'66 Ford clutch adjustment help needed

[Robb]

I'm not sure how to adjust my clutch correctly. Can anyone here walk me through it?
My car is very simple, it just has the mechanical arm and I think it's called a Z bracket. It has a threaded rod, and 3" long, pointed adjusting nut that contacts the clutch fork and a jam nut.
The clutch isn't right, I have to shut the car off to get it into reverse, and sometimes 4th is tough to get into gear. I'm either too far in on not far enough with my adjustments.

So do I have this right? Make sure pedal is all the way up or forward. Loosen the jam nut and the adjusting nut and then tighten the adjusting nut until it just makes pressure with the clutch fork and then tighten the jam nut? Is that all there is to it? Or do I adjust until I'm putting pressure on the clutch fork, actually moving it forward a bit?

I guess this requires a touch of finesse and if anyone could make it clearer to me, I'd appreciate it.

[TFOGGER]

Adjust for approx 3/4 to 1 inch free play at the pedal(low effort travel before the throwout fork pushes the throwout bearing into solid contact with the pressure plate). This translates into about .080-.125 clearance between the bearing and the pressure plate, so you don't burn up the bearing going down the road.

[SideShow Bob]

Before adjusting, check for wear on the rod end where it connects to the clutch pedal, at the "Z" bracket and at the pivot point on the clutch fork.
If any or all of these points have exssive wear or slop, you will never be able to get the clutch properly adjusted without running out of adjustment the threads.

[Robb]

Everything appears to be in good shape, no slop in parts, not to my knowledge anyway. Out to go tinker and see what happens...

[BPTactical]

You have to check the condition of the entire linkage. Frequently (and on a older vehicle) the holes in the Z bar and pedal are wallowed out and the pushrods are worn accordingly. If they are there is no amount of adjustment will ever get you a decent clutch.
In the past I have welded up the rods, made them round again and welded up the holes and re drilled them.
But there is a better way.....forget welding up the rods, cut and thread them and replace the bent and worn ends with Heim joints, also known as spherical rod ends.
You get a butter smooth pedal that will last forever. Not overly expensive either and I just happen to know somebody real close to you that can handle it.
Forget what the pedal says as far as free play, what is most critical is the clearance on the throwout bearing relative to the clutch fingers/diaphragm spring as alluded to in an earlier post. .040 is what you want to shoot for, typically 2 turns on a coarse thread and 4 or so if the rod is a fine thread. Snug the adjustment rod down until you feel the bearing contact the fingers then back it off until you get the clearance needed.
Of course all of the above are useless if the bearing retainer on the front of the transmission is grooved and worn.




Edit- sorry, I missed that SSB had the linkage wear covered.

[Buff]

When you say you can't get it into reverse or sometimes 4th are you grinding gears or it just won't go? Have you tried double clutching?
What I'm hearing/reading is you may have syncro problems.

Adjust for approx 3/4 to 1 inch free play at the pedal(low effort travel before the throwout fork pushes the throwout bearing into solid contact with the pressure plate). This translates into about .080-.125 clearance between the bearing and the pressure plate, so you don't burn up the bearing going down the road.

Great explanation of how to adjust a clutch.

You have to check the condition of the entire linkage. Frequently (and on a older vehicle) the holes in the Z bar and pedal are wallowed out and the pushrods are worn accordingly. If they are there is no amount of adjustment will ever get you a decent clutch.
In the past I have welded up the rods, made them round again and welded up the holes and re drilled them.
But there is a better way.....forget welding up the rods, cut and thread them and replace the bent and worn ends with Heim joints, also known as spherical rod ends.
You get a butter smooth pedal that will last forever. Not overly expensive either and I just happen to know somebody real close to you that can handle it.
Forget what the pedal says as far as free play, what is most critical is the clearance on the throwout bearing relative to the clutch fingers/diaphragm spring as alluded to in an earlier post. .040 is what you want to shoot for, typically 2 turns on a coarse thread and 4 or so if the rod is a fine thread. Snug the adjustment rod down until you feel the bearing contact the fingers then back it off until you get the clearance needed.
Of course all of the above are useless if the bearing retainer on the front of the transmission is grooved and worn.




Edit- sorry, I missed that SSB had the linkage wear covered.

For years I did the weld/re-cut thing until I was working on a tractor and saw Hiems being used. Once I saw the light there was no turning back.


Edit: Could also have worn shifting forks.