Clutch Rod and Pedal Problems
dgc333 said
FWIW, The ball pivot on the bellhousing is body specific...
I partially agree, but Big Block A body is it's own critter.
A body also shares with F, J and M body on the bellhousing bracket.
dgc333 said
...It does not make a difference which engine it is (so for an A-body the ball pivot on the bellhousing is the same for \6, sb, bb)
Actually, that's not right.
If you look at the pics above, the difference between 6 cylinder and smallblock is dead obvious.
A Big Block A body pivot bracket is way wrong and won't even bolt up to a Smallblock OR slant 6 bellhousing. In fact, the A body Big Block bell is a nearly exact copy of the '65-'66 B body 10-1/2" cast iron one, which utilizes teo 1/2" diamter bolts to mount the bracket down, rather than the 3/8" bolts of the smallblock and six cylinders.
The Big Block A body pivot bracket is also a 2-piece affair, consisting of a bracket backed by a 3/8" piece of steel, with two 1/2" holes drilled into it, to space it away from the starter.
A six cylinder and smallblock Z-bar are nearly identical, the arms are clocked the same, the main tube is the same exact diameter and the arms are positioned in the same places in relation to the clutch pedal and the fork.
The only difference is that the main tube is @ 1/2" to 3/4" longer on the 6 cylinder, which is as simple as shortening it to fit a smallblock.
The big block A body Z-bar is very similar to a smallblock one, except that the arm on the bellhousing side is bent in an 'S' shape to help clear the driver's manifold.
As far as the situation at hand, given that the linkage is correctly adjusted, (even if you you have 6 cylinder parts in place) so long as it's not binding up in some way, even with NO overcenter spring or fork return spring, the pedal should return to normal position.
All the spring on the fork does is keep the linkages tight so that they don't rattle loose, or, in the case of the overcenter spring, help ease downward pedal effort.
The pressure plate does all the rest.
Mark.
