calvinlc

OK, so I have the bellhousing off and on the floor, but there is not enough clearance to remove the clutch fork from the ball stud without taking the ball stud out. If I take the ball stud out there is supposed to be some sort of locking mechanism that I have seen described elsewhere as a 6mm allen head, but I'll be darned if I can find anything of the sort. Does anybody have any pictures of this locking feature? Thanks!
--Calvin

PLRX

That allen bolt screws in and out backwards.

calvinlc

I know that, but I was under the impression that there was another locking feature somewhere.

Dr.Huxtable

On the back of the bell housing there will be a smaller locking piece. It screws into the ball stud itself. you can see it in the pic below. Piece farthest to the right

When you look at the back side of the bell housing you should see it immediately, hard to miss. Use a hex wrench to remove, i dunno what size sorry. Then once that is out you'll see the back of the ball stud itself. You'll need a gigantic hex, i didn't have one so i jerry rigged something. Head to autozone, advanced or whatever you have nearby and see if they will loan you a tool or if you have one great! you'll be turning it clockwise looking at it from the back

Hope that helped alittle

mtwoolford

the "locking" piece was missing on my '96, and is probably missing from 90% of all the other cars; as I understand it, it was a small capscrew with an oversize head that screwed into the after end of the ball stud and prevented the ball stud from unscrewing itself (and moving forward). a couple of drops of loctite on the ball stud threads ought to work just as well.

TJM

[QUOTE=Dr.Huxtable;1578546718]On the back of the bell housing there will be a smaller locking piece. It screws into the ball stud itself. you can see it in the pic below. Piece farthest to the right...........



Dr. what's with the other stud??? Just curious ?

TJM

Dr.Huxtable

the one on the far left if for a zr1 and the one in the middle is for a l98/lt1

It's from when i was havin probs with my clutch install. Clutch fork was rubbing the pressure plate. Thought it was bad clutch but turned out car had wrong ball stud in it

93VettePilot

I recommend not removing the ball stud. The ball stud will be dissimilar metal corroded to the zinc casing and you will stand a good chance of stripping the ball stud locking nut if you try to remove it.

Just clearance(grind) the case and and the clutch fork in the right spots and it will come out like it was "designed" to. Apparently when these rolled down the assembly line in Bowling Green, KY Gm forgot to check proper operation of the quick release clutch fork.

calvinlc

OK, thanks, now I can see that mine is just missing. that being said, I am wondering how much I can clearance the clutch fork and associated housing. It looks like I still need a good bit of clearance to get the clutch fork off. Not that I really have to at the moment, but it was a bear to get off the old throwout bearing and I can't damage my new one like I did the old one. Thanks, guys!

Dr.Huxtable

If i were you i wouldn't grind anything. I ground stuff and ended up having to buy new parts. It was made that way for a reason. It's real tight in there because the ball stud is so short.

Just get yourself the right hex wrench and back that sucker out. then you can remove the stud from the fork and examine the socket and ball so check their condition and possible replacement. If there's any gouges or heavy scratching you may want to replace.

93VettePilot

LOL. Its all in the way you clearance it. I did it to mine a year ago with no problems and with minimal grinding on the clutch fork and case. Now I can pull the clutch fork to the quick release point and it slips right off with the bellhousing still in the car. Sure makes life easy the next time you pull the clutch and tranny.

Dr.Huxtable

This is true lol, i think i got alittle impatient and aggressive