<VV> Clutch Problems in my FC (part III)

[Tom Suter]

I spent several frustrating evenings about several years ago trying to 
determine why the newly installed clutch components I'd just installed in 
my '61 Greenbrier would not allow the clutch to disengage while 
maintaining any pedal free play.  I could get one or the other, but not 
both.  I had done everything "by the book" (Tech Guide in particular), 
with a Dale rebuilt LM flywheel, proper rebuilt pressure plate, welded 
center relined disk, and LM T/O bearing -- all from Clark. The clutch fork 
was in fine shape, and the ball stud the proper match for the LM set-up.

Bottom line in my saga was the clutch cable.  I found that I needed about 
7/8" of travel at the clutch rod to disengage the clutch (I even confirmed 
this measurement on my other LM vehicles).  When unattached to the clutch, 
my clutch cable gave me more than enough cable travel (well over an inch 
-- as designed, as I remember), but when attached and against the tension 
of the pressure plate, cable travel wilted to less than 3/4".

I tried my only spare FC cable, but it yielded only a bit more travel -- 
close but not acceptable.  Eventual solution was a cable I obtained from 
Southwest  Corvair.  I found that the cables I had first installed were 
typical northern vehicle examples, complete with rust.  Even though the 
outer wrappings were all in tact and the cables didn't really look that 
bad, it doesn't take more than a microscopic swelling of the sheath, 
multiplied by the length of the cable, to absorb the cable movement 
between the pedal and the clutch rod.  The unrusted southern vehicle cable 
finally proved to give me the 7/8" travel I needed, complete with proper 
pedal free play.

Incidentally, I found that it is possible to lubricate these cables prior 
to installation.  I used a CRC lubricant with moly.  It comes in an 
aerosol can, and contains a vehicle which carries the lube and then 
evaporates.  I lightly clamped one end of the cable in my vise, and, using 
a small plastic bag, created a small reservoir at the top end of the 
cable, sealed around the sheath.  I squirted the lube in the bag, and 
rapidly pushed and pulled the cable to allow the liquid to work down 
between the cable and sheath.  It takes about 10 minutes until liquid 
finally appears at the other end lying on the floor, but the results are 
well worth it.  The cable still operated cleanly and smoothly three years 
later.

For any of you battling with FC disengagement/free-play problems, I urge 
you to measure how much travel your cable produces (under load!) at the 
pull rod before you conclude, as I first did, that something is wrong with 
your clutch components or how they were assembled.  I also suggest that 
the chances of our continuing to find acceptable used cables are 
dwindling.   Not having an FC any more, I haven't kept rack but believe 
The Source has now produced new FC cables.  Too late to solve my problem, 
but great news for the rest of you manual tranny FC folks.

Tom Suter