Clutch Pedal - Linkage vs Hydraulic?

[Bierkan]

As you can see by my avatar, I have a 72 C-10 with a 50 3100 body on it. When they did the pedal set up, they reused the mechanical linkage of the clutch. I *think* they cut off part of the clutch pedal and moved the linkage to a hole on the pedal arm itself. I have a definate binding in the operation of the lever due to angle of the linkage.

I'll try to get photos tonight to show what I have.

What I'm wondering is if there's a hydraulic converstion, what are the things to watch for with said conversion, and if it's worth going hydraulic or keep tweaking on the clutch pedal and linkage. I think the reason for the current arrangement is they didn't want to make a bigger hole in the floor.

Thanks in advance.

[Southcity]

You have a few options, you could go hydraulic, there are some universal kits out there or you can try to keep the setup you have but upgrade the linkage with heim joint ends for a smoother non-binding action. Try to post up your pics when you can, this will help in troubleshooting your issue.

[harrdawg54]

I have an SM465 and am having some issues with my linkage after a few upgrades. I have been looking at the McLeod hydraulic clutch conversion designed specifically for this tranny but have not heard anything for or against it. The cheapest I have seen it is on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/McLEOD-HYDRA...f646c1&vxp=mtr

[Bierkan]

That brings up another point: this truck has a 3 speed in it. I'd like to put in a 4 in someday. Maybe during the swap I convert to hydraulic.
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[Bierkan]

I'm not able to post the photos here due to their size. I'm at work now, so I can't use my photo editor to shrink them until later. But, please go to my blog and look over the linkage and pedal arm and let me know if this things been cut up or not. I think it has. I'm guessing for clearance with the floor.

http://vierkanttrucking.blogspot.com/

The problem comes in at the jack shaft. If you look in the background of the photo at the leg that connects to the rod going to the transmission, the rod is at an upward angle, not 90 degrees out, which means there a "hump" where the transmission rod is moving more than the jack shaft leg.

I also thing the jack shaft leg where the clutch pedal linkage attaches needs to be rotated counter clockwise to give the most range of motion.

Thoughts?

[Bierkan]

OK, looking at my photos against my service manual and found that they cut the pedal linkage short and mounted it lower on the pedal. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing it's due to interference with the steering column. I'll have to check this out in the morning.

Also figured out that the linkage to the throw out bearing fork is attached to the wrong side of the lever and the pedal to jack shaft linkage is attached to the wrong side of the pedal. Both of those will put things in a bind. I'll swap them both, give it a try, then worry about finding a longer linkage.

[Bierkan]

Well, dug into it a lot more today. Appears to be more issues than I thought. Now I'm wondering if the transmission is sitting too low in the truck as the jack shaft isn't level. The current steering column is interferes with the linkage and the link to the clutch fork is also out of alignment - as in the transmission is off to one side.

[special-K]

I have done swaps where I had to modify the clutch linkage. Each set up is designed to operate at exactly that length and angle. When you try to alter you run into leverage issues and the absolute best and easiest way to deal with it is go hydraulic. Distance,angle,nothing like that matter one iota.

[Bierkan]

The more I look at this, the more I see wrong. Not only do I think the transmission is sitting low, I think it's in crooked. And that means the engine is in crooked! Also found a problem with the throttle linkage that's not letting it open fully.

El Crappo!
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[Bierkan]

Originally Posted by Bierkan

The more I look at this, the more I see wrong. Not only do I think the transmission is sitting low, I think it's in crooked. And that means the engine is in crooked! Also found a problem with the throttle linkage that's not letting it open fully.

El Crappo!
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Yesterday I spent a good part of the day scrounging through a bone yard for parts and looking at C-10's and C-20's for comparision. My linkage is quite different than stock, so I'm guessing it's pre-67. Long story, it is AFU, so I think if I stay with a manual transmission, a hydraulic conversion is the way to go. Since I have the drive shaft out currently and the bed off, now is probably the time to do it.

I'm also kicking around the idea of switching to a 5-speed so I can get overdrive. Or, going with an automatic and being done with clutch issues.