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Old Aug 31, 2006 | 09:05 PM
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Default My first ride

Sorry no pics 'cause there was nobody around to take them. Anyway I took my first ride today since last Oct. when I bought this money pit. After alot of time and fun I finally said heck with it and took it out. No doors,windshield,dash(hooked up gauges),hood,deck lid,or lights. It ran great...EXCEPT the dual spal fans never came on,Good thing it was a short trip. And I have to have the clutch adjusted at the tip of the rod,and then it starts to engage right at the floor. The fans I think I can figure out with help from Spal,but what is a cure for running out of adj.rod on the clutch???
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Old Aug 31, 2006 | 11:52 PM
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Originally Posted by sly vette
Sorry no pics 'cause there was nobody around to take them. Anyway I took my first ride today since last Oct. when I bought this money pit. After alot of time and fun I finally said heck with it and took it out. No doors,windshield,dash(hooked up gauges),hood,deck lid,or lights. It ran great...EXCEPT the dual spal fans never came on,Good thing it was a short trip. And I have to have the clutch adjusted at the tip of the rod,and then it starts to engage right at the floor. The fans I think I can figure out with help from Spal,but what is a cure for running out of adj.rod on the clutch???
I have thought about doing the same thing but mine is a 454 with open headers for right now, hard to sneak it out and not get noticed. last and only time I drove it was last Dec. when I drove it home
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 07:56 AM
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Watch those hard right turns!
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 09:28 AM
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Patrick,the right turns don't scare me as much is going straight ahead,It's kinda fast.(thanks to our buddy in CO.)
I still have the issue with not enough adjustment on the clutch rod. Anyone with any suggestions???
By the way,I got the dual spal fans to work last night. Also this is a '69 roadster frame off w/350 manual.
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 10:25 AM
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Sly,
If you are using a centerforce clutch then you're going to have to use an ajustable ball stud and set it to get the throw you need. Once you have the ball stud set to where it works then weld it.
I don't recall the dimension, I think Lars set them to a spec he found to work, but this is a common problem with these clutches. Now if you don't have a centerforce then that kills that thought.
I bought one then decided I didn't want to start playing around with it and bought a Hays that bolted right in.
Gary
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 10:48 AM
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It's your ball stud IMHO get yourself an adjustable one and then you can adjust it until you have it in the right position/ length
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 06:39 PM
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I've never heard of an adjustible stud. who sells them???
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 06:45 PM
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Summit or Jegs sells them.Some guys have swapped the "z" bar as the angle on the BB vs SB is different. Others have changed the linkage rods but I think the ball stud is the best way. Again if this is a Centerforce then this is what I've heard and decided not to use the product. The Hays bolted right in with all the stock parts.
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 09:34 PM
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I have a Hays clutch also and I had the same problem before disassembly. I believe by looking at the clutch adjusting rod that it may have lost an inch or so somewhere down the line. I think I may just extend it to it's original length. I seen the adjustable studs and I really don't want to have to go into the bell housing.
Any tips on how to lengthen the rod?
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Old Sep 1, 2006 | 09:50 PM
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Glad to hear it's moving!
I have never heard or experienced the Centerforce clutch needing an adjustable ball stud, they are a direct replacement for OEM. I've installed Centerforce II's in my last 3 toys with OEM bell housings and stud with no such problems.
If you are using an aftermarket bell housing such as Lakewood, then you will need an adjustable stud.
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 08:59 AM
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It's a stock G.M. bellhousing with a standard Hays clutch. No mods to the linkage at all except it appears that the adj rod is too short.
As in alot of things,another inch would make all the difference in the world.
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 10:30 AM
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Well sounds like the linkage was changed in past? I had no issue with the Hays clutch I used and had all the original linkage in place.

As for the Centerforce, if you check the archives or if other chime in the problem of alignment is well documented. Once the linkage is correct they seem to work fine. My brother in laws 63 had the exact same problem and the vette shop doing the resto ended up using a later BB Z bar to resolve it.
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 10:47 AM
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I take it the angle on the BB Z-bar is different,allowing for more travel. I'm wondering about length from ball stud to ball stud???
By the way Gary,do you still have any of Toms gears left for my '69? I have a 3.08 and now that I've driven it I can tell that I would be happier moving up alittle.
Thanks,you're the best
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 01:09 PM
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Mark,
I could lengthen your rod for you.
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 01:31 PM
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Originally Posted by jpatrick636
Mark,
I could lengthen your rod for you.

If the clutch setup is installed correctly just lenghten the rod or fab a new one from 3/8" stock
One bend, drill one hole and thread it.... done
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by sly vette
I take it the angle on the BB Z-bar is different,allowing for more travel. I'm wondering about length from ball stud to ball stud???
By the way Gary,do you still have any of Toms gears left for my '69? I have a 3.08 and now that I've driven it I can tell that I would be happier moving up alittle.
Thanks,you're the best
Yeah I a couple of sets of 373's. I also have a couple of diff's here that I was going to rebuild and sell swap meets. If you need help or parts let me know and I'll see what I can do.
The BB angle is different but I don't know off hand what it is. If your car has the original Z bar I'd go back to the linkages and look. Are there any c3's in your area where you can take a look and compare?
Gary
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Old Sep 2, 2006 | 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by jpatrick636
Mark,
I could lengthen your rod for you.

Thanks for the offer Patrick,but we've only just met.
Seriously thanks but I'm sure I can handle this myself. I just wanted to know my options.
Also after talking to a friend of mine,he stated that there are two different throwout bearings that could be used for my aplication. The major difference being the distance from where the clutch fork rides on the bearing to where the bearing makes contact with the clutch fingers. Thus my delimma,if in fact I had the thicker one and now I have the thinner one.
Thanks for your help fellas.
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Old Sep 3, 2006 | 10:45 AM
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Mark,
I went over my log sheet on the 75 with the new Hays clutch and I recorded the TO bearing was 1.312" ( 1- 5/16) thick. Hope this helps.

Gary
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Old Sep 9, 2006 | 11:49 AM
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I think I will try to extend the rod with some threaded tube w/lock nuts.Cut the original rod high enough so it will not interfere with any future adj. lock it down w/lock nut and maybe a tack, then run more threaded rod into the sleeve till it bottoms out and lock that down also. Then cut to proper length and I hope to be good to go!
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