Classic Mustangs List Archive

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Mail From: Rick Larson (email redacted)


Here is some text on hydraulic clutch set-ups. I've
got a slushbox so I can't offer any more help.

Good luck!

rick

------------------------------------------------

Dan Leih <(email redacted)>

Hi all. First, a thank you to all of you who responded to my
questions about hydraulic clutch set-ups. There were a lot of
great leads. Since the system is in and working I wanted to let
anyone interested know how I finally put it together.

For those who didn't see my request I was trying to put a
hydraulic clutch into a 1967 Mustang. The car has a 302 with a T-
5 transmission and an 10.5 inch clutch. Because I used the modern
bellhousing and have a set of tri-y headers installed I could not
use the OE linkage set up. The cable off the 1988 LX worked for a
while but only missed the headers by 2" and eventually melted at a
bend.

The solution is a combination of 1988 S-10 and 1990 1500 Chevy
truck hydraulic set-ups. I used the complete S10 system with the
exception of the master cylinder. The S10 master is angled and
hits the brake booster as well as being difficult to connect to
the pedal. The master cylinder from the 1990 full size truck is
straight and has the outlets in the right places.

To connect the slave cylinder to the T5 I cut a 4" X 5" piece of
3/16" steel. I cut holes into it for the slave unit to bolt to.
I cut a second set of holes (3) to attach it to the bellhousing.
The bellhousing has a flat spot next to the tranny that the piece
just slides onto. I drilled holes into the bellhousing and then
reached inside (through the fork hole) to clean the filings out.
The slave is a push type and designed to depress the throw-out
fork. Since my fork was meant to be pulled there was nothing for
the rod to push against. I took a piece of 7/8" steel rod and cut
a 1" piece off of it. I drilled a 3/8" hole about half way
through it. The rod from the slave cylinder fits into this. I
cut the other end down to about 1/2" diameter so that it would fit
into the hole in the fork. I put the slug into the fork, put the
rod into the slug and bolted the slave on.


For the master cylinder mounting I used the stock linkage hole
through the firewall. I built a small brass plate (1/8" thick) to
strengthen the inside of the firewall. This is a pretty custom
job as it has to avoid the steering column, bend with the angles
of the firewall, etc. Drill two holes through the firewall, put
the cyl in from the engine side through the firewall and the brass
backing plate and bolt it in.

The linkage to the pedal did not quite bolt up. I first cut about
2" out of the middle of the pushrod. I had this welded back
together and ground it smooth. The linkage connection on the
pedal was too high so I used a scrap from my bellhousing bracket
to stretch it. I cut the scrap to about 1.5" X 2.5" and drilled
two 3/8" holes 1.5" apart. I bolted this bracket to the existing
linkage hole. I had my neighbor weld the bracket to the pedal to
stop it from pivoting. (This is important) After the weld cooled
I slipped a 3/8" bolt through the lower hole and the connecting
rod. (I cut down a longer bolt and threaded it so I would have
about 3/4" of shouldler.)

One of the requirements of the master cylinder was that it have a
remote reservoir since I have a power brake booster immediately
above the clutch linkage hole. The S10 had this feature. I
mounted the reservoir in front of the shock towers where there was
room and it was easy to get to. The master cyl from the 1500 had
a local reservoir but it popped right off and a piece of 1/4" gas
line went snugly into the grommet.

There you have it. The system works beautifully. It was a little
more work than I thought but the pedal is firm, smooth, and easy
for even my wife to depress. The only really irritating part of
the assembly was that once I had the thing all built I had to take
it out and bench bleed it to get all of the air out. To do this I
connected everything in position on the car and took only the two
cylinder and reservoir mounting bolts out. I then lifted the
complete, assembled system out of the car and could move it in the
right way to get the air out.

If anyone has any other question let me know. I really appreciate
all your help and hope I can help someone out in the future.

Thanks,
Dan


Oh Yeah! I forgot to mention the best part! The S-10 clutch set-up
cost me $50. Trading the master cylinder for the Chevy 1500 set-up was
another $15. I paid $10 to have the connecting rod welded and $2-3 for
nuts and bolts. There was about $5 in metal from a salvage yard and $3
in brake fluid. So, the whole system cost me <$100 including beer.

See ya,
Dan