Clutch pedal problems

[85olds4spd]

I would suggest getting the correct z-bar for a g body and do you have the correct bellhousing and the special clutch fork?
The pedal stop can be made from a small piece of steel and bolted on. like in the pictures on the link above. I do not think the pedal is that big a deal if you had the right z-bar and rod line it up to the pedal and drill a hole. also look on the link you can judge the distance where the hole needs to be.
Here is another angle

 

[gto78]

Those pictures are awesome, thank you so much. They are a huge help. I have a Pontiac 400 and super T-10 combo. Do you think that the factory G-body Z bar is still gonna line up? I know that car only came with a 301 pontiac, or a small block chevy, or a V-6. Seems like my ball mount location on the 400 is about 6 inches back from the ones in the pictures of everyone elses? Maybe another optical illusion.

 

[Bonnewagon]

The 400 is no different. I've had a 70' GTO 400, a 76' LeMans 350, and a 79' Firebird 301 in my cars, all useing the original stock 81' Chevy 229 Z-bar and linkage. Only difference was I used the straight Pontiac Firebird clutch fork, and Pontiac bellhouseing, which required persuading the floor boards a bit with a sledge for clearance on my 81' malibu. On the 83' Bonneville it all fit like factory stock.

 

[gto78]

I have the pontiac firebird bellhousing (so i've been told) and the straight clutch fork. It fits fine plenty of clearance with floorboards etc. I also have an adjustable ball for the clutch fork, not sure what help that gives me, but it can be made longer or shorter.

 

[gto78]

I think it's actually almost done now. All I need to do is make the stop for the clutch pedal. I lengthened the lower arm on the Z bar and lined it up better with the clutch fork. That made a huge difference. The pedal is slightly higher than the brake pedal, but once I make the stop for it, it'll be the same height. Also I get complete release of the clutch about 2" before hitting the floorboard with the pedal. The pedal effort is a little stiffer than an ordinary car, but seems fine for a vehicle with a heavy clutch spring, and it's a whole lot easier than the one in my 78 grand am that I drove for 5 years like that. Those pictures helped a ton, having a working system to compare mine to. Once mine's complete I'll post a few pics of another working conversion.

Just a note to remember about the Z bar- Originally there was a big problem of the clutch pedal where it would move the Z bar about 75% of the way, but as you pushed the pedal to the floor then the last 2" of pedal movement, there was zero movement of the Z bar. The top of the pedal was rotating but the linkage rod wasn't moving forward- instead it was moving down. The fix for this problem was to move the Z bar forward a little bit, and to shorten the lower rod from the Z bar to the clutch fork. Shortening the lower rod made the Z bar rotate forward, which gave a MUCH straighter angle between the pedal and the Z bar. That was the trick, that made everything come together and work. The key to getting full pedal usage is to have the linkage rod constantly moving forward, not rotating down like mine was doing.

 

[Bonnewagon]

There ya go. Glad it worked out. A little effort now pays big dividends when you're banging through those gears!

 

[gto78]

Now that the clutch is working better, I have one more obstacle- the shifter problems. I've set neutral several times with all the linkage rods and a drill bit holding the shift plates in place, but still continue to have problems shifting. It seems to jam up when trying to find first gear. Then after screwin around it sometimes goes in first, and sometimes acts like a trans brake. I think reverse may be staying engaged if that's possible while 1rst is selected. All I know is sometimes when it's supposedly in 1rst gear when I let off the clutch the engine bogs like it's trying to go, but the driveshaft doesn't even attempt to turn. I've purposely let off the clutch in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th just to prove that it will roll from a stop. This odd problem feels like a transbrake in an automatic.

 

[adam6640]

Are you using the G body clutch fork ? it is unique to the Gbody it is offset, I had the same problem once when I converted a 79 malibu, til I realized I had the straight clutch fork in there.
Good Luck

 

[gto78]

The fork I have is slightly curved, almost straight.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Are you sure the clutch is disengaging totally? Do you have 3/4" to 1" pedal free travel and is there another 2" to 3" of pedal travel to the firewall after total disengagement? Maybe try over adjusting the linkage temporarily to see if it helps. I use a straight style Firebird clutch fork on my Bonnewagon with no problems engaging or disengaging the clutch. My Malibu had the offset fork and when I swapped the Pontiac set up in I had to hammer the floorboards for clearance. On the Pontiac body there were no clearance issues at all, like it belonged there. I had a similar shifting problem where I couldn't go into 3rd from 2nd. It just jammed. I dismantled 2 hurst shifters to see where the problem was and I could not find one single thing out of place. I used the supposedly better shifter and it worked great except now I sometimes can't downshift from 3rd to 2nd, the exact opposite. If I idle down and hit 1rst, I can grab 2nd but not allways. I suspect the transmission itself but I rebuilt it with all new brass syncros and new bearings but who knows?