I looked at some on eBay.  It looks like it is a bracket which is riveted on.  Is that correct?  If so, that should be real easy to move.  Remove the rivets, make a spacer equal to the difference between installed height of the new and old pressure plate and bolt it back in place.  If the transmission might be in the way, countersink the back side and use some tapered head allen bolts so that the heads will be flush with the transmission mounting surface.

It will take a little more work, but I would try to get the clutch fork geometry correct, rather than attempting a fix with a longer pushrod.



Lawrenceville, GA

Car bell housings don't use a pivot bolt like the trucks. Back to extending the rod..

Another way to correct it, if the pressure plate is actually thinner, is to shim or install a longer fork pivot bolt.  The problem there is that there may not be many options.  The truck pivot bolts use a 9/16" coarse thread which is not very common for pivot bolts.  If the cars are the same, then there aren't any off-the-shelf options to do that.



Lawrenceville, GA

Daniel, I have lengthened them by cutting the rod and inserting the two ends into a piece of pipe the length you need and then welding the rod ends to the pipe or sometimes I have threaded the inside of the pipe or use a rod coupling (however they dont come in fine thread but you could re-tap it) and cut it on the threaded part, installed jam nuts and that gives more flexibility for adjustment.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

Ted makes sense as usual. I have had to make length adjustments on the rod more than once with Y Blocks when switching things around. Not all clutches are created equal. To me lengthening or shortening a rod is one of those minor modifications that comes up with old cars from time to time.

Ted I think you nailed it... I did get a remanufactured unit and did take note of where the fingers/arms were located but did not have one from original to compare it with. I think that would explain it. I am going to try to get this all sorted out tomorrow afternoon if I have time. It should not be too hard to extend things a bit or just simply make my own push rod.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

You may have a pressure plate that has the ‘fingers’ lower than was originally designed.  The original pressure plate was a long finger design and many of those have been replaced with a diaphragm style.  A lower finger height or more forward contact point for the throw out bearing can make the clutch adjustment rod  on the short side.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I got components from mcmaster-carr to make a pushrod for my truck.  They didn't have anything that was an exact fit, but it was easy to modify to fit  with ordinary tools.



Lawrenceville, GA

Ok, I took a couple of photos to show the dilemma. I do not see any other adjustment for LENGTH of the throw other than spinning the acorn on the rod.

a photo of the fork contacting the bearing retainer, bearing, and 3 arms on the pressure plate

 

A couple of snapshots of the fork resting as shown above but then trying to attach the push rod. Note how it simply "runs out of room"

 

this is how far I have to go to get it even begin to engage (which does barely work but to be able to full disengage the clutch I need about an 1" more of thread).

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Do you have another z bar set up to compare it to? I wonder if he had a hybrid set up from other years and was not aware of it. It seems strange that no one else has mentioned this before. I have a complete set up from a 56 car if you need pics or measurements.

Durham Missouri