How do you know how far to adjust them in or out?

I am in the process of putting in a Centerforce clutch and the stock ball gave me no peddle. My linkage adjustment is approximately in the middle and I did not want to adjust it to one extreme or the other. I have adjusted the adjustable ball to less than 2" peddle travel, but it looks like the throwout bearing is touching the pressure plate.

While I'm at it, what is the easiest way to get the trany in the last half inch?

Thanks

Terry

 

From the face of the bell housing that bolts to the back of the engine to the tip of the ball should be fourteen and one half inches.My source was an issue of CHP, but which one I am not sure.When you are done you want the bottom of the Z-bar arm closest to the engine to be either pointing straight down are toward the front of the car somewhat.


[Modified by a smith, 9:29 PM 11/3/2001]

 

What is the face of the bell housing? The crank flange, flywheel or the block?

Thanks

Terry

 

You have mail. I used to haul down there. Nice little town.

 

If you lay the big end of the bellhousing down on a flat surface the area of the bellhousing touching the flat surface is the face.When you want to measure the distance you lay a straight edge on the face and measure from the bottom of the straight edge to the top of the ball.

 

I just installed my transmission back onto my car and i was asking the same question about the last half inch i took it off and put it on at least 10 times with it not going in the last 1/2 inch. It has to go in (slam) STRAIGHT!!!!!!!!! if it does not go in ABSOLUTLY STRAIGHT it will not go in the last 1/2 inch I just did it 5 days ago. Have fun and good luck :smash: :smash:
by the way i had the tranny out hope you do too because the people that tell you they can put it in with tranny still in the car must be magicians!!

I dont know about the clutch ball I just used the stock one on my bellhousing and never removed it.

 

Thanks, I got the ball adjusted right (I think). When I asked the question, I was thinking of how to do it with the bellhousing on the car (duh).

Now my problem is getting the trans in the last half inch.

I have used an alignment tool (twice) and still can not get that half inch. Have had the trans in and out 6 or 7 times and the bellhousing off about the same.

Any suggestions.

thanks

Terry

 

Ok, I'll try.

First, the Centerforce should have come with a sheet in it showing how to measure the pivot ball height. It is different but very critical if you want it to work right. I know my adjustable one requires the ball to almost be fully extended out of its threads. I ended up getting it set right and then welding the lock nut to the shank, because there just wasn't enough thread to keep it locked well. I had it come loose once before. BTW, I have a McLeod scattershield and it will affect the whole deal.

If you were laying on your back looking up at the arm as it extends from the housing, when the throwout bearing contacts the pressure plate with just finger pressure, the arm should be no less than straight out of the housing. That means it should be pointing more toward the front of the car if possible. That is what you are setting with the stud. There are two different ones from GM. On mine the short one is too short and the long one is too long...hence the adj. one. Also make sure you have the correct bearing. There are different one's there too.

Now on to installing. If you are absolutely sure you are through the disc etc and you only have that last 1/2" to go, then hook up the clutch linkage and have someone slowly depress the clutch as you slide the trans in. As soon as the pressure plate "frees" the disc it will move into whatever place it needs to to allow the trans to slide in.

Are sure the pilot bushing in the crank hasn't been "buggered" up during all the work?

I guess it's just from doing it for years, but I just use a screwdriver to line them up. Once all the bolts are snugged up, but where you can still slide the disc around with a little force, I just feel around the outer edges of the disc and center it by feel in the pressure plate.

Hope this helps,

Jim

 

trw, what exactly do you mean by "the stock ball gave me no pedal" ?
I posted about a similar (or maybe the same!) problem not too long ago. I got a new centerforce clutch (intalled by my mechanic, not by me) and I now have to push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor to engage the clutch. There is no room left at the end of the clutch rod to adjust the clutch. i learned that this was a fairly common problem when switching to a centerforce clutch, and the recommended solution is to use the long fork ball. i now have the long one waiting to go in... but Jim says in his case the long one was too long, and the short one was too short.... so he needed the adjustable. We will see... MJ

 

OK here's where I am, I have had the trans in and out a dozen times. Upper arms and chest are getting pretty pumped up. Besides putting the trans in and then lifting and pushing, I can hardly lift my arms.

My clutch fork spring, that holds the pivit ball was sprung. The ball was riding on the inner upper lip of the socket. Fixed that and now the ball is resting in the socket.

I have a M21 trans with one cut in the imput shaft. It seems the trans and the plate are binding to get through to the second set of splines.

I am going to file the shaft and the pressure plate spline to make sure there is nothing holding them from sliding through.

Hope that works, or else I might use the trans ears to force the tranny in. I know thats a bad thing, but I am also considering a bomber run on the car.

Thanks for the help

Terry

 

It is a lot easer to use a transmission jack.!!!!!!!!!!

 

Shouldn't the measurement from the face of the bell housing to the tip of ball be 4 1/2 inches instead of 14 1/2? The "thickness" of the bellhousing itself is less than a foot.

 

Centerforce states, it should be 4.75 inches from the face to the tip of the ball

 

Did you try getting it to the 1/2" again, then having someone slowly press down on the clutch pedal? I'm guessing that when you get the trans mounted all the way, you'll have more clutch pedal. Be sure that your bellhousing is mounted tight against the block and not moving back when you push on the clutch pedal.

 

TRW, I am sorry about the information that I gave you on the pivot ball height.I believe the other folks are right about the height being 4.75. I was going by my memory and it does not seem that my memory is to good.I have giving out some bad info on quite a few items and I think it is time that I let folks who know what they are talking about answer questions.Sorry if I caused you problems, good luck with your car!

 

I just installed my engine in my '68 and left the transmission in the car. Yes, it can be done and it saved me from having to remove the radiator support. There are three GM ball studs. 1 3/8" , 1 1/2" and 1 17/25 (1.68"). The smallest one is no longer available. I tried using the longest one so I would have a lot of pedal adjustment but I could not get the engine in that last 1/2 inch. It took me several hours and having to put the engine in and out several times before I figured out the reason. The ball stud was too long and didn't allow the clutch fork and throwout bearing to go back far enough to allow a complete mating of the engine and bellhousing. I suspect you are having the same issue. I installed the 1 1/2" ball stud and the engine went right in, no problem. Because the clutch fork pivots on the ball stud even a small change in height is multiplied and it does make a difference. Good luck.