of the slave when the clutch was disengaged. this is all with a brand new clutch kit installed. Is there an updated release bearing carrier or transmission front cover?? Any help will greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Jared,
No modification should be necessary when installing a new clutch.
First make sure you don't have any forward/aft movement in your crank shaft. Then you need to look at the fingers on the pressure plate to make sure they are not too far in, meaning the wrong pressure plate or wrong disk was installed.
The TR-6 is also noted for the bolt that pinches the fork to the shaft not in correctly can give you the extra clearance. Was the fork removed from the shaft while the trans was out? Check the outside arm on the shaft also.

Howard

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QUESTION: The clutch kit was installed at another shop so to be sure it was correct we ordered a new kit ourselves and it was identical to the one installed in the car. the shift fork was cracked and the shaft was worn so we replaced both with brand new parts along with a new pinch bolt. We found an article that talked about such a problem and it had part numbers for a new style bearing carrier and tranny front cover. The new front cover has an overall length of 4.25" ( part# 154975) whereas the old one has an overall length of 3.22"( the one we have). The new style carrier has a part# of 154976. the trans has a part# of 28570. is this even the right trans. there  are so many unkowns and this car has been to several shops before us for this problem.

Answer
Hi Jared,
Your part numbers did not do me any good, but I can help you track down the problem. This is what I would do if I had that car in my shop. First I would determine if the fault was inside the bell housing or outside the bell housing. Look at the geometry of the lever and push rod. Meaning, ideally the operating rod (rod that goes into the slave cylinder) should be 90 degrees to the lever it is pushing when it is about half way out of it's travel. This is easier to check than it sounds. Push the lever forward until the release bearing hits the pressure plate fingers and hold it there. Place a long rod of any kind into the slave so it is in position like the real operating rod would be. Now look at the degrees of angle between the lever and the rod. It should be more than 90 deg. on the slave cylinder side. If the slave piston were to push the rod out and move the lever a little, the angle between the lever and the rod would approach 90 deg. If that is how it is or is close to that, all you need to do to correct the problem is to lengthen the rod and forget what the cause was.
If however the lever to rod is less than 90 deg, then the problem is inside. But first look at the lever to see if it could be turned around by mistake on it's shaft.

If you have to go back inside, look at the fork and the pinch bolt to see if the fork can be put on backwards. I don't remember if the pinch bolt will allow that or not. Look at the fingers of the diaphragm pressure plate to see if they are too far in (compressed) This can make you run out of travel on the release bearing and slider and the same outside. The distance between the face of the release bearing and the surface that the fork contacts on the bearing carrier is critical and you may want to measure that distance and call Moss Motors and ask to measure their's to see if you have the correct part.
That would be very difficult to alter. I know, because I just had to do it on my MG conversion using a Olds V-8 engine with a Mazda RX-7 turbo pressure plate with a Triumph TR-8 disk and 5 spd. Triumph TR-7 gearbox.
It sounds like someone back in one of the shops has mismatched some of the components unless the fork or the outside lever can be turned around backwards.
Let me know what you find on the degree measurement you find on the outside lever and pushrod.
Howard