I'm having trouble getting the gears to engage. Im finishing off a Suby transplant with the 901 and have a new clutch cable. I verified the clutch cable tube is not loose in the tunnel, the cone screws are tight, but no matter how I adjust the shift linkage I get a grinding into 1st or reverse. This is sitting still in the garage. So that made me think maybe it was the clutch. I didn't notice this when mating the tranny to my new clutch and throwout bearing, but the release lever isn't centered in the opening. It only goes back about 3/4 of the way and can touch the forward bellhousing. Do I need to pull the tranny and install a shim? Where should I install the shim and how thick of a washer? Thanks


clutch release lever

Being close to the forward bell housing is OK ... You don't want it to hit the backside. Shims are needed if the lever doesn't go forward enough, so in your case a shim would make it worse.

With the clutch pedal all the way to the floor, where is your lever? It should be close to the rear part of the opening. If not, you may have too many shims already, preventing the clutch from disengaging completely.

Andy

With the clutch pedal all the way down the release lever is almost to the back (about 5mm of space left). The lever starts in the middle then goes to near the back.

Is the plastic ball cup in there, and is it in as-new condition? Is this a Kennedy clutch? They have problems fully disengaging the clutch. The Cap'n

Yes, the plastic ball cup is in there and it's brand new. Yes also that it's a Kennedy clutch with their adapter plate to mount to a Suby engine. Any recommendations? I appreciate the help.

Alright, I've got the clutch what I think is properly adjusted, and with the shift linkage pretty close moving through the gears with the car off seems OK. However, when the car is running and sitting still in my garage, I still get the grinding for reverse and first. Am I doing something wrong? Is it the clutch not disengaging all the way? Thanks

If it's really minor grinding it will improve a bit with driving. Slipping the clutch will remove any of the rough parts of the friction material, giving you just a bit more clearance. Don't slip it on purpose, that's not what I'm suggesting, just normal use. If it still doesn't improve call Hobart. He's heard this same question before, so will have an answer that works.

show a picture of the adjustment screw on the end of the cable.
You may need to crank that a bit more forward.

I have also heard that Kennedy clutches have issue so you may want to call them.

You can put a few shims behind the ball to move it forward and you can also bend the fork a bit (I have seen that a few times) to get more release, but if you look at the adjustment threads on the clutch cable you can stack up some washers and gain more space that way without having to remove the transmission.

I would suggest you have someone push the clutch while you are watching. Eventually the clutch fork will hit the transmission.
At that point you will need to either shim the ball, bend the fork or both to get more clearance.

Rich