Zbar prob, ever happen to u
 

So yesterday I lost the clutch, quick peek under the hood and I noticed the pivot arm to the clutch fork was hanging and appeared to have just backed out of the clutch fork dimple. I'm using the heim set up. So this morning I put the car back up on cribbing, put the pivot arm back in the fork, locktite it, lower the car back down, get in the car, depress the clutch and it falls back out. A little bummed I get back out take a look at the linkage and didn't notice the first time around the zbar arm actually slid out of the bracket that's connected to the frame. Has this ever happen to anyone? I can just put it back together but I don'g want it happening again. Wondering if I should just weld something across the top of the slot opening to keep it from sliding up and out again. Factor piece I wouldn't think would have this problem, maybe I'm a little misaligned? Any ideas

Lenie

I can't remember for sure but thinking back to when I had a firebird there was no way to remove the Z bar without unbolting the bracket on the frame. It was captured between the ball end stud in the motor and the frame bracket.

On my stock Ford Z bar it is two piece to allow you to collapse it to install and then expand it to full width once it's between the frame bracket and the engine stud. Once it is expanded there is no way it is coming out.

Is the Z bar perpendicular to the frame rail or at an angle? Maybe the subframe has put your motor in a lower or more reward position that is allowing misalignment of the Z bar.

Other than a Z bar breaking I've never had one fall out. Maybe a couple pictures would help to sort out what is going on.

Did you attach the spring that retains it in the dimple?

Rob, the frame bracket which is verticle is slotted at the top and the zbar stud slides down into it then the nut compresses it. I'll try and get some pics soon, right now I'm a little under the weather.

Nope, and I was going to put it on but that wouldn't solve this issue as the zbar worked it's way up out of the slot at the frame end. Your right though I need to get the spring on.

I remember mine coming loose many years ago on a 65 Chevelle I had. The ball on the end with the slotted bracket has a machined section that has to locate in the slot of the bracket to hold the ball from spinning when you tighten the nut. On mine I used a lock washer and flat washer with the nut and never had it come loose again. I suspect that ball wasn't located in the slot correctly when I bought the car, which made it impossible to properly tighten.

Assuming the nut was good and tight. Do you have ample clearance between the block and the end of the Z Bar? Chevy's have a big block/small block length. You do need the spring as it keeps the rod from falling out and just as importantly, pull the throwout bearing off the pressure plate.

Jody, that's exactly the set up. After reinstalling it tonight I had the wife step on the clutch so I could watch it while the car was still in the air. I notice when she stepped on the clutch the fork would contact the firewall/floorboard. I'm thinking that put reverse pressure on the zbar pushing it up and out hopefully so I grabbed a hammer and persuasion bar and installed clearance:lol:. Took about 1/4" deep x 3" long to clear it. Another one of those dse 1/2" body bushing issues corrected. Hopefully it works. Thanks for the reply.

Thanks for the reply Todd, hopefully I got it fixed. Still forgot to put spring on while it was in the air, dammit:smiley_smack:

Does your car not have the washer that's slotted so it fits over the stud that mounts to the frame and also has the tang that inserts into the frame mount?

Part SH085 in this diagram

http://www.hurst-drivelines.com/file...nd_linkage.pdf



EDIT: I think I answered my own question poking around that site some more. Anyway, it was the first thing that popped into my head but Corvettes are all I have worked on with a manual clutch.

Man a slotted washer w/key like that would work great. It would help keep the zbar from working it's way up out of the slot but the fbody zbar aren't built that way.