I converted a 69 Camaro to big block 4 speed. I can't get the 1/8" clearance between the bearing and the fingers of the pressure plate unless the adjustment rod is totally screwed in. The fork seems sloppy and there is not enough travel to fully activate the clutch. Also I find no place to hook up the return spring.

You may have the wrong throughout bearing our the pivot ball on the bell housing needs to be adjusted. Someone will chime in with more details or you can do a search.

Even in stock applications, I use the adjustable pivot ball. Recall what the height was on your bearing or part number? Do you have the right fork, Zbar and clutch rods?

The pivot ball is the non adjustable type.Does it matter I used a Mcleod clutch 75121? Where do I get an adjustable pivot ball? All parts zbar etc. are new for a 69 Camaro big block 4 speed but the fork was with the bell housing and did work with the stock clutch originally.

I didn't measure the distance between the throwout bearting and pressure plate. not sure how you'd even do that with everything assembled. i was told about 1" of freeplay at the clutch pedal. that's what you need to worry about. meaning you can push the clutch pedal in about an inch before the throwout bearing starts pushing on the pressure plate. attach the return spring however you can, hose clamp around a header tube works good, I cut the wire that came in my linkage kit and just bent the heck out of it till things fit. no real wrong way to do it, i guess, so long as it's pulling the clutch pedal back. that spring is there to keep the throwout bearing off the pressure plate. so when all is assembled and adjusted right, you push the clutch pedal in about an inch fairly easily (feeling the return spring), then you feel the resistance as the throwout bearing starts pushing on the the pressure plate. if you have 1/8" gap between throwout bearing and pressure plate, that's your problem. i would think that would take almost the entire clutch pedal travel, if not more, just to take up that gap. hence nothing left to push in the clutch. don't go much less than an inch freeplay at your pedal. throwout bearing can go bad if it's riding the pressure plate 100% of the time.

Easy way to adjust the linkage.

Push the fork to where the TO bearing touches the pressure plate. Push the pedal to the full "up" position.

Adjust the linkage rod to zero slack, then shorten it ~1.5 threads or so. That should get you pretty close to where you need to be. :thumbsup:

If that doesn't, then there's a mismatched part somewhere.

RamAirDave that is exactly what I did but couldn't fully activate the clutch. I rebuilt the car 20 years ago and didn't have this problem with the stock clutch. I think with the Mcleod clutch I need an adjustable pivot ball. Thanks

RamAirDave that is exactly what I did but couldn't fully activate the clutch. I rebuilt the car 20 years ago and didn't have this problem with the stock clutch. I think with the Mcleod clutch I need an adjustable pivot ball. Thanks


If you are using aftermarket bellhousing, you need to use the adjustable ball, available at all speed part distributors, jegs, /summit to name a few. Most all will tell you to adjust the ball face to 4.750" from block or bellhousing parting line. If you have a block saver plate, you need to figure this thickness in, probably be minus .125/ thou .

Here is McLeod, but I use the Mr Gasket, just as good.

http://www.jegs.com/i/McLeod/673/16908/10002/-1

RamAirDave that is exactly what I did but couldn't fully activate the clutch. I rebuilt the car 20 years ago and didn't have this problem with the stock clutch. I think with the Mcleod clutch I need an adjustable pivot ball. Thanks

Ya lost me Pete... you mentioned 1/8" between pressure plate and T/O bearing. that threw me off, still not sure what you mean here. you adjusted all the slack out of the linkage and you can't get the clutch to disengage?

The throw out bearing is not to be engaged with the fingers of the pressure plate so the bearing is always spinning. I rested the bearing against the fingers and took out all the slack. I turned in the rod a little bit and then set a stop for the pedal under the dash to limit the travel of the bearing. The problem seems to be when you apply pedal pressure the fork moves towards the ground rather than the back of the car and the adjustment on the rod is almost all the way in so the bearing is not riding on the fingers of the pressure plate continuously. I have not had a problem like this with a stock clutch.

I believe Aaron solved the problem, a spring to the header with a hose clamp keeps the bearing off the pressure plate. Seems to work fine now.