riverdogs00 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 Group, Coming down the home stretch on my LS-7 / 4spd conversion and am finding that my clutch linkage is not behaving. Im questioning now whether I have all in correctly or if perhaps I got bit by another Chevelle part labeled for a monte like i did on the Zbar to frame bracket. The issue I'm having, is after running through the gears (its on jack stands as its not licensed yet) and bringing the engine up to temp (10-15 min) I find that I cannot get the clutch to release and allow me to shift gears. when its cold, no problem. If I lengthen the adjustment rod to gain more travel, I start smelling clutch after just 30 seconds or so, which I immediately shut down. If I adjust the threaded rod in, so that I have my 1 1/2 " of clutch pedal free play, then it wont allow me to shift. Before I pull the trans again, I was hoping those of you that have a factory 4 spd car could share a pic or two of the linkage and pedal set up. The rod that goes between the pedal and the Z bar looks correct at the Z bar, but seems like its on angle at the pedal. Enough that it has already worn through the protective boot. I'm now wondering if that bar is monte specific. Looking at the factory assembly manual, it appears its the same as the chevelle. When I depress the clutch pedal by hand, it appears that the rod travels fine until about half way, then it either deflects upward, or it looks like the pedal loses its forward travel. So---stumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 Why does the clutch fork look twisted or is that the angle of the pic? If I remember correctly there are 2 styles of clutch forks. The Chevy version and the bop version. That may be the issue. Found these pics of my 71 402 4 speed car when we were disassembling her.. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverdogs00 Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 10 minutes ago, MC1of80 said: Why does the clutch fork look twisted or is that the angle of the pic? If I remember correctly there are 2 styles of clutch forks. The Chevy version and the bop version. That may be the issue. Found these pics of my 71 402 4 speed car when we were disassembling her.. Appreciate the pics - I believe it was simply the angle of the camera at that moment. The springs I have may confuse some, but had to for the header clearance. I have a shorty that keeps the fork and adjuster lever together, and then I have a very long one from the clutch fork all the way under the motor mount. It was the straightest line. also have one under the dash, just to make sure my T/O is not riding on the clutch. Really interested to see someone elses pedal to z bar rod, and how it looks under the dash. TY 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverdogs00 Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 Thank you Assembly manual, and Service manual lol. I was ABSOLUTLEY sure there was a wrong part involved. nope...Dummy here put it in the wrong hole lol. Go ahead...I earned it, let the remarks fly ha See pics. The rod between the Z bar and clutch pedal was in a hole not even shown by the manuals. Presuming they are there ( I looked at several kits on line) for a return spring if you choose to do so ( I did, as once you install headers, the factory frame slot/hole is no longer an option). So, remove pedals (pain), put rod in correct hole, re-install. Note: pic two does not show the correct hole as its on the other side of the bracket - I approximated with paint for the pic. Then, the correct part on the pedal that the rod went to (at least on mine) was bent inward, and the cotter pin kept hanging up on the bracket. Remove, put in Vise, and used a large crescent wrench to bend outward (see pic) apprx 1/4" inch. The pic is after I bent it. Reinstall, reset correct free play and voila! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Not knowing that was it, that is why I sent the pic of the zbar and steering column about even where your pic shows it more towards the steering box. No we know why. Glad you figured it out. Sweet! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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