lengthening clutch rod?

[GreenMystChevy]

I put this 2" body lift on my truck and now I need to lengthen my clutch pedal rod. I am having a tough time trying to figure out what to do here.

I have been looking around for a rod that is 2" longer with threads at both ends and some sort of fitting that threads onto the end of it, but haven't found anything. I can try to find someone with a welder and weld in a 2" piece in the middle but the ends of the rod, where it pivots on either end is worn pretty good so I want to replace that.

I thought I saw something that someone had rigged up but can't remember, maybe it was CrazyLonghorn. Anyways, does anyone have any ideas on this so that I can be one step closer to getting her running again?

If this makes sense it looks a little like this, one end connected to the clutch pedal and the other on the pivot point for the tranny:

____________l
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[crazy longhorn]

I used solid rod, & threaded it 7/16 NF & used&7/16 female rod ends. My linkage has been modified (also hole in the firewall moved to the left), to make a straight shot from the peddle arm to the bellcrank. I havent posted any pics on the setup, but it works pretty slick. Addition of the urathane cab bushings also helped give me back control of the clutch. You can get the rod ends through summit racing..... http://store.summitracing.com/partde...art=SUM%2DMSF7 Good luck,crazyL

[GreenMystChevy]

CrazyL: Do your rod ends have a certain amount of swivel to them? I was looking at some rod ends, male, that thread onto a rod and would be perfect but they have a little bit of swivel to them. Is this ok or does it need to be "hard"


Does anyone else have any ideas or set-ups. This is a little bit frustrating.

[crazy longhorn]

The rod ends have a little swivel , to be able to handle a little "misalignment" between the 2 mounting points. Im not sure how much, but would guess approx 15-20 degrees. I have run them on a couple different trucks, & they really make the linkage work nice. I havent played with the 4x4's, but the 2wd (v8 linkage) has a couple bends in the top rod that I cant beleive is the best way to go. My sb is mounted in I 6 position, & I run the V8 bell crank(top arm is modified), & the arm on the rh side of the clutch peddle has been flipped over to give a pretty close to straight shot from the peddle to the bellcrank. The hole in the firewall had to be moved to the left to do this. The pivot ball bracket on the block is a stock pc, but the frame bracket was fabbed. The bottom rod also has a rod end (3/8 female). The setup works so much better than factory well worn pcs! nothing binds. crazyL

[adamls]

You could use allthread if you do not want to thread a piece of stell rod. Cover the unused threads with SS tubing for looks.

[GreenMystChevy]

CrazyL: thanks a lot for the input. I think that I will go with a modified version of your setup. If I get stranded though, I am calling you, lol. Seriously though, this sounds perfect and hey, if it doesn't work for me, I'm not out very much money.

Adamls: I think I will do exactly that!

Everyone else: If you come up with any more ideas, I am open.

[gmc67swb]

heres mine, not beautiful but functional. the rod end made the clutch action much smoother. i also had alot of slop in the linkage.

[Class of 69]

The allthread seems to be an easy fix, but it may not be strong enough. I would encourage the solid rod, and threading that Crazy used. I believe allthread will flex, and bend on you.

[crazy longhorn]

the allthread will also be NC, & I think you will find the rod ends to be NF on the threads. You can run a coarse tap in the rod ends......threads will be a little loose, but will work that way. With a sleeve over the allthread, it might do the trick. For threading the solid rod, i chucked it up in the drill press, & layed the thread die & handle on the table.....rolled the table up to got a little tension on the rod, & turned the chuck by hand for a few threads to keep things going straight. Once started, I clamped the rod in the vise & threaded a couple inches on each end, trimmed to the lenght I needed & added the jam nuts. The end result is a 7/16 smooth rod , stiff enough to 'face the news", & looks decent.....its a straight push tho, as things are modified to my taste. If you have much angle from the peddle arm to the bellcrank, you might opt for a sleeve to add strenght. Good luck, crazyL

[73stepside]

you could also get stainless tube and polish it for an ultra custom look.

[tai]

we put a 3in on my truck and welded an extension on to the existing uper and cut the lower arm moved it over as close to the frame as possible for the headers replacing the lower rod with a new 7/16 all thred from home depot for about 10.00 material and labor