Clutch question???

[red71cheyenne]

Is the z-bar mount in a different location for 3 or 4 speed trucks? My K5 was originally a 3 speed and I'm going to 4 speed, but I can't tell if the z-bar is in a different location. Reason I ask is that my clutch is terribly hard to push in. It also makes a rubbing noise when I push it in far enough to activate it. Thanks, Jeff.

[steveshow]

Did you use the same bell housing? The trans used should not affect the location of the z rod, etc. Is this also a new clutch? It could be that you were used to the old worn in clutch. That is one of the drawbacks to "heavy duty" parts store clutches.

[red71cheyenne]

No, its the bell housing that came with the 4 speed. But the z-bar mount is on the engine anyway, so I think you are right. I did get the clutch from Summit and its a heavy duty, so I guess that could be it. One thing I did notice though, I bought an entire clutch linkage from a donor 67-72 just to make sure everything was the same and the push rod for mine is adjusted out way farther than the donor was. May have to do with the lack of wear on the new clutch though. Any other inputs? Thanks, Jeff.

[67mater]

I just redid the zbar and clutch on my 67 with a sm420 4 speed. I had a twisted arm on the zbar and had to have that rewelded. Once everythign was square I had to adjust the arm between the fork and the bar by nearly 2 inches (took me hours to get the nuts to turn that far; back and forth with WD40 but I needed it the next day). you want the arm end of the fork toward the front of the truck about 5 degrees. Also, try moving different compenents by hadn to listenf or the noise you hear. I would suspect the ball ends on the z bar as mine were toast. I also have a cast fork and had to grind it a bit to pivot well in the new TO bearing.

[red71cheyenne]

Sounds like yours is about in the same position as mine. Which part of the fork did you grind to help it moving? Mine is forged as well. The only time I hear the noise is when I get it pushed in with the engine running. Just takes a lot of force to get it pushed in all the way far enough for the clutch to disengage.

[67mater]

I ground the fork tips to make them thin enough to slip across the bearing (my now bearing wasn't as thick as the old one). Think about how the fork works when installed. If things are adjusted correctly, the fork tips will be slightly behind centerline (there's a bit of an arch to the tips for this reason) and move forward form there. So the tips need to be able to slide across the bearing and pivot . Just take you time grinding and leave a smooth surface for the bearing to ride on (LOTS of test fitting).

I recommend looking at the adjustments. To adjust fork angle you have to adjust the ball (you can buy new balls that have long threads so you can cut to length if you need to, but I would look at the ball last after other adjustments are correct). To adjust travel (and starting position) you have to move the nuts on the rod from the fork to the z bar (I spent hours working my nuts down this shaft; probably worth replacing but if you do check the article I have at the bottom). I highly recommend taking the zbar out and checkign it for damage especially where the arms are welded on (I had an arm nearly twist off the first time I took mine out).

Lastly, you mention how hard it is to depress the fingers. First of all, it's heavy duty truck manual clutch linkage, so it's no Honda. Nonetheless, If the bearing slides front to back easily by hand, then the only way to adjust how hard it is to push is where on the fork you put the linkage. I have mine all the way out in the last "slot" on the fork. This gives the most leverage. You need to be sure everything is adjusted properly though so that you go from no contact to full disengagement and not part way. after welding the z bar I had to move the nuts on the linkage nearly 2" to get the bearing to sit just off the fingers at rest. That's what you want, so that as soon as you press the pedal you are contacting the fingers, but not before. I belive that if your starting point is right, then the travel is such that the clutch will be fulling disengaged, but pay attention when you start driving it that it's not partly engaged when you have the pedal all the way down (does it pull forward at all with the clutch down, tranny in gear on flat ground?).

Check the below article as I plan to switch to spherical rod ends before much longer (there's just too much play in my joints; lots of wear; especially for me on the block-pin that is adjusted by the nuts on the rod from fork to bar)

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ild/index.html