Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Clutch, transmission, rear axle

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Florian
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Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

Hey,

wanted to adjust clutch pedal free play today and installed the clutch equalizer bar. When I saw this drawing in my shop manual, I noticed that I don´t have this bracket between the engine block and the pin.

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Here´s how my setup looks like:

Image

Is it okay like this or am I missing the bracket? Also, is it normal that the equalizer bar is bent like this? It doesn´t look bent in the drawing..

Thanks!

Florian
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

You can see the bending better in this picture:

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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by robroy »

Hi Florian!

This is only a guess, but I think your parts may be normal for a 302 truck. You'll need to hear from folks with experience with 302 trucks to know for sure.

My FE truck has the parts shown in the diagram you've included, with a straight lever. There are a few good photos in this thread: #50's clutch linkage parts!

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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by fordman »

the small block dont use a bracket on most of them. they only use the ball. you arent missing anything.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

Thanks for your replies Robroy and fordman!

On your #50 even the equalizer bar looks beautiful, Robroy! Thanks for the pictures! :thup:

Fordman, can you say anything about the bending of my equalizer bar? Is this normal too?

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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by fordman »

that may be normally made like that. but i have never seen a small block Z bar. or maybe someone has bent that to work. i dont know for sure. if it seems to operate good then i would use it.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

It could be that someone bent it like that somewhen, but I don´t know why anyone would do that :hmm: I think it´s working well, but I´ll give it a closer look again. Maybe someone with a 302 and manual can verify the bending in the meantime.

Thanks!
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Fo-Mo-Co »

I have a 351 in mine and got a zbar from a 79 302 truck. It's not bent like that but that doesn't mean anything. They may have changed.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by fordman »

i wondered if they have fe perches under the engine and the previous owner had to bend the bar to make it work.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by 70shortbox »

My small block truck has no bracket and is bent just like yours.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar bent?

Post by Florian »

Thanks for the replies!

That´s good to know that there are other bent bars out there :D

I greased it up and mounted the equalizer bar again yesterday. Then I let my brother depress the clutch pedal and I was watching. Somehow the bar pushed against the frame bracket pretty hard when depressing the pedal. It moves the upper part of the bracket to the side and goes back when the pedal is released. Don´t think that this is supposed to be like that :roll:

The ball on the pin is turning pretty rough..and this round, gray seals that you can see in Robroy´s photos are missing.

I don´t know if I should get a new bar. They´re available from NPD. Now I can still reach everything easily..

What do you guys think? Anyone ever used an aftermarket z-bar? Or should I better get a good used one?

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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

Thanks for your excellent reply, Robroy!
About the frame-mounted bracket moving around: did it move around even after you torqued it down? I can try to find out the torque setting I used on mine if that would be helpful to you.
I didn´t torque it up yesterday, but I had it pretty tight by hand. Torque rating is abround 40 ft.-lbs., I think. I found it somewhere in the shop manual but can´t find it again right now.. :doh:
But I don´t think the torque would make a difference, as the bracket wasn´t moving around the bolts in its bolt holes. It was pushing the "wall" of the bracket, where the z-bar is attached to, around. Sorry, don´t know how to explain it better. Maybe I has pushed it too far in direction of the engine and it was getting pressure in the fender direction therefore. I´ll have to try this again.

So, with the info that mine isn´t the only bent z-bar out there, I think I´ll stay with my old one and change the balls and seals.

How did you remove the actual bar from its mounting bracket?

And thanks for all the interesting links! There are some very good ideas there! Gotta check the entire clutch linkage again and see if I need to replace anything else.

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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Whateverman »

wow that z bar is TWEAKED! the one i ran on my 351w/np435 combo which came out of a 302/3spd equipped '70(?) was bone straight
didn't use a bracket either,just a ball threaded into the block...the bushings on it and the frame bracket were in really good condition ( i mic'd them against new ones my friend had in his inventory) but were still a pretty sloppy fit
- still got my first first car 20+yrs later : 69 f100 sorta kinda pretending its a Mercury M100 w/a 70 f350 sport custom cab (factory buckets) 67 grille with 69 ranger cooneyes 68 merc box and hood,some supercool fiberglass fenders i scored way back when, 76 f150 disc brake frontend..currently running a 90 5.0HO 4bbl/c4 auto & 3.50 posi...originally a 360/c6 f100 Ranger with dealer added towpack (incl. kelsey hays trailer brake),boxside toolbox,behind the seat stowage & belly tank...only original parts left on 'er are the frame,rear end,rear springs,and rear bumper...
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by Florian »

Hmmmmmmm :hmm:

My bar could also be off of an other model Ford. I saw bent Econoline and Bronco z-bars in my ´71 shop manual:

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The extra brackets could have been cut off.

I gotta check this again, but I think that if the z-bar I have got now, is wrong then the frame bracket will likely not fit together with the replacement z-bar from NPD. Does anyone know where I could get the right replacement frame bracket then?

I´ll check if the mounting bracket´s hole is on the same height level as the block mounting hole. Then I know if a straight bar will fit.
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Re: Clutch equalizer bar: bracket missing or not?

Post by fordman »

i would use the bracket you have. it seems to fit and line up.
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