I posted this at Four Eyed Pride, home of the V8 and Turbo-powered Foxes. Our sweet SIXteens are all but ignored over there.
The Factory Ford shop Chassis (Volume 1) manual, Haynes or Chilton all fail miserably when it comes to the details. The Ford manual is excellent with its troubleshooting section on the Manual Transmission and clutch issues, and the solutions are covered, except for the clutch cable, but Late Model Restoration's videos on replacing/installation of the T5 clutch covers what the manuals miss. It also has a 2 minute video on the Throw-out lever and correct pre-greasing and proper installation of the release bearing into the throw-out lever.
https://lmr.com/Posts/Search?vehicle=&q=clutch
The two that demystified my issues were:
Mustang Throwout Bearing & Clutch Fork Install (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKxNr5iYKO8
Mustang Clutch Installation (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVZDlXVj_g
Our Inline Sixes don't have guide-pins in the flywheel, as we know, but the V8s do. We don't have pedal-controlled adjusters like later models. Simple but rigid installation methods.
Why didn't my clutch disengage?
Firstly, everything to do with the clutch is new, except the fork and pivot. The SROD transmission came from a 1980 Fairmont I6, with only 35,000 miles on it - the car was a write-off.
Flywheel was re-faced. new clutch and pressure plate, release bearing, cable. The clutch and brake pedal bracket came from a 1979 Mercury Capri. All OEM grade - nothing exotic or race-grade.
I made one mistake and one dumb boo-boo.
The boo-boo was dropping the short 3/16" bolt that fastens the cable cover to the transmission bell housing. Not being able to disengage probably saved me a disaster later on. When I got it out, it looked undamaged. Never touched the clutch, pressure plate or ring gear. Whew!
The mistake was how I had the release bearing spring into the fork. I had it under the curly retainer springs, instead of over them. See the LMR video listed above. My forgivable BAD. I haven't worked on a Manual Trans since my college days and my Corvair Monza, so I got over it pretty quick, yesterday, except that today, my sore muscles prompted me to write this post so others can avoid this mistake.
My penance is having to drop the trans and reinstall it.
Cable Adjustment tip
One thing covered in the LMR Video on Clutch Replacement for Mustangs is how the cable works for adjustment. The more you turn it toward the firewall, the harder your pedal will be. Logical enough, not in the manuals. Since mine are all new, the factory spec applies 2.7 inches of free play. V8s only need 1.5 inches, with stock clutch sets.
Console shifter Issue
Almost forgot this one. I was lucky. When I installed the 1981 Capri console, I had an automatic C4. The swap to a stick shift was never considered, but I did all the prep to install the console in line with the factory dimples. When I installed the SROD, I had to trim the tunnel a bit wider on the driver's side.
In taking the transmission down, I didn't want to remove the console. Couldn't fathom the PITA to disconnect the electricals, etc, to access the 4 bolts that hold down the shifter boots. In my part of the world we get cold down to -50C. The transmission came with a big rubber recessed gasket that sits flush on the floor, then I bought the short utility gasket with its steel frame, and finally the fancy leather boot. They all get held down by those 4 bolts and since my console came from an Automatic Capri, the plastic area is smaller than the standard console. The trick was to spread the steel ashtray bracket a little, slide the top steel frame forward and then up through the shifter hole. That was the easy one, because the boot slips over the gear shifter like a cone. The next 2 have to slip over that big lump in the midst of the shifter lever. I just wet them up with water, and firmly, and slowly slipped them over. The bolts were just visible to a 1/4" drive short socket. If you have a console, this might be useful?
The Factory Ford shop Chassis (Volume 1) manual, Haynes or Chilton all fail miserably when it comes to the details. The Ford manual is excellent with its troubleshooting section on the Manual Transmission and clutch issues, and the solutions are covered, except for the clutch cable, but Late Model Restoration's videos on replacing/installation of the T5 clutch covers what the manuals miss. It also has a 2 minute video on the Throw-out lever and correct pre-greasing and proper installation of the release bearing into the throw-out lever.
https://lmr.com/Posts/Search?vehicle=&q=clutch
The two that demystified my issues were:
Mustang Throwout Bearing & Clutch Fork Install (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKxNr5iYKO8
Mustang Clutch Installation (79-04 Fox Body & SN95) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVZDlXVj_g
Our Inline Sixes don't have guide-pins in the flywheel, as we know, but the V8s do. We don't have pedal-controlled adjusters like later models. Simple but rigid installation methods.
Why didn't my clutch disengage?
Firstly, everything to do with the clutch is new, except the fork and pivot. The SROD transmission came from a 1980 Fairmont I6, with only 35,000 miles on it - the car was a write-off.
Flywheel was re-faced. new clutch and pressure plate, release bearing, cable. The clutch and brake pedal bracket came from a 1979 Mercury Capri. All OEM grade - nothing exotic or race-grade.
I made one mistake and one dumb boo-boo.
The boo-boo was dropping the short 3/16" bolt that fastens the cable cover to the transmission bell housing. Not being able to disengage probably saved me a disaster later on. When I got it out, it looked undamaged. Never touched the clutch, pressure plate or ring gear. Whew!
The mistake was how I had the release bearing spring into the fork. I had it under the curly retainer springs, instead of over them. See the LMR video listed above. My forgivable BAD. I haven't worked on a Manual Trans since my college days and my Corvair Monza, so I got over it pretty quick, yesterday, except that today, my sore muscles prompted me to write this post so others can avoid this mistake.
My penance is having to drop the trans and reinstall it.
Cable Adjustment tip
One thing covered in the LMR Video on Clutch Replacement for Mustangs is how the cable works for adjustment. The more you turn it toward the firewall, the harder your pedal will be. Logical enough, not in the manuals. Since mine are all new, the factory spec applies 2.7 inches of free play. V8s only need 1.5 inches, with stock clutch sets.
Console shifter Issue
Almost forgot this one. I was lucky. When I installed the 1981 Capri console, I had an automatic C4. The swap to a stick shift was never considered, but I did all the prep to install the console in line with the factory dimples. When I installed the SROD, I had to trim the tunnel a bit wider on the driver's side.
In taking the transmission down, I didn't want to remove the console. Couldn't fathom the PITA to disconnect the electricals, etc, to access the 4 bolts that hold down the shifter boots. In my part of the world we get cold down to -50C. The transmission came with a big rubber recessed gasket that sits flush on the floor, then I bought the short utility gasket with its steel frame, and finally the fancy leather boot. They all get held down by those 4 bolts and since my console came from an Automatic Capri, the plastic area is smaller than the standard console. The trick was to spread the steel ashtray bracket a little, slide the top steel frame forward and then up through the shifter hole. That was the easy one, because the boot slips over the gear shifter like a cone. The next 2 have to slip over that big lump in the midst of the shifter lever. I just wet them up with water, and firmly, and slowly slipped them over. The bolts were just visible to a 1/4" drive short socket. If you have a console, this might be useful?
