Clutch on my 64 Impala 409

[bill409mac]

I have a 64 ss 409 that had a clutch/shift problem since I purchased it in Nov of last year(couldn't adjust the clutch ). I took it to a guy that is well known for working on problems such as what I was experiencing. He first drove the car and then agreed with me I had problems. He then proceeded to jack up the car and crawl underneath to do a "look see" and said there was a scattershield that didnt look right and the shift linkage wasn't correct because it didn't have the pressure clips and assumed that something wasn't right with the clutch set up. He then said that he could make it right, but I would need to leave him have the car for a week. We set up an appointment and he had the car. Two days later he informed me I needed a new bellhousing,clutch,pressure plate,flywheel and throw out bearing. Last Saturday he called me to pick up the car, said everything was fine. He showed me the parts that he replaced and said the bellhousing had a pivot point welded in the wrong place and the clutch fork clip was broken off. So he put in a new clutch fork also. Also, he pulled a 1" rubber stopper from the clutch pedal explaining it was used to keep the throw out bearing from being noisy. He drove the car hard and said I could take this car anywhere with no worries.I squared up with him and took off down the road(1st mistake).

I got about 15 miles from his shop and heard a squeeling noise and thought it was my a/c fan. So at the stop light I turned the switch off and the noise went away. The next mile I started hearing it again. This time I put my foot on the clutch ever so lightly,and could feel the throw out bearing change noise levels. There is absolutely no free play in this clutch. Exactly the same problem I took to him for. I called him and explained the problem and he told me to bring it back and he will adjust it again. I'm not the best mechanic in the world, but I have adjusted clutches before and its pretty simple. If I adjust the pedal linkage 1 full turn , I cant get the car into reverse. If I adjust the linkage the other way, the clutch doesn't disengage all the way.

So whatever parts he put in, I have the same problem as before. There has to be
a common mistake when the car was put together, before I got it, and he just put the same parts back in but new. Are there different parts for a 409 clutch assembly? I do know he used a 1962 409 bellhousing. Other than that, he put in new springs and clips for everything. I know he is beside himself, I know he tried and adjusted to he was blue in the face, but left it like this because he knew I wanted the car back. I know you guys are the experts and I guess I should of asked on here before I stepped off the cliff. Any info you can provide, I would greatly appreciate it.
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[models916]

SBC is different I think

I think the Bell Crank for the SBC is different than the 409. Maybe needs to be longer or shorter. Could just weld a new arm on the lower part. I'm sure others have had the same problem putting a 409 in an originally SBC car.

 

[bill409mac]

Models916

Not sure what you are trying to say. It is a numbers matching 64 Impala 409.

What does a small block chevy have to do with it. In my post, I said some one replaced the clutch assy. before I got it. My guy put the same parts back in(only new) assuming they were correct.

 

[DonSSDD]

The flywheel, clutch linkage, throwout bearing, clutch, z bar, fork, and bellhousing have to match each other. I bolted my flywheel, etc from my 283 to the 63- 409, no problems. I'd say one of the pieces you have is not correct for the rest of the pieces.
There are 2 TO bearings, the long and the short, see which one you have and get the other one; the other option is, the BH you have is wrong and has the pivot ball in the wrong place or the wrong size?

If you haven't owned the car since new and repaired it yourself, maybe one of those parts is not original?

Clutch in backwards?

Don

 

[Rusty Everitt]

Bill409mac,
Models916 is refering to the "Z-bar" or the "cross shaft" between the frame and motor that your clutch rods pivot on. The arms on these sometimes crack at the weld and bend or break off, this may have occured before you got the car and someone replaced it with the wrong one. 62-64 409 is different than 62-64 small block. I think this is what Models916 meant, sorry if I'm wrong.
Rusty

 

[skipxt4]

Bill: When your mechanic removed the clutch pedal rubber stopper, from the dash board area, lends me to believe, he installed the wrong (longer) throw-out bearing.:eek: Also, one other thing. I noticed this, on my own 64 409 car. After years of use and abuse, my clutch pushrod wore 3/16 of metal off the shaft, where it goes into the clutch pedal hole, making clutch adjustments strange. Also, if you have the wrong throwout bearing, the clips that hold the throwout bearing to the fork, will break again. Like models and Rusty said, there are a couple of different cross shafts. There is a picture (page 40) in the Showcar's catalog. Skip

 

[walkerheaders]

also on the Z-bar arms and clutch pedal, there may be multiple holes. having a pushrod in a hole too close to center would give more leverage but less travel. mixing the parts on a chevy can be bad....but checking for some simple geometry is all thats needed.
in my experiance, the best clutch setup is the 11" bent diaphram with short bearing. lots of old 1/2 ton chevies had it from factory and they racked up millions of miles.
also when your done, the clutch should start grabbing when the pedal is about an inch from the floor. there will be lots of free play in the pedal after that.
wish i were closer............i'd fix it quick. good luck.

 

[chevymusclecars]

Without knowing your knowledge of cars it is hard to tell you where to start. The best thing to check would be to put the car on jack stands, remove one end of the rod that runs from the crossshaft to the clutch fork and see how much movement you get moving the clutch for back and forth. There should be about an inch to an inch and a half of free travel if not he has installed the wrong throw out bearing. If it is necessary to take it apart I would also check to be sure the correct ball is installed in the bellhousing.

Hope that helps.

Bill