Technical Clutch Setup - 4 speed conversion on 57 Chevy

So, I finally got the engine back out. Here's what it looked like :





Pulled the trans out and the fork fell onto the floor. Pulled the bell off, and here's what we have:



Way outta whack. I don't think I would have hammered it that far out of shape upon install, but the list of dumb things I've done is probably longer than the list of smart things. So I worked the spring clip over a little:






I think that's as good as it's gonna get. Here it is installed on the bell:


I'm much happier with this. Let's see if it stays together when it goes together.

 

To me that ball seems to stick out TOO much, I believe it should be into the bell housing a lot more. I'm going to measure mine when I get home.

Pat

 

Not liking how it mates together. Note the witness mark (ring of grease) there isn't much depth happening.

 

The problem is that the further in to the bell the pivot ball is screwed, the closer the spring clip gets to the lock nut, which I discovered is what is deforming the spring clip. It flattens out and opens up, and it needs to be taken out and reshaped. I'm going to head out and measure the height against the stock measurement that @Fordors gave me.

 

Agreed, but every pivot ball I found had the same shape head, even the stock replacements. I'll check and see if the later model fork engages the ball better.

 

Do you not have a stock pivot ball(s) ?

 

I do not.

 

Mine measures 1-1/4" + or - 1/32". It's a SBC Lakewood shield in a 57 (well not in right now) and the fork that I have been using for 40 yrs.

Pat

 

Thanks Pat. 1.25" to the tip?

 

But what style clutch ?

 

A 3 finger McClod. Before you ask about the TO bearing the car has been apart so long I lost the bearing.

Pat

 

Probably short bearing with short pivot ball...to the op , you realize the outside arm of the clutch fork only travels about 1" , do the t.o. bearing about 1/2 that ..?

 

Once I get the linkage set up, I'll check the throw.

 

Pat, it looks like there's pretty good engagement. The lock nut marks how far in it threads:



At that depth, I measured about 4 5/8" from the tip to the block side edge, and about 1 3/8" from the tip to trans side edge.

I did a lot of jostling on purpose, and it doesn't look like it's going to fall off. The trans back in nice and easy, so we'll see how well it stays together when I get the engine back in.

This means the next adventure is welding the z bar pivot to the frame...

 

In over 5 decades 0f using the chevy cltches I never had any problems. however I always and stillto this day use a 11 inch flat diapharam pressure plate and the long throwout bearing. adjust the clutch linkage to have 10 thousands clearance between the disk and flywheel. and it will release clean and never hang up. over releasing is what causes a diaphragm to hang at high RPM we used to place a inch thick block between the pedal and floor pan. and adjust for 10 thousands. leave the block in place when racing and remove it for normal driving. I have had problems with long style and brog & beck pressure plates. things like shudder and not releasing cleanly.

 

You have the beehive pressure plate. Go get a flat diaphragm pressure plate and long throwout bearing for a 66 chevy 1/2 ton truck and it will work. The stock tri fives used a flat diaphram pressure plate. it was only a 9 inch clutch. the chevy trucks used a 11 inch clutch.

 

As I was driving along after my last post today this very shape stuck me. It's not a ball!. No shit all of you will say. That's fine. But think about how well of a pivot this creates? If rocker balls were that shape think of the horror.

 

Your 4 5/8”dimension sounds good. I mentioned a stock bell measured
4 3/4” and if your Lakewood had the block plate in front of it then it would also be right around 4 3/4”.

 

Just a question. Shouldn't that pivot be ball shaped on the end? It does look like it's screwed out too far. Back when I was 17, I put a "401" Buick in a "57" Chevy. New aluminum adapter bellhousing. The pivot ball not screwed in far enough. Started engine, pushed in clutch. The fork hit the pressure plate. Ruined the pressure plate. Pulled the pivot ball out of aluminum threads. Salvaged the bellhousing by having threaded hole welded and drilled and tapped. Expensive lesson learned at 17.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure the thinking behind the flat, but all the aftermarket ones I found had the same flat, even the ones billed as stock replacement. I thought about grinding on the ball to round it off, but I think I'll wait until the linkage is setup and I can 'bench test' the whole operation and see it in action. If it looks questionable while someone works the clutch in and out, I'll pull it apart and maybe give that a shot.

 

Pat, thanks again for the measurements. I think I'm close enough to give it a shot now with getting the linkage put together.

 

Look at the FLAT fingers on the retaining spring , why would you want the ball to be round ??

 

Flat on the back side yes, but the pocket in the fork is round, as though to accept a round ball. The tip of this one (and others) is flat.

 

That's a place for the grease , a reservoir , if you will ...

 

I did think about that...

Also thought about getting the dremel out and grinding two little lands on the back side of the ball, for the spring clip to sit in.

 

You had trouble , you got it squared away , don't overthink it ..

 

Fingers crossed I got it squared away!

 

Not sure which flat your referring to. I'm speaking of the sides that makes your stud cone shaped rather than round/ball. Now a true ball shape has a flat also but only on the end.

Ball shaped one's are still out there. Example > http://www.classictruck.com/product...MIhKSd3-Sh5AIVjP7jBx0legBgEAQYBSABEgK4tfD_BwE

 

That's the kind that snaps into the truck fork, right? Looking at the rounded back side of the ball, I don't think the spring on the '57 clutch fork would work with it.

 

Can't answer about truck fork question. I will say I'm using your style fork with that type round ball stud I put a link to without issue in my 56 with a Lakewood scatter shield. Before the scatter shield I was running a truck bellhousing with ball stud that came on it from GM. Still no issue there either.