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Hello-
Thanks for the help and reassurance about ISPWest. I will probably get one and modify it as you described. I also need a front window rubber for my square, so I can get that as well in one package :-)
Sounds good :-).
Your remark about taking a picture would be greatly appreciated,
I'll snap one within the week. I can't get to a digital camera right this sec... sorry... but in not too long!
because 'welding a loop to the fork' doesn't ring a bell for me at this point (yet?).
Probably a case of poor nomenclature by the guy who wrote it. Sheesh, what a moron... :-). Ignore what I said before, and I'll try again.
Basically speaking, the clutch _arm_ has two important features: a splined through-hole (the pivot point) and a fork (the attachment point of the clutch activation thing, whether it be a cable or a slave cylinder). I used the term 'loop' to describe a fork that didn't have an opening, i.e. went 360º around whatever it is attaching to (the cable or cylinder).
Now, there are three important things to note about these two features of the clutch arm. The first (and most important) is the center-to-center distance between them along the axis perpendicular to the axis of the splined hole. This is effectively the length of the lever arm used to operate the clutch, right? I'll call this the pivot length. My 923 clutch arm had this distance at about 5.5" although there are several variations of this arm for different applications, so YMMV.
The second thing is the vertical offset between the two. As stock, the fork is lower than the splined hole. While this is convenient if you are using Porsche's desired clutch cable location, you have a slave cylinder to fit, and a ground to watch out for!
The third thing is the direction of the fork. Porsche intended the fork to be used one way, so if you simply flip the clutch arm upside-down (just a circlip holds it in), the fork can no longer hold the clutch cable nut (or slave cylinder equivalent). This kinda sucks, because it'd be nice to flip the clutch arm around so you can position the slave cylinder far away from the ground.
Now, I quickly realized that there was no way I was going to get the travel I needed out of the slave cylinder to keep the clutch arm lever length at 5.5". So, I resolved to change it. Guess what I used for my 'loop?' A nut, of size 9/16" IIRC. I drilled out the center to get rid of the threads, and I was left with a nice, strong, and convenient little piece! I did some measuring, mocked it all up, ground a little bit away from my clutch arm, and welded on the nut at a center-to-center pivot length of 2.25". That over doubles the throw of my clutch arm. And it works!
I also chamfered the holes slightly. Because this loop is reversible, the third condition above goes away - it can be flipped around. Ground clearance is now not a problem.
To hold the other end of the slave cylinder in place, I used another nut modified as above welded to a piece of angle iron and bolted to a couple tranny case bolts.
Once you see the pics, this will all seem very simple, and you'll wonder why it took me so danged long to figure it all out. It was an absolute pain the first time, but now that I know what's needed, I think a second time would be a snap.
Also right hand side: Is that as seen from the front of the car?
Yes. The side opposite the tranny's side cover.
One more thing about the kit: I found that if you simply install the master cylinder as intended, the plastic fluid line wants to rub on the clutch pedal arm, and that's not good. Be sure to modify the system before installation to hold it out of the way.
Take care,
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Shad Laws
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