Clutch Fork for Ford 302 with a Hydraulic Clutch

[bkhicks66]

Good Morning

I am close to attaching my Tremec TKX to my FORD 363 build....I have the M-6392-R58 Bellhousing as suggested to go between my 302 Dart Block and the transmission. My question is on the clutch fork....I plan on using a hydraulic clutch with slave cylinder. Ford suggest a OEM Clutch Fork for a 1979-1993 Mustang GT. I read that the OEM fork may or may not work with a slave cylinder.

So my question is will my OEM clutch Fork work or do I need a different one? If so, what do you guys suggest. Want to get this right and not have to disassemble to fix it.

Thank you for your help

Brian
Daytona Coupe #385

[Jacob McCrea]

The OEM fork will work provided you have a little piece to go between the push rod and fork. This is a custom setup using an OEM 1979-93 Mustang clutch fork. The piece that adapts the slave cylinder's push rod to the fork is a one-off fabrication, and is similar to what Mike Forte sells as part of his hydraulic clutch kit. If you are piecing together an assembly as I did you will need to make something that bolts to the OEM fork in order to attach the push rod to the OEM fork. Otherwise it will not work. Happy to take a few more pictures if needed.

163934

[Ltngdrvr]

With a hydraulic actuated clutch, you could just do away with the clutch fork and just use a hydraulic throwout bearing conversion.

[edwardb]

I had a Ford Performance M-7515-A clutch fork in my 20th Anniversary Roadster. High quality piece and fit perfectly. That after a bad experience with a generic reproduction piece. It has a large counterweight that needs to be removed. Other than that, bolts right up.

X2 on a hydraulic throw-out bearing instead. Have a Tilton 6000-Series Hydraulic Release Bearing 60-6104 in my Coupe. Cheaper, easier to install, noticeably lower pedal effort.

[bkhicks66]

Thanks guys for all the responses....My only concern with the hydraulic release bearing is difficulty in clutch adjustments...are there measurements and calculations to do to ensure you get everything right the first time without having to remove the transmission to correct? Or am I making this more difficult than it needs to be?

Again Thanks for the responses

Brian

[Jacob McCrea]

I've never worked with a hydro throwout bearing but you can also screw up setting an adjustable pivot point on a traditional clutch fork, if that's the case with your bellhousing. I like the idea of a hydraulic throwout bearing but $70.00 in parts and an hour and a half of fabrication also made a lot of sense to me.

[edwardb]

Thanks guys for all the responses....My only concern with the hydraulic release bearing is difficulty in clutch adjustments...are there measurements and calculations to do to ensure you get everything right the first time without having to remove the transmission to correct? Or am I making this more difficult than it needs to be?

Again Thanks for the responses

Brian

My experience: The Tilton I installed comes with very easy instructions for setting the right clearance, how to determine the proper MC size, how to set a pedal stop if required, etc. All very straightforward and really no reason you should have to take anything apart once installed. Plus there are multiple videos. After that, it's self adjusting. Just like the disk brakes on your car. Another of the nice features. I've driven it two seasons, just under 4,000 miles. It's been perfect so far. For the record, you bring up the number one issue people always cite with the internal hydraulic TOB, e.g. the transmission must be removed to service. My response is (1) internal TOB's are well established and the Tilton piece (the one I have experience with) is considered very high quality, (2) DD's made the change to internal TOB's a long time ago. Corvette, etc. (3) IMO, no different than what happens if the clutch wears out or needs service. That too requires the transmission to be removed. FWIW.

[Windsor]

(2) DD's made the change to internal TOB's a long time ago. Corvette, etc.

Yeah, pickups and SUVs, too.

My '95 F150 has an internal (inside the bell housing) slave cylinder not entirely different from today's Tilton offering. That particular transmission model (Mazda M5OD) began service at Ford in '88, per Wikerpedia.

[chuckster]

Give Mike Forte a call he’ll hook you up.