my clutch

[ponyexpress289]

long time no see guys well here we go
ive installed a 10.5 hipo clutch on my 65 289 3 speed
now i have loosened the bolts on the eqilizer bar almost to where they r going to fall off just to b able to get my **** in gear
now is it suppose to be that far?
it still has little trouble getting into 1st when hot
and was waondering how to get rid of all the free play on my pedal
well thx

[induction]

Heres a pic of the linkage on my car.(289 2bbl 3 speed) My car is also a little tough to get into first when warm , But I just down shift through the gears when I'm at a stop then it goes in fine . Now did you replace the bushings inside the equalizer bar? they are teflon balls with the outer bushings made of felt ( two of each)

[John Z]

You shouldn't have to adjust it out that far. You should to check to see if the z-bar is bent.

[ponyexpress289]

my z bar looks the same as the guy who gave his pic
( induction)<<
yea i down shift also but sometimes it doesntwork
i replaced nothing exept the clutch so .....where do they go? conected to the frame? or ....????

[John Z]

I cannot tell from the photo if that z bar is straight. It is difficult to verify if the z-bar is straight while it's in the car.

[induction]

Originally posted by ponyexpress289
my z bar looks the same as the guy who gave his pic
( induction)<<
yea i down shift also but sometimes it doesntwork
i replaced nothing exept the clutch so .....where do they go? conected to the frame? or ....????

Yes it connects to the frame with two bolts{bracket} . If you look at the celendrical part "of the equalizer bar/ Z bar that is where the bushings go ( inside of it ) The felt is large and can be seen very easily at the ends/exterior portion of bar( if you dont see it it aint there) The equalizer bar is supported via the" pivot" that screws into the block and the bracket that is mounted to the frame.
Yes the "Z bar"(equalizerbar) is correct and not bent, trust me on this one. Unless your Charles Atlas or it's been in a nasty reck The chances of being bent are slim as the connecting parts are the weakest links. The Rebuild kit is only about $15.00 remember to lube it very well. Remember to also check the release rod assembly and the clutch equalizer rod for free play or wear at the friction points(conections) as they are easily worn after 30 years of use.

Maby Im a little late on this but...When the clutch pedel is pressed and released ( do this slow and smooth while the car is turned off ) do you feel any movement other what should be there? ie. side to side play or a "clunk " in the pedel?

Ill try and send a better pic . let me know what you find.

[John Z]

I wasn't trying to suggest a problem with your z-bar, just that the straightness cannot be judged from the picture.
Sorry for any miss understanding

[induction]

Originally posted by John Z
I wasn't trying to suggest a problem with your z-bar, just that the straightness cannot be judged from the picture.
Sorry for any miss understanding

WHOA, there is no need for that i didn't miss understand you , sometimes when I write it only seems that way . There is no problem and I'm not one of the know-it-all type that can never be wrong. trust me I know lol.

[John Z]

Good deal, I'm a little sensitive after being slammed on another site for providing what I thought was a helpful post.

[induction]

I know what you mean , Try being a female and posting what you know on some of those other sites . They try & rip you a new one even when they are wrong!! But I have never had that problem here these guys are great , now I do get corrected when I'm wrong but It "always" comes with the correct info and I learn somthing new nowHOW COOL IS THAT?! Anyway I know that Red wouldn't stand for it

[John Z]

With all due respect, I'll pass on trying to be a female! But I do try to be sensitive to the issue. I have two daughters, one will get a Mechanical Engineering degree in December and the other is studying Physics, so I feel like I've done something right. I bought my mustang from Stef Roberts and she has an interesting page about being a "tool girl" (her phrase). Check out her page at: http://www.stephanies-mustang.com/

[red]

Some one mention me!

Yeah, Dan runs a pretty tight ship.

-JON

[induction]

Hello stranger long time no . I'm on vacation so latley I've been spending some time here. Just-a posting-a-way lol

[ponyexpress289]

side to side play is there and was always even after i replaced the u lookin thing that goes to the shifter assembley and connects the the shifter
and there is always "clunk" or some weird " bang " noise when i push the clutch
i now no what ur talkin about the thing that connects to the frame and my dad said we had to get that replaced also
but thx guys
o and reply about the noise ^^^^^

[induction]

There may not be a need to replace the entire "Z-bar" just rebuild it that should remove the clunk and slop in the clutch pedel . Also , look at the bushings and see if any are worn. You may also need to replace the lower link rod ( this one connects the "Z bar" to the clutch fork assembly). It tends to wear very bad at both ends O====> ( the circle where it attches to the "Zbar " and the point where it contacts the clutch fork) ie. lower equalizer rod.

[ponyexpress289]

i am going to buy the z bar and things that u said to replace the things that connect to the frame
0====> << this thing broke on me and its kinda worn but i got it welded
0===>
^ it broke here before the tip of it
dallas mustang doesnt have it and i have to order it from gorgia so i said forget it and just put the welded one backin
o and thx alot

[induction]

Your welcome.

[Jeff65]

Here's how I do it: Remove return spring and take lower link off. Remove upper push rod from z-bar. Okay now z-bar is free. Examine how it works. The upper arm should run straight and true when the z-bar is rotated. It should run in the same direction as the steering column and should not wander right/left as its moved. If it moves right/left then the frame pivot needs adjustment. Loosen the two bolts on the frame pivot, slide the pivot fore/aft, right/left the end result is the upper arm of the z-bar should run straight and true.

Check the clutch pedal and ensure it is on the upper stop. Attach the push rod to the z-bar and set both the stop nuts far apart - one high on the pushrod and the other low so the z-bar is still very free to rotate on its own. Go beneath the car and install the lower link piece and insert it into the fork. The fork should be fully backed off the throwout bearing meaning pulled as far forward as naturally possible. Now check the position of the z-bar upper link on the pushrod. Move the upper nut down to where it just touches the z-bar link but does not move it. Go to the bottom and see if the lower link is held in the fork without the spring being attached. It should just rest in the fork and not fall out when the upper pushrod nut is adjusted down towards the z-bar link. Wiggle it and see how it fits in the fork. It should fit loosely with about 1/16" play but not fall out or hold the fork rigid. Once you have this condition reached, go back up top and adjust the lower nut until it locks the z-bar link. Recheck the bottom link and make sure it still feels like before (1/16" play and not falling out). Repeat adjustment until you get it right. The fork should not be bound on the back of the bell housing/tranny neck nor bind the throwout bearing against the pressure plate tines. There is a spot in the center of these two extremes where the fork floats in between - this is where you want the throwout bearing to be with the clutch pedal fully up and the z-bar nuts tightened. Everything should hang together at this point with no springs attached and no pedal pressure applied. When you achieve this point reattach the lower spring. Your clutch is adjusted so check it out and make sure it operates as it should. Repeat this adjustment at 90 days and at 1 year intervals. If it does not work at this point something is wrong. Most likely its a bent clutch disk from improperly inserting the tranny (putting side pressure on it while installing and not using guide pins). If you have this problem, the clutch plate will drag and the result will be grinding gears when shifting. Another cause of being unable to get good clutch adjustment is using a cheap rebuilt clutch set improperly reconditioned. Another cause is not resurfacing flywheel. The cause is not related to the 10.5 vs 10" issue. There's no difference in the clutches except the added diameter. They work exactly the same with exactly the same operating clearances.

[ponyexpress289]

the part that connects to the frame has some side to side play is that good , bad ??
if i unscrew and move over what will happen
o and thx a whole lot

[Jeff65]

Originally posted by ponyexpress289
the part that connects to the frame has some side to side play is that good , bad ??
if i unscrew and move over what will happen
o and thx a whole lot

Some of your sentence is missing here but in its absence, I will assume the frame pivot is not correctly adjusted. When right, the z-bar fits tightly on the pivots and does not have much side slop. Note that any side slop it has is supposed to be buffered by two large felt washers. Scott Drake makes a rebuild kit that includes pivot for the engine and balls and clips for both sides. It also includes the felt washers. To rebuild it, you loosen the two pivot bolts (I do this from the top with Chevy distributor wrench). Once the frame pivot is loose, the push rod loose, and the bottom link loose, I pull the z-bar off the engine pivot, then rotate the z-bar around the master cylinder and out the top. Once out, the frame pivot is pulled from the z-bar and the ball, clip and felt washer are replaced. Be sure to coat the felt washer with heavy grease before installing it. Clean up the z-bar then fill the ends with grease (1/2" into the tube is fine). Replace the felt washer, ball and clip on the engine pivot then grease it. Put the frame pivot back in the z-bar the work the z-bar back around the brake lines and master cylinder and into place on the engine pivot. Push it hard into the new felt washer. Get it roughly in place then rotate the frame pivot until it positions on the car frame. Align the bolt holes and insert the hex bolts and lock washers. Note, if you use serrated flanged bolts, then no washers are needed. If you use normal grade 5 or 8 bolts be sure to use with flat washer and lockwasher. Bolt the frame pivot in place loosely. Check the rotation of the z-bar and make sure its rotation is in the plane of the steering column and does not wander right/left as it is rotated. When in the sweet spot, tighten the frame pivots. This procedure is exactly the same when using a conversion pivot on a 5.0L engine except you need to cut the felt washers in half with a razor blade to accommodate the difference in available width between the frame and the engine (about 1/8 to 1/4" less in width than stock). The felt washers cut well with an industrial razor blade but go slowly and carefully and lastly mind your fingers! The rest of the alignment for the z-bar was previously explained.