1927 Clutch Stuck

[Deleted User]

Hi everyone, my Dad, brother and I are getting ready to get his car out from hibernation of seven years or so and the clutch is stuck. It starts and idles fine(fortunately), but we have this last little hurtle. We replaced the clutch years back and the cork it self should be healthy. Is the unsticking process similar to the step down wet clutches? Thanks so much!

lostmind

Drain the fluid , fill it with Acetone and lacquer thinner.
Push the the clutch pedal to the floor and block it with a piece of wood.
Let it set a couple days , turning over the engine every few hours.
Worked for me.

faustmb

I was thinking 27 was a dry clutch, no ?

[Deleted User]

I did find a spec sheet for that car today, and it listed the single plate cork clutch and a fluid amount...so it is wet. If anyone has had personal experience with this model year clutch I would certainly appreciate a chime in. I just don't remember the details. Time to crawl under and dig into it.Thanks!

Geoff

'27''28 models used the first version for Hudson of the single plate clutch, which has 132 corks, and runs in oil. If you have to dismantle the clutch, inspect the centre rivets closely, as these have a bad habit of coming loose. As to freeing it up, follow above directions, and if it doesn't break loose then you have areal job on your hands, as it is very difficult to get any sort of blade into the flywheel to get between the surfaces. Try putting the car in top gear, wedging the clutch pedal down, jack up one rear wheel and jerk it back and forth to try and break the plate free. Good luck.

faustmb

Geoff, We got the clutch free today, exactly per your instructions, rotating 90 degrees every 30 minutes over the course of a liesurely afternoon. Dad backed it out of the garage with a big grin! Many thanks, Jerry and Matt

[Deleted User]

Hi Geoff, I need some input as well as moral support. As I said we got the clutch free, draind the solvent and refilled with ATF (that was all we had on hand), but unfortunately the next day it was stuck again. I forgot to block the pedal after it moved under its own power.

Thinking that it was only slightly stuck, that next day, we tried starting it in gear, jacking and manually forcing it free, but neither worked. I left it till this weekend to give it another go.

I suspected that it would only take a little more soaking and it would free right up again, but that isn't the case. As of right now I am 48 hours into the re-soaking with acetone and laquer and there is no sign of it freeing up. I jacked up the rear wheel again, kept it in 3rd and rocked the wheel back and forth with my body weight and using the free play of the differential to gain enough torque to force the disc free, to no avail.

Is it possible that some of the cork seperated from the disc after it was freed the first time and is now wedged between the machined surfaces, binding the works? Is residual varnish that strong to not be affected by solvent? I can't think of a logical reason for it stick so strongly after just being freed.

As of right now my plan is to give it more time and work it daily, but the lack of progress is discouraging seeing that it freed up relatively easy no more than a week ago.

Thanks in adance! Jerry

[Deleted User]

All hudsons with their wet clutch, when parked, should have a wooden stick that hold the clutch pedal to the floor, clutch will never stick. Walt.

[Deleted User]

Walt, have you seen a clutch re-stick in less than 24 hrs? Maybe I'm not putting enough muscle into it. I'll keep working at it and keep that wooden stick within arms reach as soon as it frees again! Thanks

ESSX28-1

I was recommended to let the engine idle for 15-30 seconds or so before turning off the engine with the clutch depressed. This allows oil is in the clutch to get well around all the corks before they mate up to the clutch plate!!