Then my clutch push rod fell off

[Jim Hansen]

I'm pretty new to this hobby, but am already scratching my head and questioning my sanity. The latest opportunity to learn more about my 1967 327/300 is that my clutch push rod fell off, where it is attached to the cluth pedal. This occurred, of course, in heavy traffic when I went to take off from a light. The clutch pedal went straight to the floor. Gawkers started to form. For the life of me I cannot get it back on. The push rod has a bend in it. Is it supposed to be straight or is this the way it is manufactured? If it's supposed to be straight, then I need to buy a new one and that will probably solve most of the problem. The other problem is securing it after slipping it on the pin on the cluth pedal. Is there supposed to be a hole in the end of the pin to attach the clip? If yes, then I probably lost part of the pin itself. If no, how does the clip work? Thanks, Jim.

[Joe L.]

Re: Then my clutch push rod fell off

Jim-----

The clutch push rod is supposed to have a slight bend to it. However, the clutch push rod is not your problem. Your problem is the clevis pin which is attached to the bracket on your clutch pedal. This is a common failure point for the system due to the wear exerted on the pin by the push rod and the fact that this juncture almost never gets lubricated by anyone. The pin is case hardened. So, it lasts for a long while but as soon as the case hardening is worn through, furher progresses rapidly until the strength of the pin is compromised too much and it breaks. And, yes, there is supposed to be a hole in the end of the pin for the retainer clip.

The 1967 clutch pedal used a pin/bracket assembly which was welded to the clutch pedal. This pin/bracket was never available from GM in SERVICE as a seperate part; you had to purchase the entire clutch pedal assembly which is long-since GM-discontinued now. However, you can get a new pin/bracket from most of the Corvette vendors for a rather nominal cost. The problem is that you have to cut off the old bracket and weld on the new one. That's not too hard to do but, unfortunately, to do this you need to remove the pedal from the car. That's the really tough part.

1963-66 Corvettes used a pin/bracket assembly which was bolted to the pedal so replacement was easier and it was not absolutely necessary to remove the pedal from the car. But, unfortunately, you have a 67. 1968-81 were just as bad. They used no bracket, at all, and the clevis pin was simply installed through a hole in the clutch pedal shaft and welded. So, for 68-81 Corvettes the clutch pedal has to be removed to replace the pin, too.

[Ed Jennings]

Re: Then my clutch push rod fell off

Jim, I am sending you the page in the assembly instruction manual that pertains to this. I looked at the rod in my 67 and could not see a bend, though there may be one on the passenger side of the firewall. I know my 62 has a slight bend in it, so it is not unthinkable for the midyear to have one also.

[Jim Hansen]

Thanks. .. one follow-up Q

Joe and Ed: Thanks. This is exactly what I needd to know. Since I'm going to have to take the clutch pedal off, I wonder if it might make sense to replace it with a 1966 unit, so that if it happens again I'll be be wrench-guy instead of welding-guy. Do you have any idea if a 1966 clutch pedal will fit a 1967? Thanks again, Jim.

[Joe L.]

Re: Thanks. .. one follow-up Q

Jim------

First off, I did confirm that the 66-67 clutch pedal push rod, GM #3888213, does have a bend in it. I thought that it did, but I wasn't sure. The bend for this push rod is, indeed, about 4 or 5 inches from the upper end, so it is under the dash. The 68-81 push rod, GM #3921654, has a "dog-leg" sort of bend on the lower end.

I don't think that the 63-66 clutch pedal is compatible with 67, although I don't know the reason why it's not. I can tell you this, though: the 67-only clutch pedal, GM #3904880, was discontinued from SERVICE in May, 1976. At that time it was a straight discontinuation without supercession, even though the 63-66 pedal, GM #3832855, continued to be available in SERVICE until November, 1986. If the 63-66 pedal had been compatible with 67, then I would have expected that, after discontinuation of the 67 pedal, GM would have catalogued the 63-66 pedal as the SERVICE REPLACEMENT part. This doesn't say, for sure, that the 63-66 could not be used for a 67 application but it "hints" at it.

If I were you, I'd repair your pedal by welding on a new bracket or, if you wish, obtain a complete, new reproduction 1967 pedal assembly with welded-on bracket. Your existing pedal is very likey original and has served for 35 years, including many years when the car was probably a daily driver for someone. If you replace the pedal or bracket now, it'll likely serve for another 35 years, and much longer if you remember to apply a daub of grease to the clevis pin once-in-awhile. 35+ years will likely be all the service which you will require.

[Jim Hansen]

Thanks Again

Joe: Very good analysis, I'll stick with 1967. I'm going to buy a whole new clutch pedal with the bracket already welded on. I'm also going to replace the clutch push rod swivel since a similar failure is probably only a matter of time. Again, thanks for your assistance in diagnosing this problem.