#61  
Old 01-22-2020, 12:26 AM
65gscom 65gscom is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
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I know it's been a long time since the last post, but just checking in to see if there's been any more progress on this. I'm still in for one if they are!

Thanks,

Chuck

  #62  
Old 01-23-2020, 09:42 PM
John V. John V. is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,747
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Thanks for bringing this up, sorry I haven't provided an update sooner. Shortly after my last post, I moved. As I was dealing with the move, I was disappointed when I installed the boot in my car. After a lot of gnashing of teeth, I decided that the boot aligned correctly without the clutch rod in place (comparing it to the way my original aligned without the rod). But with the rod installed, the boot was "forced" out of alignment. I can only assume that the original boot was also similarly "forced". I further imagined that this contributed to the tearing of the original boot. I can only assume since my boot was torn long before I bought my GTO.

As I moved, I placed an order for a dozen boots to be cast. It took a couple months but my guy finally shipped them to me after my move (I was a little miffed cause I had prepaid him for the first 12).

In the meanwhile, I soon discovered that the nipple kept inverting as the clutch was operated. We tried to lube the rod but that did not seem to help.

I began to think I should have made the nipple thicker/more rigid. In the end, the nipple tore/split. I haven't looked at it recently to see if it has gotten any worse or is still inverting.

Given all this, I didn't feel comfortable offering them for sale. I spent a small fortune getting them made. I have some ideas about how I might take one of my spares and improve the nipple to work better for me. But it has been low priority (good news is that the GTO has been super fun to drive, so the boot hasn't been an issue).

I haven't talked to the guy who made them since he shipped the dozen to me. He had more trouble than he expected making the mold and the castings so I'm not even sure he would want to make more for me, especially with a nipple revision.

I really appreciated the interest here, I really wanted this to work out and was excited to pursue a more "correct" part for my own GTO and help others in the process. But the final product wasn't quite as good as I had hoped and cost more than originally estimated.

So that is the current status. When I get a chance, I'll dredge up my pix from when we first installed the boot with the rod in place and also go get some pix to show how it looks to today.

  #63  
Old 02-13-2020, 04:40 PM
65gscom 65gscom is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
Default Bummer!

Thanks for the update, John. Sorry after all your work and investment it has been nothing but a frustration.

Thanks for taking the initiative to get another rare part reproduced!

Chuck

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