Clutch job for weekend mechanic

[narfire]

Take a look at the firewall where the cable comes out. Right next to the brake booster. Have someone depress the clutch a few times. The firewall will move if it is cracked as the cable is not moving smoothly in the sheath. A bit of a pain to fix as you will have to get undernieth amongst the pedals and undo the 4 booster nuts,brake lines come off, disconect the clutch cable ect. I was fortunate with the last car as I was swapping the head so I had lots of room. I also had a parts car so I just cut out the matching piece and welded the patch over the cracked bit. Clutch works great now..no issues
Definately several installation fluid proccess.
Chris

[courtenay]

Chris- I thought you would probably chime in on this one having dealt with the issue yourself. BTW, that installation fluid you sent with the gauge tasted very good!!!
Bruce

[clarkedj]

Guys,

Thanks for all the respones to the firewall problem. Does anyone have a picture of a fixed clutch firewall they can share. I have been looking at the section and I am think about cutting away the part of the firewall that is cracked and replacing with new metal. I am concerned because it appears where the clutch cable enters the firewall, the section looks like it is angled at about 45 degrees. I am not sure if the angle is because of the tears and bent metal or if the orginal firewall hole is suppose to be at 45 degrees.

Also any recommendations on whether the new metal should be on engine compartment or the cockpit side of the firewall.

I was planning on attaching the new plate with sheet metal screws and JB Weld metal epoxy rather then welding. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Ed Clark
404-234-7366

[So Cal Mark]

the tension on the cable will hold the metal in place, as long as it overlaps the broken section

[bobplyler]

I had the firewall problem. I drilled a hole in a tire iron, and used silicone to hold it it place. It works great.

[clarkedj]

Guys,

Thanks for the comments. Fixed the firewall problem. Bent the firewell componens back in place and cut a piece of shett metal to fit over the damaged area and some. The clutch cable was also gunked up with dirt and so very little movement which is probably what damaged the firewall. Soaked in gasoline all morning and moved the cable back and forth to remove the dirt. Cable moves nicely now. But I have another question. Seems with the tranny back in place and the clutch cable fixed the clutch pedal stil does not come up as high ( i.e. even with the brake pedal ) as I would like. When I put the new clutch in I also ordered a clutch return spring for the transmission as ours was missing. With the spring cam an extension about 2 inches long. I attached the extension to the transmission and then the spring to the extension before attaching to the throw arm. Since the pedal does not come up as high as I would like I am thinking if I remove the extension this will cause more tension on the spring and force the pedal higher. Do you guys have this 2 inch extension? In the manual it shows just the straight spring. Or am I missing something else. The clutch screw is adjusted to about 3/4 of the way down the threading.

Thanks
Ed Clark
404-234-7366

[clarkedj]

First Test Run

I decided to run a test with the car still elevated to check the performance of the new clutch. I shifted through all the gears just fine. I am concerned that with the clutch engaged and the car in gear the wheels continues to spin. I had my some try and stop it with his foot with no luck. Of course if I put the car into neutral the wheel of course stops. This seems like the clutch is not fully engaged yet I can change gears with the clutch engaged without any grinding or problems. If I try and change gears without the clutch engaged it sounds like you would expect. Any ideas?

Thanks

Ed Clark
404-234-7366

[clarkedj]

Another thought

I used a piece of 1/16 inch steel to repair the firewall. I am wondering if that in fact is strong enough maybe I should go to an 1/8 or 1/4 of steel. I can't determine if the plate I put in is moving as my son is at work so I have no one to press the clutch while I look at plate. My wife only drives the car she wants no part of fixing. The sheath seems to be stable and I have certainly made progress but maybe not enough to apply ample pressure to completely engage the clutch. Well I guess I will have to have a couple of libations and think on this!

Thanks

Ed Clark
404-234-7366

[TulsaSpider]

The metal is probably enough, depending.. but for more peace of mind go thicker. I wouldn't recommend the addition of a tire iron.... but have someone watch it for peace of mind. Yes the 2" or so extension belongs there. You said it seems like the clutch isn't fully engaged when it seems to me that the clutch needs more give room and is not DIS-engaging, hence the spinning keep playing with the adjustment. For added peace of mine. I would order a new cable, they are cheap and easy to install. Have you taken a good light and inspected your clutch pedal fork? If the fork is cracked it can cause many problems. See related threads. Good luck!

[clarkedj]

The end of this link finally. My son and I got his back on the road yesterday with the new clutch, new clutch cable, and reinforced firewall, ended up using 1/2" steel plate. The clutch system works better then when we bought the car. I want to thank you guys for all the advice and help. Now it's on to replace the rag top and put in dual carbs.

Thanks again for all the advice and help!!!

Ed Clark
404-234-7366