> I then had a good look then at my bell housing and almost all
> the mounting
> holes are severely elongated.
Brian :
There are two special holes that align the bellhousing to the engine
(actually the rear plate). All of the other holes are deliberately oversize
(although still round, not elongated).
Those two special holes also take special bolts (on the TR6), called "dowel
bolts" in the Triumph books. These bolts have a full-diameter shank (0.375"
as I recall) rather than the undersize shank found on normal bolts. On
earlier TRs, they had actual dowels ... I believe they were changed to bolts
in order to strengthen the joint.
Last time I checked, no one offers the dowel bolts. Although some vendors
offer standard bolts in their place, IMO the resulting poor alignment is at
least part of the reason that so many TR6 (and Stag) have clutch problems.
Among other things, the misalignment causes excess wear on the pilot
bearing, which as you've noted, causes problems.
If those two alignment holes are damaged (elongated) on your transmission,
then IMO the only reasonable solution is to replace either the housing (the
bellhousing is one piece with the transmission housing) or the entire
transmission. AFAIK no one offers new housings, but good used ones are
readily available and not too expensive.
Although it's theoretically possible to weld & remachine the holes, getting
them accurately located is going to be tough; and mistakes are going to be
expensive.
Someone else may know of a better way ... what I did to get proper dowel
bolts was to buy some drill rod in the appropriate diameter, thread one end,
then cut it to length (being careful not to overheat and change the temper),
and thread the other end.
Ordinary dowels might work too, but since this is the second Triumph I've
had where that joint has failed, I felt it best to go with the factory's
improvement.
Randall
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