Scott,
It is very simple. You need 3 tools: Flathead screwdriver, a # 12 wrench and
a #13 wrench. I don't even jack my car up. I have a point on my driveway, I
transition from the road to the driveway, that gives me enough room to get
under the car. You can also do it by driving two wheels up on a curb.
Before making any adjustments, disconnect the spring. There are 2 nuts on the
threaded adjustment rod. One is rounded at the end that fits into the arm
coming out of the bell housing. The other is simply a hex nut that is
tightened up against the nut with the rounded end. It is the locking nut and
prevents 'travel' of the critical adjustment nut once you have made your final
adjustments. Without the hex nut, you will find yourself continually
readjusting the clutch as vibration will cause the adjustment nut to move from
its initial setting.
So, with spring disconnected, unlock the current setting by simply
un-tightening these two nuts. You don't have to do anymore than break the
lock. It is not necessary to have these two nuts way apart from each other.
Now, notice that on the end of the threaded rod, there is a slot for a
flathead screwdriver. While holding the 2 nuts in place (so both rotate
together and stay unlocked), use the screwdriver to rotate the rod to the
adjustment that you like. The critical gap is the gap between the arm and
the rounded portion of the nut. As this gap is reduced, the clutch will grab
higher on the pedal. So what does that mean? Well, with almost no gap, you
barely have to push the pedal down at all before the clutch plate will
disengage. I personally DON'T like this. I like the clutch to disengage
about 1.5 to 2 inches from the floor - maybe less. This makes for a much
smoother shift for me. I get this position with about a .25 inch gap between
the arm and the rounded adjustment nut with the spring disconnected, the
threaded rod pushed in tightly into the clutch slave cylinder and the arm
pushed as far back from the slave as is possible. It should be noted that
there is some slop - that is why I talk about pushing the threaded adjustment
rod into the slave and pulling the arm away from the slave (push the rod in
with the thumb and pull the arm with the index figure - kind of like a pinch).
Basically, when tightening up the slop, you'll get the maximum distance
between the adjustment nut and the arm.
Once you are at this point, you can test the adjustment without locking the
setting into place. Get in your car, put it in gear and see where it grabs.
If you like the position, lock it into place with the locking nut and reattach
the spring. If further adjustment is required, make it with the understanding
that the smaller the gap, the higher the point is where the you will get
disengagement. Too much gap and you won't be able to get you car out of gear.
No gape and your clutch will continually slip and you'll have no pedal at all.
You'll also be replacing your clutch much sooner than you'd like.
Once you've done it once or twice, the whole process takes about 5 -10
minutes, including the fine tuning. The wrenches required may vary too, but
for mine, its a #12 and a #13.
Jon
'69 2000
Bothell, WA
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