Big block ball stud bracket and z bar

[sbh126]

I've been searching threads and cant find much info on what I need. I'm about to drop a 440 4 speed inplace of my 318 3 speed. Will the z bar I have now work as long as I get the ball stud bracket I need from brewers? Or do I need to get the modified torque shaft as well. The only info I found is that you have to use the modified z bar if your running tti headers. I have proparts headers from Bob Mazolini racing. Not sure what bell housing I have or if that even matters. Obviously its a big block bellhousing with a 4.80 bearing retainer hole.

 

[matthon]

The stock BB Z bar is not the same as the stock SB one, as well as the ball stub bracket. Headers require a modification to the Z bar, and I know about the tti, not sure about the headers you have. If you get another Z bar you may have to modify it, so you might want to just modify the one you have.
I know, I'm not helping much.
Does the bell housing have the mount for the ball stud in the same place as stock?
I have been looking into headers, and I am not familiar with the ones you have, so it will be interesting to see how you make out.
How do your headers compare to tti and Schumacher?
There is always a hydraulic clutch, and I think someone on here posted pics of the install they did.
Good luck!

 

[Jim Lusk]

We moved the Z-bar rearward on both of my son's big block a-bodies. This was done for head pipe clearance on both cars (B-body HP manifolds) and for simplification on my son's Dart since he has the 69 440 bellhousing with the single ball-stud hole on the side. Get the headers you want and see if there is room for a Z-bar. If there is fab it up yourself from what you have. If not, look into hydraulic.

 

[sbh126]

How do your headers compare to tti and Schumacher?QUOTE]
The pro parts and schumacher headers are the same thing. I believe they were called proparts headers back in the day but are now called schumachers. I got them through bob mazolini racing.

 

[sbh126]

We moved the Z-bar rearward on both of my son's big block a-bodies. This was done for head pipe clearance on both cars (B-body HP manifolds) and for simplification on my son's Dart since he has the 69 440 bellhousing with the single ball-stud hole on the side. Get the headers you want and see if there is room for a Z-bar. If there is fab it up yourself from what you have. If not, look into hydraulic.

So you moved the bracket that is on the fenderwell back rather than using a ball stud bracket on the bellhousing to move it forward? How far did he have to move it back? I have a single hole in my bellhousing as well. Is your son running an 11" clutch? Would you happen to have pictures?

 

[Jim Lusk]

Yep, 11" clutch. We moved it back and welded a threaded plate to the inside of the frame rail opposite the ball stud and made a bracket that bolts to it. you have to be able to slide one side out when it is unfastened. Here's on epicture. I don't have any of the underside at the moment. Both the pedal rod and the clutch fork rod need to be shorter and the Z-bar is a custom piece that we fabbed up.

 

[sbh126]

Thanks Jim, thats exactly what I needed to know. If you get a chance to get pictures from under the car that'd be great. But I think I have a pretty good idea of what needs to happen

 

[Jim Lusk]

The only real trick is that the Z-bar arms should be roughly perpendicular to their corresponding rods at half travel and, IDEALLY, the Z-bar is a 1:1 lever, BUT the one on my son's is about 4:4.5.