Clutch cable question

Should the cable pull straight back on the clutch fork, or pull at an angle towards the trans? I've seen it done both ways. Which is better?

 

The best set up would be to have the cable pull/push in the same plane and perpendicular to the clutch fork. This would give you the shortest travel in the pedal.

 

Straight is better from a engineering standpoint. 90* angle at half travel of the fork is ideal. Real world sometimes ya end up with a bit of angle.

 

The little experience I have with cluch cables is on the 302/T5 that I put in my Galaxie. The way Ford had it set up from the factory, the cable pulls straight back (actually ahead, towards the engine).

Malcolm

 

When they pull at an angle, at either end, there will be more friction and more wear on the cable.
DRuss32, if you had used a longer cable you would have relieved some of the stress at the pedal end and could have had a larger radius on your 180 turn thereby having a lot less friction and wear. hopefully you won't have wear issues, but I would keep it well lubricated to help out.

 

Here's what I'm working with. 65 Econoline with a 302. This pic was taken while I was still hoping to get the original mechanical linkage to work, so ignore the z-bar in the middle and the steel bracket on the engine. As you can see, there's no good place to bolt a bracket to for holding the cable. It's pretty far from the trans to the end of the fork, so bracket that allowed the cable to pull straight back would have to be a complicated m*** of gusseting... I think

Is 1/8" steel sufficient for a clutch bracket?

 

Isn't there some kind of a "progressive" engagement and disengagement with a cable that pulls from an angle? I thought I remembered someone setting up a cable so that the pedal would engage slowly at the beginning of it's throw, then "speed up" the movement as it hit the centerline.

 

I'll try to take some better pics tonight. Between the exhaust and the shift arms, getting the fork moving is ...awkward. It's almost like a bracket would have to form an arch over the shift arms.

The clutch pedal goes through the floor. The trans and engine sit behind the driver.

 

here's how the original mechanical linkage worked. I was planniing on attaching the cable to the "rod" at one end since it already pulls like I want it to.



Here's another pic of the trans, but really not that much more informative. I'll get pics from several angles tonight

 

that's about what I was thinking. The trouble is getting the bracket over the shift arms. I think that will work... but I'm going to need much thicker steel than 1/8.

 

i have a 65' econoline and the idea of using a cable would be a huge step in the right direction. my last econoline we finally ended up with a C4 behind the 302. those damm unibody rigs are always a pain!

 

I hate automatics... but after messing with this thing I understand why everyone uses a C4 on an Econo v8 conversion! But I'm stubborn.

Here are some pics from under the van this morning...

frame mount. It's just held in by a clamp as I figure out where I want it. The clevis is attached to the clutch rod, and everything is hanging limp because nothing is really set up yet.



SIde shot. The clutch cable is resting on the speedo cable. In certain gears, the shift arms/rods move up a little.



3 shots from the back. The clamp is what's holding the front bracket in place. The exhaust head pipe is loosely bolted in, but pretty close. You may notice that the Mustang cable is actually backwards. The big chunky end usually bolts to the firewal and goes to the pedal, I think, but this seems like a better way to go in my case. Maybe not?

 

That's similar to what I was thinking, but the closed loop design is much better. I hadn't thought about making a full hoop.

Now I need to find some steel... and figure out a way to attach that end of the cable to the bracket. It looks like a small screw was all that held it to the firewall in the Mustang. It looks like the cable end just slips into a hole (that I need to drill) in the fork.

 

Here's the end result based on Druss' suggestion. I made a template out of cardboard and transfered it to 1/4" plate. The lines aren't exactly straight, but neither was the cardboard. A friend welded it up for me and commented that it was a bit "over-engineered, but at least it won't break!"

 

thanks! It needs a few more.

 

hellfish, that bracket looks great and being "over engineered" on clutch anything is impossible! sure wish they would have done that to the pinto's.