groovyjay

See the thing is that now I need to make all the changes to make it work on my used-to-be-TH-400-automatic-1979. What are the main issues I should concerntrate to make everything right? What kind of clutch would you recommend? Where to buy all the linkage and pedal stuff? Howbout my current driveshaft, can I still use that? If any of you guys have done this style swap any information would be appriciated.
Regards, Jay

MikeC

I like centerforce clutches, I have the centerforce II but if I had a 454 in my car, I'd go for the dual friction. If I were you, I'd take the time to makeyour clutch hydraulically operated. You can use parts you can easily find locally(and cheap) and all you have to find is a pedal assembly for a manual vette.

As for the mounting, I think a few people here have one in their cars and they can help you on that.

tsw71

My 71 was originally a th 400 car too. The driveshaft and yolk you currently have will bolt right up. You should be able to get just about everything you need for the pedal and linkage from most of the Corvette vendors. There are 3 things you will need to do to make this work. First, you must weld in the bracket to the frame that supports the other end of the bellcrank( this is the pivot that is hung between the frame and block). You must also fabricate and weld in 2 "L" shaped brackets that will support the tranny mount bracket that hangs off of the front of the crossmember. This is not difficult since your crossmember is removable. Once you have the tranny mount bracket and hang it from the crossmember, you will see exaclty what is needed for these "L" brackets. I used 1/4"x1" steel for this. Bend it , then bolt it to the mount bracket. This will hold it in place so you can do the welding. You must also modify the tranny mount braket. Instructions for this mod are included in the manual that comes with the tranny. If you need any more info, just let me know.

Good luck, Tom

groovyjay

MikeC: Thanks for the input. As for the clutch I need to do lot of research to come up with the best set up. Do you have any suggestions where I should buy these parts from? :blueangel:

groovyjay

tsw71: Thank you for that very useful information. I will try to get all the information needed before the tranny gets here, so I can keep my project going without big delays. If you have any pictures of the work needed that would really make big difference to understand the task. Thanks again. :jester

tsw71

If I get a chance this weekend, I'll see if I can get some decent pics of some of this stuff for you.

Tom :cheers:

groovyjay

Thanks Tom, Again! That would be more than great! Cheers! :crazy:

SmokedTires

Groovyjay, the Centerforce clutch are a nice set up because the clutch pedal force is light but as the rpm's increase, so does the clamping forces due to weights on the pressure plate. :)

How's your car coming along?

groovyjay

mikeo: Centerforce seems to be the thing I need to concerntrate on the clutch issue. My project is.... well, it's going. :eek: I HOPE this project is finished sometime during the next summer. The engine will be dynoed before the Christmas Holidays. Frame is sandblasted,welded,zink coated and painted. I just have done some new purchases like the tranny and mono spring set up from VB&P. I supposed to keep working on the frame and suspension and then move to working on the body and interior. Engine and tranny and body mounts will all be polyurethane like every other bushing in the suspension. So with suspension like this and wheels in 18"-20" diameter I'm expecting to have one of the stiffest rides ever.
As for the interior, I have full set up of Autometer Ultralight with 200mph speedo waiting to be installed. Full Vintage air Gen2 kit waiting to be installed...
So there is still "few" things I need to focuse on before the job is done!!! :cheers: