clutch pedal adjustment????
 

Just got my 65 coupe today and the clutch pedal which in stiff also has almost no play. The pedal has to be all the way to the floor to change gears. Is there an easy adjustment to change the friction point so I don't have to depress the pedal to the floor to shift gears? Thanks :thumbs:

Clutch Fork
 

This may be a non-issue for you if you have a stock bellhousing, but check the clutch fork coming out of the bellhousing. It should be angled a little bit toward the front of the car to give enough travel to release the clutch. Mine was so out of wack that it hit the firewall before releasing the clutch.

Ken,
The to conditions you have with your clutch, no play and not releasing unless fully depressed, probably cannot be resolved with a simple adjustment. If you lengthen the rod you won't have to push the pedal as far to engage the clutch but you will have NO play. If you shorten the rod to get more free play, the clutch won't engage when the pedal is all the way to the floor.

If the clutch pedal mechanism is set up in the quick release position, you might want to change it to the normal release position and adjust the clutch so you have at least an inch on free play. That should give you a little more travel and the release point won't be as close to the floor. Doing so willl also reduce the effort needed to push in the clutch.

Now that you have the Vette, what do you think???
Dave

Post some pics Ken. :thumbs:

I have some taked by Tod, the previous owner and will take more when I get a chance. http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/kensmith/

Dave,

I am at work and only got to drive it around the block and into the garage. Received it this morning at 8:00am.

I am a visual person, any diagrams or photos or web sites with good stuff on adjusting or repair? Will probably be a lot easier when I get under the car and see for myself this weekend. :thumbs:

Quick release position for the clutch pedal? Can you post pics of were this is?

Ken

I need to run to a X-mas party but if you don't have an answer tonight I will email you some stuff if I can find it.

Hope you have Broadband:thumbs:

Here is a link to photos posted by BUNS last February that show the set-up for both normal and quick release:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...86&postcount=9

The combination of a stiff and long throw clutch pedal usually means you have an incorrect clutch and/or need an adjustable height pivot ball.

I would tend to agree but look under the dash and make sure someone hasn't done some Bubba work that keeps the pedal from returning to the correct position, which will be higher than the brake pedal. The little angle stop bracket should be square with the car and not leaning forward. Look for any non-stock stops that keep it from fully returning. Then look at how the bracket on the clutch pedal arm is bolted (normal or quick release).

Guys who have experimented with the quick release setting - does the quick release position drop the resting place of the clutch pedal towards the floor some? That's about the only way I can see that it could shorten the stroke.

Dan

Dave,

I need to re-word my description. The clutch pedal sits a little further out than the brake pedal. You can push the pedal in about 1 1/2" (free play) before it has any real friction. The clutch per the previous owner is a 2800# diaphragm. The problem is if the clutch pedal is not all the way to the floor, you can't shift. And also when starting out in gear, it has to only come back from the floor about 1/2". I would like it to come back at least 1" from the floor before engaging. I don't like having to push it to the floor to change gears or start out. Make better sense?

Ken,

No. It makes no better sense because I understood what you originally described.:yesnod: Before you get into changing things such as suggested previously, just make sure that the clutch pedal is in the "normal" and not the "fast release" position. The symptoms you have are synonymous with the pedal being in the "fast release" position.
If it is in the normal position, then previous suggestions should be investigated.
Here is a photo of my 65 clutch adjustment rod. Notice the different color of the threads. The dark part is how much threaded rod extended beyond the lock nut before changing from the fast position to the normal position. Also, note the position of the bellcrank in relation to the steering coupler. Yours should be close to the same position.
Dave

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...0935Small2.jpg

BTW, I have your hood.:D

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1..._0001Small.jpg

Clutch Adjustment Thread
 

Ken,
Check out this thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...tch+adjustment

You've got about 700-1000 pounds too much clutch in your car. Your clutch pedal height doesn't sound right either. Be that as it may, adjust about half your free play out of the clutch and it will help your release height. You may also have some other mis-matched parts in your clutch system causing the problem.

Stingray 76 your clutch adjustment rod doesn't look at all normal to me.

Dave,

I was going to buy that hood but I think I will try for the 65 BB hood instead. But not for awhile though.

My clutch adjusting rod looks like yours with the exception that the adjusting nuts are at the end of the rod. They don't appear to be able to back off any further. Maybe need a longer rod?

Ken

Mike,

My clutch system looks identical to Dave's except the nut is at the end of the rod.

Ken

Ken, this is where your problem starts. You need to start at ground zero and reset everything back to a neutral position and start from there. Pay close attention for worn parts and elongated holes at this will cause problems also.

I won't get into who is right and who is wrong. Not with all the clutch adjustment problems people talk about on every Corvette discussion board.

"Normal looking" to me means the adjustment locknut is all the way to the end of the rod when a clutch is new or not worn a significant amount and the clutch pedal free play is set at about 3/4 to one inch. In other words, yours sounds right as far as appearance.

You problem may be two-fold. The first, too heavy a clutch and also may be causing your adjustment problem. The second, you may have a mismatch of parts. Some early midyear parts, some later in your clutch linkage. I would suggest you get on the NCRS discussion board and do a search starting with the latest archive. Key words, Michael Hanson, clutch. Within the last 2-3 months he described exactly by dimension and part number, what goes with what.

Sounds like your bottom rod going to the throwout fork should be the longer one but I'd do the search. I'd change the clutch too if it's really that heavy.

Clutch Adjustment
 

I think that this is what most people are trying to describe. My clutch grabs about 1" off of the floor, and I have about 2" of free play at the top. The adjustment is at the forward end of the rod, allowing adjustment as the clutch wears.


http://home.computer.net/~rong/corvette/linkage.jpg


I haven't had to adjust it since it was installed back in 1989.