need pics of 1966 273 4 bbl A-833 clutch z bar

-
M

Miranthis

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2024
Messages
60
Reaction score
49
Location
Shawnee, Kansas
My 66 Barracuda had the frame mount for the Z Bar fail back in the 1970's. The mechanic back then welded a patch to the frame and it basically works, but its not in exactly the right place. While it is on the rotisserie, I want to address this and bring it back to the as-designed state as opposed to the "let's get in back out of the shop" fix that served pretty well for a lot of years. In order to do that I need some pictures, especially with something that will give me scale, from the outboard and inboard side of the frame mounting plate for the Z Bar. Anyone have any pics that you would not mind sharing?
 
Miranthis said:
My 66 Barracuda had the frame mount for the Z Bar fail back in the 1970's. The mechanic back then welded a patch to the frame and it basically works, but its not in exactly the right place. While it is on the rotisserie, I want to address this and bring it back to the as-designed state as opposed to the "let's get in back out of the shop" fix that served pretty well for a lot of years. In order to do that I need some pictures, especially with something that will give me scale, from the outboard and inboard side of the frame mounting plate for the Z Bar. Anyone have any pics that you would not mind sharing?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the zbar from 1964 to 1966 are all the same.
 
Why not go hydraulic if you are doing that scale of resto? Or is this a full on original type resto?
 
Miranthis said:
My 66 Barracuda had the frame mount for the Z Bar fail back in the 1970's. The mechanic back then welded a patch to the frame and it basically works, but its not in exactly the right place. While it is on the rotisserie, I want to address this and bring it back to the as-designed state as opposed to the "let's get in back out of the shop" fix that served pretty well for a lot of years. In order to do that I need some pictures, especially with something that will give me scale, from the outboard and inboard side of the frame mounting plate for the Z Bar. Anyone have any pics that you would not mind sharing?
Click to expand...
I'll try to get some this weekend. What exactly do you want?
 
Something that shows the geometry so I can make sure the frame pivot point is in the right place. I will post a pic of it as it sits, but maybe measurements from some point of reference to the pivot location so I can confirm the placement. Will IM you.....
 
??? Without going out to my garage and looking, my memory is that my 65 Barracuda's frame-side mount is a bracket that bolts to the inner fender with three bolts. Not to the frame.

Have no idea if 66 is the same.
 
I don't have any photos of my own but the bracket should be straight across from the pivot on the bellhousing It should be level and straight.
1724447853836.png
1724447938336.png
 
as shown above, it bolts to the inner apron just above the rail. if you don't have the bracket you'll need to find or fab one up.

if that's the area that was garage-bodge'd up, then you'll likely need that piece of the apron or to fab it as well.

i'll get an unobstructed pic later today. the motor is out of the 65 project
 
Pivot tube came off. It appears that they 'fabricobbled' a plate and used three long bolts (lower red arrows) to bolt it through the frame member creating an anchor for the outboard pivot tube ball stud (by the upper red arrow on the left side). I am gonna wait until I have the engine out before I try to remove the plate as the fasteners are frozen solid.. What I cannot tell at this point is if the kink (above the bolts) in the plate is collapse or some design feature..... there was some jury rigged extra spring contraption on the lower side of the z bar that put tension on the reset of the clutch....

Clutch pivot bracket.jpg
 
Miranthis said:
Pivot tube came off. It appears that they 'fabricobbled' a plate and used three long bolts (lower red arrows) to bolt it through the frame member creating an anchor for the outboard pivot tube ball stud (by the upper red arrow on the left side). I am gonna wait until I have the engine out before I try to remove the plate as the fasteners are frozen solid.. What I cannot tell at this point is if the kink (above the bolts) in the plate is collapse or some design feature..... there was some jury rigged extra spring contraption on the lower side of the z bar that put tension on the reset of the clutch....

View attachment 1716295115
Click to expand...
Well, the problem is that a big chunk of the inner fender is missing. Replace that and you'll have a place to mount the correct bracket in the correct spot.
 
65 Cuda 340 said:
Well, the problem is that a big chunk of the inner fender is missing. Replace that and you'll have a place to mount the correct bracket in the correct spot.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that was the part that rotted out.... the plate replaced the rotten fender liner. it just hollowed out the hole and stopped working. The local mechanic's fix, circa. 1975 is what i am dealing with now.
 
i don't know what your skill level of fab work is like, but this type of repair doesn't require a bunch of finesse. flux core buzz box, a 3" spinning wheel of death and some big hammers backed up by a 12 pack would sort that out.

the other, maybe easier, approach would be to find somebody who's parting a car and see if you can get that portion of the apron to stitch in.

or convert to hydraulic clutch.
 
you can also use the top of the frame rail rather than the side rail. We used a piece of 3/8" aluminum angle and drilled holes for top mounting and then on the long leg of the angle drilled the mounting hole for the ball on an old 68 Coronet some 30 years ago. We cut and shaped it to where it looked like a part not a piece of angle. It looked nice and not out of place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top