Tonight on the way home my clutch linkage broke!

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   Make a new clutch rod from a hardware store turn buckle. 3/8" will work just fine. I did that when I had the same problem, clutch rod too short for my liking. Those cars were made to drive easy when autos were expensive. Grandma was supposed to be able to drive it! Lots more clutch play than any modern driver would like. Easy to learn to drive a stick shift with though -- real forgiving! The torque at right off idle of that long stroke slow motor helps too. No jerking like you get from a modern car if you let the clutch out and the engine isn't spinning quite enough, but just enough not to choke down. The Rambler just chugs like an old tractor and slowly gets going!

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farna Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19676	Post Options Post Reply Quote farna Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/21/2017 at 5:54am
	Make a new clutch rod from a hardware store turn buckle. 3/8" will work just fine. I did that when I had the same problem, clutch rod too short for my liking. Those cars were made to drive easy when autos were expensive. Grandma was supposed to be able to drive it! Lots more clutch play than any modern driver would like. Easy to learn to drive a stick shift with though -- real forgiving! The torque at right off idle of that long stroke slow motor helps too. No jerking like you get from a modern car if you let the clutch out and the engine isn't spinning quite enough, but just enough not to choke down. The Rambler just chugs like an old tractor and slowly gets going!
	Frank Swygert

farna Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19676	Post Options Post Reply Quote farna Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/21/2017 at 5:55am
	Love the Crosley MC!! Shaft drive? Is that one of the old WWII landing craft brazed block motors, or a later cast iron one?
	Frank Swygert

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/21/2017 at 7:45am
	I think I will leave the clutch alone, at least for now, it works! Yeah the bike is shaft drive using a BMW trans with an adapter he made, the block is cast I believe. He has many motors though. Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/21/2017 at 9:19pm
	I got it all together, a couple new springs and it's just not right, it's grabbing way closer to the floor with the rods adjusted about all the way I dare to go. I just don't get it, it wasn't like this before that isolator broke. The only thing I can think of is that isolator is locating the bell crank thingie a little one way or the other lessoning the leverage. I don't get it. Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

tomj Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/27/2010 Location: earth Status: Offline Points: 7544	Post Options Post Reply Quote tomj Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/22/2017 at 12:16am
	every pre-64 American with 195.6 i've driven, the clutch is "all in" about an inch from the top. and literally with one finger's pressure. with all new parts and adjusted right. i'm sure you are right -- the fabric hanger will determine where that useful travel happens. if that inner pivot is no longer floppin' around, as i'm sure it's not now, and the linkage has no more than the usual slop from wear, that's the way it was meant to be. it may be tyhat you "got used to it" the way it was before it broke! i made my own replacement from sheet steel (and then later, a heim joint that screws into a bracket that bolts onto bell/block) and the linkage is made from all new heims, homemade pedal system, and zero slop, and the new clutch is still all-in to all-out in the top 1" of pedal travel. the car was designed in the era before automatics were common/affordable, so every effort was made for ease of effort, everything else be damned. if its smooth, no chatter, doesn;t slip, disengages completely, then it's surely fine. i adjust mine for abotu 1/4" - 1/2" of loose pedal play and just drive it.
	1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/22/2017 at 7:42am
	The problem is it is now going further BEFORE it is "all out" disengaged. It has about two inches of travel before it does anything. Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/22/2017 at 7:44am
	I'll be driving it to work today, we will see. Thanks for the help guys! Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/22/2017 at 11:06pm
	Thought I had it, the fork seemed out of place, it moves around, not sure if it should. But I pulled it out a bit and all seemed good, put her back on the ground and drove out of the driveway to have it fall back in with the pedal falling and returning to how it was grabbing right at the floor. I have went through the factory manual and will take another look at it. I see how I can figure out if the fork is right without pulling the tranny. Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

MARTINSR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/08/2009 Location: SF bay area Ca Status: Offline Points: 670	Post Options Post Reply Quote MARTINSR Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/23/2017 at 9:37pm
	Ok, I found what I thought was the problem, I had installed the "clutch beam bracket" (bell crank thingie) wrong! It was too far up on the frame bracket allowing it to go forward too far. So I got that right and now it seems like the fork is screwed up, it moves around, I don't get this. Brian
	1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day.

tomj Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/27/2010 Location: earth Status: Offline Points: 7544	Post Options Post Reply Quote tomj Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar/23/2017 at 10:51pm
	it sounds like you lost the ball that the clutch release fork rides on. not hard to do. that would cause all of the symptoms you mention. properly set up, there's simply not that much play at the release fork.
	1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com