The Dodge Challenger Message Board

I was wondering what was involved in changing from mechanical to hydraulic clutch. Also h ow expensive. Thanks

Keisler used to make a hydraulic actuator kit, but it's absent from their price list although 'listed' on their site. When it first came out it needed a restriction in the hydraulic circuit during high-speed shifts. Then this was "put in" their updated part,, and then it 'poof' disappeared. I think if you have a nice firm mount, poly bushing on the rear engine support,(tranny mount). Nice diaphragm clutch like the Street Twin McCleod setup, the Z-Bar has the correct bushings in it, the transmission shift rods arent bent, the bushings in them are fresh and tight, the Bellhousing is true and faced properly, it doesnt get any better than this! I also went as far as using their bellhousing. I love my 4-Speed!

Thanks for the reply Ed. The Z bar components are all new. I think I need new bushings for the shift rods though. I also have a rubber trans mount(new),m would the poly make a difference. In a previous post I asked about the problem with the z bar sliding on the rods, could I be missing somthing that holds it in place?

When I got a quote from keisler on a conversion kit, they listed a hydraulic clutch as a 700 dollar option. This is complete with everything to transfer it to hydraulic, I assume.

There really is a big difference in pedal effort. However, if I was going this route again, I'd chose to keep the fork and mechanical throwout bearing, and actuate the fork with a slave cylinder. That way, you don't get a 'self-adjusting' throwout bearing (which remains in constant contact with the diaphragm), and you don't have to have a hydraulic circuit 1 inch away from the clutch disc...

The rest of the setup is the same : a small master cylinder on the clutch pedal, a remote reservoir, an adjustable pedal stop to prevent the bearing from going too far.

I've seen some people do this (mostly on Jeeps for example), and I've seen some kits such as this :

http://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/kit_hcrc.htm

this can probably be made for much less than the 700 bucks Keisler and the others are selling their (Tremec-only) kits.

Fbernard, do you know of any other kits like this? This seems much cleaner than a Z bar if done right. I was actually looking for something like this a couple months ago (before I ordered my Z-Bar, doh ) and couldn't find anything. This kit also looks pretty expensive ($200) for just the slave cylinder and bracket. I guess I would be looking for just a master and slave cylinder, unless there is a kit w/brackets that is also made for mopar.

I think a diaphragm clutch negates the need for a hydraulic system. The petal is very light, so much so I reduced the leverage to the z-bar for quicker engagement action.

With a heavier Borg & Beck type I can switch back to the original ratios either top or bottom arm. (or both)

Jon wrote:I think a diaphragm clutch negates the need for a hydraulic system. The petal is very light, so much so I reduced the leverage to the z-bar for quicker engagement action.

I used to have a Centerforce dual friction diaphragm setup.
Trust me, you don't know light until you've tried a hydraulic setup.