Vintage Mustang Forums banner

65 Mustang Clutch Help

759 Views 35 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Nos681
All: Could use some help here. I am doing a 6 cyl to 302 conversion with T5 transmission. I am working through + and - of clutch options. I am going with the Borgeson power steering set up and do not want to limit my option of doing a power assist breaks on the 4 wheel disk set up I am using. What I understand is that I have 3 options for clutch set up. I can do the traditional linkage with the Burgeson modified Z bar; I can do a clutch cable; or I could do a hydraulic clutch set up. My concern is making sure I got the space for everything to fit and not have issues with headers and exhaust. From what I read the Burgeson Z-bar set up is somewhat tricky to get aligned/adjusted but works fine if set up properly. It also adds a bunch of moving parts in the engine bay. As to the clutch cable option I have read issues with melting cables. I have watched videos and am concerned with placement on where the clutch cable exits the fire wall and conflict with power break booster if I go in that option. As for the hydraulic clutch option, I have never done or used one of those. Seams to be best option for conserving space in the engine bay and deconflicting with headers/exhaust but you have the issue of hydraulic lines and leaks. Could really use some help from you all that have done this before. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
1 - 6 of 36 Posts
No, car is totally disassembled awaiting paint. Have engine and transmission are on order but have NOT decided on headers and exhaust yet. I have about 5 months to solve remaining issues. Still pretty much a blank canvas and will be able to reassemble in a way that make works.
Has anyone used the 1965-66 Mustang Hydramax Hydraulic Clutch System for Ford TKX/T5?Ford Magnum/Ford T-56 from American Powertrain? It looks like it solves some problems like keeping the master cylinder in the engine bay and looks pretty straight forward. Also since this will be a new build, any issue with putting together will be simplified since I will mate end and transmission out of the car. Any thoughts?
I found a couple of videos...it uses the original clutch hole and puts the master cylinder on plane with the linkage. Only real challenge is figuring out how many shims for offset. Am a little skeptical when measuring to 1/1000 of an inch!
I also don't understand how you set up a Z bar for T-5 transmission. When I built a Factory Five coup I used a cable and its a "pull" set up and I believe a Z bar results in a "push." Am I missing something? Are you using a different bell housing set up?
Interesting that article says to change the block plate to the T5 style. Any reason you would need to do that if you are using the stock Toploader bell housing and clutch set up.
I finally found the old article that describes how to perform this.

Thanks so much for the link. These articles have all the info I need to make an informed decision on both Z-bar option and cable option. Your help has been invaluable and I truly appreciate your effort. I still need to think through what I will do, but the information you provided gives step by step instructions on HOW to do both clutch options. I still need to do a little more research on the hydraulic option but I have everything I need for the other 2 options. Thanks again for your help.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 6 of 36 Posts
Top