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Long story short, I just rebuilt my 360 to a beefed up 390, resurfaced flywheel, replaced ring gear, installed new clutch while I was in there. The old one was very worn out.
Motor runs great but while running I can't get it to shift into any gears.
Being that the old clutch was worn out, the adjustment rod was backed all the way out so I thought this was the issue. I threaded the bullet back in, and still have the same issue. Now I think the adjustment is way off from what I'm reading there should only be free play of 1-1.5 inches at the top of the pedal and I can feel the clutch disengage very close to the floor (probably 40% of the way up) but in my mind, the clutch would still work in some fashion if poorly but it doesn't work at all. My question is, do you think my issue is purely the clutch adjustment? I'm 100% positive I didn't install the clutch plate backwards and correctly installed the throw out bearing.
Thanks
All of the above and then some.
Check your clutch fork by hand, because the pivot points are known failure areas. Shame to have gone through all the work and missed that, but if it had been ready to fail you may not have seen it unless you were looking for it. Then after a few pushes of the pedal, the pivot let go.
But for now we'll hope that ain't it!
Definitely go through the full adjustment procedure from start to finish. No reason the new clutch should not work as the old one did. Or did you change a 3-finger style "Long" clutch for a new multi-finger "diaphragm" style clutch? These are often known to require a bit more travel to release.
When you're trying to shift, is it grinding? Or is it just not going in at all? This latter is consistent with a syncrhomesh transmission and the clutch not disengaging. If the gears were grinding, at least you'd know you were almost there. But no shifting at all usually means you've got a long way to go. Which is consistent with your description of how it feels at the pedal.
Sounds like you need to kep adjusting. Never heard of needing a different length rod, but if that's all it takes to make it work, then it's worth the simple change.
Easy enough to make your own adjustable rods if you need to. I have a McMaster parts list around here somewhere if you’re interested. If you have a welder and a grinder, it’s a Saturday project
You ought to have enough adjustment in the stock setup to get you where you need to be, though. Pull the inspection cover off the bellhousing and watch the clutch while someone else works the pedal. Might be illuminating.
Easy enough to make your own adjustable rods if you need to. I have a McMaster parts list around here somewhere if you’re interested. If you have a welder and a grinder, it’s a Saturday project
You ought to have enough adjustment in the stock setup to get you where you need to be, though. Pull the inspection cover off the bellhousing and watch the clutch while someone else works the pedal. Might be illuminating.
Please post when you find it. I would love to upgrade mine like that!
If all the above suggestions fail to alleviate the problem here is what I have encountered over the years at my Dad’s repair shop.
Is the fulcrum in the bell housing not cracked or collapsed? As well as any parts with the linkage from the pedal to the clutch fork which could also be bent.
Also a defective pressure plate will also cause a clutch to “drag”. I can remember the fun having to remove the transmission from a tandem dump truck after finding out the pressure plate was the problem after I just installed it.
In addition, you will need four 3/8-24 nuts, two of which need to be left-hand thread. Those are the jam nuts that hold the ball joints in position. You’ll also need three 5/16-18 nylocks for the shoulder screws (I suppose they don’t have to be nylocks but that’s what I used).
Pretty simple project. The 3” threaded rod is what I used to replace the pointed sleeve that contacts the clutch fork on the original assembly. I ground it down to a rounded point by chucking it into a drill press and grinding it down with either a file or a grinder. I forget which; either would work. I originally planned to harden it with some heat and an oil quench but never did. Doesn’t seem to be any worse for the wear.
You’ll need to remove the pin in the z-bar, which will leave behind a nice 3/8” hole (if I recall correctly). The other hole that connects to the original rod was all wallowed out on my z-bar, so I welded it up and redrilled it out to 3/8”.
You will also need to open up the hole in the clutch rod seal where the rod enters the cab. I just chucked a Lyman case deburring tool into my hand drill and used that to scrape away the rubber and open the hole up. It’s about the right size to allow the 5/8” OD tubing to slide through it. I still put a bit of Sil Glyde on the rod to keep it from binding up too much.
I have some other pictures that might help clarify things but I don’t want to totally hijack this thread
Actually, a longer rod is possible. Back in the day I've sold a ton of longer ones to compensate for a flywheel that had been resurfaced too many times. I believe it was D0TZ7521A. Which is 5 1/4" long. OP, see if that length will work for you or if you already have it. If you want it Dennis Carpenter Ford has 2201 of them.
