Zephyr I6 Clutch Won't Disengage Missing Information

[Stormin' Norman]

The Factory Ford shop Chassis (Volume 1) manual, Haynes or Chilton all fail miserably when it comes to the details. The Ford manual is excellent with its troubleshooting section on the Manual Transmission and clutch issues, and the solutions are covered, except for the clutch cable, but Late Model Restoration's videos on replacing/installation of the T5 clutch covers what the manuals miss. It also has a 2 minute video on the Throw-out lever and correct pre-greasing and proper installation of the release bearing into the throw-out lever.

https://lmr.com/Posts/Search?vehicle=&q=clutch

The two that demystified my issues were:

Mustang Throwout Bearing & Clutch Fork Install (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKxNr5iYKO8


Mustang Clutch Installation (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVZDlXVj_g


Our Inline Sixes don't have guide-pins in the flywheel, as we know, but the V8s do. We don't have pedal-controlled adjusters like later models. Simple but rigid installation methods.

Why didn't my clutch disengage?

Firstly, everything to do with the clutch is new, except the fork and pivot. The SROD transmission came from a 1980 Fairmont I6, with only 35,000 miles on it - the car was a write-off.

Flywheel was re-faced. new clutch and pressure plate, release bearing, cable. The clutch and brake pedal bracket came from a 1979 Mercury Capri. All OEM grade - nothing exotic or race-grade.

I made one mistake and one dumb boo-boo.

The boo-boo was dropping the short 3/16" bolt that fastens the cable cover to the transmission bell housing. Not being able to disengage probably saved me a disaster later on. When I got it out, it looked undamaged. Never touched the clutch, pressure plate or ring gear. Whew!

The mistake was how I had the release bearing spring into the fork. I had it under the curly retainer springs, instead of over them. See the LMR video listed above. My forgivable BAD. I haven't worked on a Manual Trans since my college days and my Corvair Monza, so I got over it pretty quick, yesterday, except that today, my sore muscles prompted me to write this post so others can avoid this mistake.

My penance is having to drop the trans and reinstall it.


EDIT: Cable Adjustment tip

One thing covered in the LMR Video on Clutch Replacement for Mustangs is how the cable works for adjustment. The more you turn it toward the firewall, the harder your pedal will be. Logical enough, not in the manuals. Since mine are all new, the factory spec applies 2.7 inches of free play. V8s only need 1.5 inches, with stock clutch sets.

EDIT: Console shifter Issue

Almost forgot this one. I was lucky. When I installed the 1981 Capri console, I had an automatic C4. The swap to a stick shift was never considered, but I did all the prep to install the console in line with the factory dimples. When I installed the SROD, I had to trim the tunnel a bit wider on the driver's side.

In taking the transmission down, I didn't want to remove the console. Couldn't fathom the PITA to disconnect the electricals, etc, to access the 4 bolts that hold down the shifter boots. In my part of the world we get cold down to -50C. The transmission came with a big rubber recessed gasket that sits flush on the floor, then I bought the short utility gasket with its steel frame, and finally the fancy leather boot. They all get held down by those 4 bolts and since my console came from an Automatic Capri, the plastic area is smaller than the standard console. The trick was to spread the steel ashtray bracket a little, slide the top steel frame forward and then up through the shifter hole. That was the easy one, because the boot slips over the gear shifter like a cone. The next 2 have to slip over that big lump in the midst of the shifter lever. I just wet them up with water, and firmly, and slowly slipped them over. The bolts were just visible to a 1/4" drive short socket. If you have a console, this might be usefull?

[xctasy]

Well done.

When I did a full 1971 Vauxhall Victor SL 2000 4 speed gearbox and clutch swap to my 1958 Vauxhall Velox, my teacher from the Power Board utlity company asked me I used a dummy layshaft to postion the clutch. I said no. He said, well you got lucky, but that I should always use one because they don't have dowels. The internal missaligment on in spervice parts often creats binding issues for clutch release. If using in service parts, the piolit bearing can be retreaved from the donar car using the I'm a Loafer Luva Shagger method...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhPFXJ4VYcM


Cleaned up afterwards.


from http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-Release/page2


Ford drilled the crank the same, but the bearing repostions the manishaft.

You know that the SROD was i6 specfic with respect to gear ratios on the Foxes, although the ratios were the same as the F truck 4.2 v8 RUG.


Specfic I6 info is always ommitted, in typical anti I6 Ford bias. 4 cylinders are race cars, V8's are drag cars, I-6's are, what?

Your clutch quadrant upgrade is factory stock plastic. The pivot balls wear in, and are dicky and inconsistant. The whole process is pretty fidly, especially if your 200 pounds and over 6 feet. Its best to pull the seat back or whole seat off to conquer this task.

The stock MM replacment in alloy preserves the stock lever arm, http://www.americanmuscle.com/maximu...-quadrant.html

The FRP's relacment doesn't. http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-d...rant-8204.html

The reason for the lack of helps for alignment was that the manual transmision in line six was always a transitional engine. The 2.8 V6 was supposed to be the step up Fox option engine, so it was just a 2.3 trans. The V8's were always really well engineered. So the 3.3 was always out in no mans land, with first a 3 speed manual option for 1978, then a four speed, then an SROD upgrade which was such a total stop gap. A RUG Toploader internals with a trimline Tremec/Orion/BW case.

As Mike1157 said in one of his posts, the whole beauty of the Fox platform was that Ford was able to shift the steering wheel and centre consol sideways between the years to fit everything in. Mike shifted his steering wheel to the Fox Mustang hand brake postions to equalise everything for a bucket seat car. The 1981 cars had tunnel mods to suit the T140, T-4, and there was a cross member change.

So you've made a 1981 part work well in your car.

[Stormin' Norman]

Well done.

When I did a full 1971 Vauxhall Victor SL 2000 4 speed gearbox and clutch swap to my 1958 Vauxhall Velox, my teacher from the Power Board utlity company asked me I used a dummy layshaft to postion the clutch. I said no. He said, well you got lucky, but that I should always use one because they don't have dowels. The internal missaligment on in spervice parts often creats binding issues for clutch release. If using in service parts, the piolit bearing can be retreaved from the donar car using the I'm a Loafer Luva Shagger method...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhPFXJ4VYcM


Cleaned up afterwards.


from http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-Release/page2


Ford drilled the crank the same, but the bearing repostions the manishaft.

You know that the SROD was i6 specfic with respect to gear ratios on the Foxes, although the ratios were the same as the F truck 4.2 v8 RUG.


Specfic I6 info is always ommitted, in typical anti I6 Ford bias. 4 cylinders are race cars, V8's are drag cars, I-6's are, what?

Your clutch quadrant upgrade is factory stock plastic. The pivot balls wear in, and are dicky and inconsistant. The whole process is pretty fidly, especially if your 200 pounds and over 6 feet. Its best to pull the seat back or whole seat off to conquer this task.

The stock MM replacment in alloy preserves the stock lever arm, http://www.americanmuscle.com/maximu...-quadrant.html

The FRP's relacment doesn't. http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-d...rant-8204.html

The reason for the lack of helps for alignment was that the manual transmision in line six was always a transitional engine. The 2.8 V6 was supposed to be the step up Fox option engine, so it was just a 2.3 trans. The V8's were always really well engineered. So the 3.3 was always out in no mans land, with first a 3 speed manual option for 1978, then a four speed, then an SROD upgrade which was such a total stop gap. A RUG Toploader internals with a trimline Tremec/Orion/BW case.

As Mike1157 said in one of his posts, the whole beauty of the Fox platform was that Ford was able to shift the steering wheel and centre consol sideways between the years to fit everything in. Mike shifted his steering wheel to the Fox Mustang hand brake postions to equalise everything for a bucket seat car. The 1981 cars had tunnel mods to suit the T140, T-4, and there was a cross member change.

So you've made a 1981 part work well in your car.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that the pilot bearing is new too. I used the alignment tool to line it all up, and everything just slipped in nicely yesterday. I'll be setting up the cable today, I ran out of daylight last evening.

That MM quadrant looks like a good idea. Mine didn't have the factory quadrant. I bought the clutch/brake pedal bracket from a parts recycler in Nebraska, who always treats me good.

http://www.midcityautosupply.com/

I found him from:

http://www.car-part.com/

Factory rear swaybar with mounting brackets, 1979 Capri rear lower and upper control arms, rear wagon hatch gate, nice 1982 Cougar wagon roof rack. all from him. I owe him a visit, on our next trip to Mexico, to get another Fox wagon (hehehe ) Mexican-built V8 Fox cars/wagons came stock with the DANA 44 axles, and the wagons got hooped headliners, not cardboard saggers.

Those quadrants (Maximum Motorsports) look like they'd fit on mine. If I hit another issue, I'll get one.

On parts from other years. The entire interior is from a 1984 baby LTD wagon, door panels, carpeting (except cargo area and headliner), reclining bucket seats. The split back rear seat is from a 1985 Mustang hatch. I needed all the hardware for it too, off course, but I made no modifications.

Anyway, I'll post the info on FordSix too.

I'm only 5'8" and 170 lbs. with short legs, so I hope I can do this without getting my tall friend in. LMAO!!!!

[Stormin' Norman]

The SROD transmission came from a Northern Alberta junkyard out of a 1980 Fairmont that had low miles (35,000 MILES), and was an accident write-off. It came with a flush rubber gasket around the shifter. Its on the RH side of this pic. The middle and LH boots came from a vendor in Calgary, Alberta:

http://www.themustangshop.ca/




When we get snow here, its like major. By late December through February, we're hitting the Minus 30s, with windchills down to Minus 50s, so any draft I can keep out of the car is necessary. So she's got lots of booties to shake.

[xctasy]

To be sure, to be sure, to be sure!

The reason I changed my car to four speed floorshift! I won't say Firenza, or it'll send any Canuck into warranty shock...the start of a beautiful Four-enza-ship


It also two insulators stock






It was that the Three on the Tree column shift would freeze up at 5 degrees Fahrenheit (°F).

Gearchanges s-l-o-w-e-d as the viscosity changed due to temperature drop.

The Fox Fairmont, Zephryr and Mustang/Capri copied the shifter, rear suspension, and original wheel bases and rack and pinion steering from the Victor/Ventora, and in 1978, GM decided to band both cars together to end up with a MacPherson strut IRS car with, in the Aussie versions, your Mustang II powered rack and pinion steering.


So who was copying"whom"

[Stormin' Norman]

^^^

Yeah, New Zealand does get cold too. When the Firenza came out here, we had all kinds of jokes about them. They were a renamed GM Epic. Folks were getting bumper stickers with "Any Firenza of yours is no Friend of mine!" or "Rusts in you hand, not in your mouth!"

Unloved little beasts. Looks like the Aussie version was a better product.

[Fastlane]

Nice Information! I have made the same mistake with not installing the Throw-out bearing correctly.

[Stormin' Norman]

Well done.

***
Your clutch quadrant upgrade is factory stock plastic. The pivot balls wear in, and are dicky and inconsistant. The whole process is pretty fidly, especially if your 200 pounds and over 6 feet. Its best to pull the seat back or whole seat off to conquer this task.

The stock MM replacment in alloy preserves the stock lever arm, http://www.americanmuscle.com/maximu...-quadrant.html

***

I got a 1979 Capri Clutch/Pedal set. I wonder if the 1982 & up MM quadrant would fit. I looked at their installation pictures and don't think it would without buying a 1982 MC pedal setup.

The MM quadrant wants a longer pin on the quadrant pivot (off-round hole). Mine has the bolt and nut there for the cross-shaft (Pedal Pivot).

Really getting hard to find any info on the early (1978 to 1982) Foxes. Even here.

Anyway, its colder weather here, until tomorrow, and I have to chase down some electrical bugs in my Harnesses. They're draining my battery. I think I know where they are. Until those are gone (the bugs), I can't start the car to see if the clutch will disengage.

Found a couple good diagnostic videos on YouTube, by a Fairmont Fan:

Eric The Car Guy's Fairmont Project
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...U14Vt7JJ_QSZvs


His Electrical Diag videos:
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+EricTheCarGuy

[Stormin' Norman]

So I found and fixed the Starting problem (red/blue wire to starter relay connection) That little PITA was at the connector to the trans. On the early SROD standard transmissions it just loops back up to the main harness, after it connects back to return, from the backside of the connector (Dumb and dumber :( ), so I just left the back up light switch wires, and looped the red/blue wire, above the floor - soldered and taped.

And then I got to test my clutch cable adjustment. Nothing worked, from way out on the adjuster, to up-tight at the firewall plug. Went back to the manuals. Not one peep about flywheel shims (AKA Flywheel Savers). When I pulled the C4, my crankshaft had a steel flange as a spacer, about 0.089" thick, so I kept it "IN CASE". When I ordered my clutch/pressure plate kit from RockAuto, I checked out all the clutch and seals they had for the installation, and ordered both thicknesses of the shims (0.025" and 0.050"). I found a shop that sold their used flywheels, all resurfaced. Never asked how much they ground off... And never installed a shim either - wasn't in the book... DUH!! :o

So no freeplay in the pedal, and no clutch action.

As we say in French, here in Canada "JFL" (Just f'g Lovely!)

ATP and Goodson distributes them. but I think they're made by Silver Seal. Forget EBAY Prices! RockAuto is quite reasonable.

https://www.goodson.com/contact/FlywheelShims.php

http://atpautomotive.com/catalogsear...ubcategory=688

http://www.silver-seal.com/results.c...=flywheel+shim

JFL!!! :mad:

Its balmy weather for Polar Bears up here at 15*F. Should warm up to an even balmier 27*F for a few hours before I run out of daylight by 4:30 PM.

EDIT 1 - More thoughts on shims:
What I can't find is which shim to use, since I don't know how much was ground off, but I recall that my C4 starter's drive gear had acceptable wear marks, and when I remove my new Manual Trans starter, there should be some evidence of how it connects to the flywheel. My guess is the thinner 0.025" shim would be fine, but the 0.050" would give me even more freeplay at the pedal. If I can find the original flywheel spec, I can measure how much was ground off to resurface it, which will help confirm the right shim thickness.

They are called Flywheel Savers for a reason. Since mine if completely flat, not stepped like others for the I4 or V8, a bit thicker should be fine. The info I have found about these shims is what folks recommend to reduce chatter, and overheating of the flywheel surface.

If anyone has any tips, please do. I'll only able to drop it today and start reinstalling tomorrow.:tu:

EDIT 2 - I6 clutch sources:

It seems that clutches for the I6 are getting rarer. New flywheels are almost impossible to find, but RockAuto and California Mustangs do have the clutch kits:

http://www.cal-mustang.com/category/...h-clutch-kits:

Brute Power is RockAuto's offering.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....127595&jsn=424

http://www.brutepowerclutch.com/

[Stormin' Norman]

When I take on a major swap, I get accused of paralysis via analysis. Ha! Not this time! When I looked into swapping my C4 Slush-a-matic for a stick shift, I dug up all that could be got, and then some.

I got focussed on the popular culprit, like cable adjustments, installing the clutch the wrong way, new, improved cable adjusters, etc. In this clutch adventure, I overlooked a few things, like the clutch lever pivot, the thickness of the block plate, possible flywheel shims, and since I'm re-installing the flywheel today, I thought I'd post this really practical tech info, so others can avoid the pain of re-removing their transmission and seeing that everything looks OK, but ain't. The only UPSIDE, so far is that I'm real good at taking it out, from removing the console to dropping the transmission, by myself, in just over 4 hours.

Centerforce clutches used to have a link directly to this document, but in changing their site, they didn't include the Media link to their PDF tech tips files. I downloaded it on my drive back in 2014, and left it with the original file name, so it was easy to find this morning. It describes how to calculate the relationship of the lever pivot to the clutch face, and has nice, simple sketches to describe the ADD and Subtract of the math. Easy/Peazy. Then it gives you 2 more sketches of CORRECT and INCORRECT angles of the clutch fork, once the clutch is installed with the fork installed. Its only 2 pages for a PDF file size of 688 KB. Why didn't Ford do this?

FORD MUSTANGS WITH CABLE CLUTCH LINKAGE
http://media.centerforce.com/Inserts/I12FO025.pdf

Now my engineering brain went into science mode, for another aspect. How do I know, within reason, if a thin shim (0.025") or a thick shim (0.050"), will give me the free play that I need?

The above document at least tells you what to observe about the lever angle, if its CORRECT, but the company also says to Call, if you aren't using their parts. Fair enough. At least it tells you where to get the pivots in either fixed or adjustable types:

It references LMR’s replacement pivots too:

They are adjustable: (read the comments/reviews)
https://lmr.com/item/MCL-16910/mcleo...-mustang-79-04

https://lmr.com/item/LRS-7602/79-04-...ork-Pivot-Stud

And Ford might still sell it as Part Number: D5FZ-7B602A A 1975 pivot used until when?

So I found another site that gives you a detailed variable of all the clutch related parts, and the Clutch Fork ratios, depending of clutch disc diameters! If you've got the ratio, 4.5:1 for my 9" disc, you can work out the math with either of the shims.

https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/clutches-etc/

But I found another tidbit in one of my 1964 Falcon shop manuals. They didn't use cable shift clutch release systems. They mentioned the block plate, which for the 1964 I6 tranny, is 0.089" thick. I can now measure mine and see if that's the same. I got mine from a 1967 I6 3.03 trans. Fits the SROD bell housing like a glove. All that because somebody used his 'Analysis' time to deal with the issue for converting Jeeps to Cable release systems when they converted to a modern transmission.

BTW, the 1964 manual does mention shims on the bell housing, but to properly position the starter gear, and even gives a sketch of making your own out of 10 gauge tin. I love my un-Smart Fox because its was the last year that wasn't infested with hi-tech fiascos.

EDIT: Flywheel Grinding
I have no idea (thanks to Ford's poor specs) how thick the stock flywheel was. I ASS-U-ME, that whoever did the grinding stayed under the high-end limit of 0.045". Nor do I know how many times it was ground before the vendor got it from another junkyard, so having the math to set the lever pivot or add shims, is kind of essential - like ABSOLUTELY.

As far I know, there is only one I6 3.3L NOS flywheel left in the USA, and that, thanks to a TYPO. The factory flywheel part number (F0ZZ-6375-A) is valid, but if anyone wants it, they should call the vendor. He posted it on Rearcounter.com's site as FOZZ-6375-A (letter, not digit '0'. You have to call anyway for the price. The F means its a 1990 part, which kind of surprises me. I know that Ford revises its parts, but they must have done it for a high-volume user. I doubt that the Aussies would qualify for such an upgrade, but they still had Fairmont models until 2010, I think. Who knows! This guy has one.

Correct entry
http://www.rearcounter.com/results.php?s=F0ZZ-6375-A

Wrong entry
http://www.rearcounter.com/FOZZ-6375-A-parts151664.html

Vendor:
http://www.nospartsltd.com/product-p/fozz6375a.htm

He doesn’t ship to Canada though. Nobody makes them or has new ones, except this guy. Unlike the V8 flywheels, the I6 units rarely take the abuse that causes hotspots or checking on the flywheel, and mine does look minty, so I don't need it..

Anyway, I hope it saves someone the grief of pulling the transmission several times before you 'get it', sell it. park it, or worse, scrap it.

[Stormin' Norman]

Well done.

Your clutch quadrant upgrade is factory stock plastic. The pivot balls wear in, and are dicky and inconsistant. The whole process is pretty fidly, especially if your 200 pounds and over 6 feet. Its best to pull the seat back or whole seat off to conquer this task.

The stock MM replacment in alloy preserves the stock lever arm, http://www.americanmuscle.com/maximu...-quadrant.html

The FRP's relacment doesn't. http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-d...rant-8204.html

Well, after the 3rd try, it still won't engage, I phoned Maximum Motorsports to ask if their MMCL-6 quadrant would fit, and they asked me to send a detailed, techy email for their engineers to consider and reply. Their Quadrant is for 1982 and up. Mine has a 1979 Capri brake/clutch pedal setup, that I bought from a reputable vendor in Nebraska. It didn't come with a Factory quadrant, so my choices are MM's unit, if it fits, my favourite Ford dealer's service bay, or a hydraulic system.

It's getting too cold for any more UNDER CAR work, and I need her, to get my yard cleaned out before ABSOLUTE ZERO hits here.

Here's what I sent MM:

The problem with Fox Bodies is that parts interchange so nicely.

In my case, I have a 1979 Ford Fairmont Squire Wagon, with a 1980 Ford Fairmont SROD, and a 1979 Capri Clutch/Brake Pedal bracket. It came from a Nebraska Pick and Pull yard, in clean condition, but without the stock/factory quadrant/adjuster.

My clutch won't disengage.

The 4 speed SROD is all rebuilt, newly refaced 9.0" flywheel, new clutch and pressure plate, new clutch fork NOS for the I6 3.3L new clutch release, new OE cable, new pilot bearing, and yes, the clutch is facing the right way.

The I6 cable does have a built in Firewall adjuster, and no adjustment down at the transmission, like the 2.3 L4 or the V8s.

Will the MMCL-6 quadrant fit and work?

Thanks.

Norm

Member at FordSix.com and FourEyedPride.com

Lots of Fairmont/Zephyr owners will look forward to this answer. folks.

[Stormin' Norman]

I wonder why RockAuto offers a 39.84" clutch cable, and a 40.25" clutch cable for the Fairmont/Zephyr, but not the Mustang/Capri cars with a 3.3L...

[Stormin' Norman]

Its the first time since my first car in 1966, that I haven't been able to resolve what should be straightforward. Clint (Dirty Harry) said, "A man's got to know his limitations." My car showed me. I took the transmission out 3 times to see if anything is wrong and I can't find anything. All the parts are new. I followed the factory manuals. It ain't my fault.

Anyway, these guys have done good work for me over the years, when she was a C4 automatic, and when they rebuilt my DANA 44 with a Trak-Lok posi unit. I trust them, and they say they can do it.

For any of us Canuck members in the Prairies, here's the link to their site and details about their products and services. I recommend them.

http://transtechca.com/

Reasonable rates, excellent workmanship.

And I found a slick trick to line the transmission up, when you're under the car, just for our Fords:

http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/tran...made-easy.html

Also used my old driveshaft's yoke to keep the new gear oil in.

[xctasy]

Still away





....Nominally, for I6'S and SBF, its always 1.00" .

Ford 8.5" flywheel, step depth = 1.00", as I did the FAQ post for Rick Wrench when I was moderating at FordSix in the Noughtees....
https://fordsix.com//viewtopic.php?f=76&t=42556

Stock SBF and 250 small six, and 240/300 Big Six is always 0.985" nominal.

See https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hm...s/3740311.html

Ford Pintos, 1.125 or 1.750"
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hm...s/3740311.html


Note Well. NB//


There is a 90 thou depth hole Ford uses to gauge the resurfacing limit.

62.5 thou seperator plate for auto's,
89 thou manuals.


Fox Clutch cable length.....two types.

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...he-Clutch-Fork


And its a fairly comon Fox issue, either in service or if not used. The ball and the clutch work heavily on the cable, and it takes a lot of pressure

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...41#post1824041

[Stormin' Norman]

Still away





....Nominally, for I6'S and SBF, its always 1.00" .

Ford 8.5" flywheel, step depth = 1.00", as I did the FAQ post for Rick Wrench when I was moderating at FordSix in the Noughtees....
https://fordsix.com//viewtopic.php?f=76&t=42556

Stock SBF and 250 small six, and 240/300 Big Six is always 0.985" nominal.

See https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hm...s/3740311.html

Ford Pintos, 1.125 or 1.750"
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hm...s/3740311.html


Note Well. NB//


There is a 90 thou depth hole Ford uses to gauge the resurfacing limit.

62.5 thou seperator plate for auto's,
89 thou manuals.


Fox Clutch cable length.....two types.

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...he-Clutch-Fork


And its a fairly comon Fox issue, either in service or if not used. The ball and the clutch work heavily on the cable, and it takes a lot of pressure

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...41#post1824041

You never disappoint with all the tech you bring to the I6 table.

My clutch/flywheel is a 9" (actually 9-3/16") diam. on a flat, non-stepped flywheel. Yeah its nominally 1 inch thick. And the I6 cable hooks into the fork with a ball, but no adjustment at the fork. At the pedal, it has an eyelet that goes right on the pin, no adjuster.

[Stormin' Norman]

It's been downright cold since the 8" of snow we got almost a week ago. So their shop was backed up, the back alley was a mess, and I had to shovel out twice a day, for 3 days. Blowing snow up to 30" high, and temps sinking down to 28*C (-18*F) and into -40 windchills.

Anyway, the poor thing finally started. His hauler couldn't get in. The guy was a real pro. He wouldn't hook onto it for fear of damaging my air dam or fenders, we couldn't push it, because the front discs were stuck to the calipers, and of with no clutch, I couldn't move it. But he came up with a brainwave. Shut it down. Put it in gear, and drive her out with the starter. So I did what he said, and she started anyway, and t drove it into the alley, behind his hauler. He dropped the deck, pulled her up, chained her down and off she went. I was thrilled. Hadn't moved since 2010 and she's on her way to her first revival meeting! ROTFLMAO!!!

A local engine supply store gave me a good price for Lakewood's longest adjustable ball stud, but he had to order it, so I picked it, via a long bus ride in this ornery cold weather, this morning.

Before I had ordered it, I went to 5 other places, including a Manual Transmission shop to see if I could find one. A city of 700,000 and not one ball or stud in town? It was pretty cold that day too, but I walked to a major fastener place, and asked if they had any really hard bolts. They have a minimum order policy, so I bought 2 3" X 1/2" X 12 TPI hex bolt with lock nuts. I made one on the grinder, but I didn't like the hex edges. Anyway before I left this fastener shop, I asked if they had any 'domed' grade 8 or higher bolts and he showed me one. I should have taken it. I didn't because it had an Allen-type socket head. And that's what I got from Lakewood. It would have cost me about 8 times less, for the same thing. I'll eat that one.

So I sent it with my Volume I and II of the factory manuals, an early Haynes manual of the 1979 to 1980 Capri, and my homemade alignment studs to guide the tranny back onto the bell housing. I asked them if they wanted to borrow them, and they said they'd make copies of the clutch-related pages. I figured they probably don't get many 3.3L /SROD foxes in their shop, and they'd do it right.

I don't have any idea what they'll find to make her right, but they'll tell me.

I feel like an expectant father...

[Stormin' Norman]

Well they nailed it! The new cable is defective. They called for authorization to fly it in. Total cost $378 - all in. I'll get her back early next week.

Oh! For Fairmont 3.3L/SRODs the cable is 39.84 inches long. RockAuto has them, by Pioneer part number CA307:

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/f...tch+cable,1972

[xctasy]

as below....

[xctasy]

Clutch....now on cable!




But at times like this, can I say, alouette, gentille alouette....

[Stormin' Norman]

Oui, mon ami. It's disengaging the clutch, but it won't shift with the engine running. They'll drop the transmission and try to find out why.

Monty78 found a possible reason on an Aussie site, and I sent it to the shop:

http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=22031.0

[xctasy]

Progress!

[Stormin' Norman]

Progress!

I hope so. Looks like a simple fix.

[Stormin' Norman]

It could be as simple as a broken nylon shifter saddle like this:

http://core-shifters.com/products/sr...tang-f100-f150

[xctasy]

Yyyyyeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your a good boy, SN.

SN by name, Serial Number by nature.

[Stormin' Norman]

I'm getting to be a Serious Number, just looking at the transmission tag.

RUG DE GK26
E0ZR EA 2082

I know its a 1980 SROD - E0ZR

But no one of the big rebuilders or resellers lists the RUG DE, just RUG D, D1 or D2, and what does the "GK26" mean?