Clutch fork

elevatordude

elevatordude

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
325
Location
Palmer, Ma.
I'm going to be putting a Lakewood Safety bell housing on my car but I am having trouble trying to find a clutch fork that will work with it . I looked at my old one for a number but I can't seem to find one. Oh ya its a 69.
lak-15000_w.jpg

Corvette015.jpg

Corvette014-1.jpg

Corvette013.jpg
 
Last edited:
that fork is Corvette specific, all the catalog whores have them or If you walk into a GM dealer with this number they might be able to order you one ...3887177 Scoggin-Dickey shows it`s still available....
 
You may find that your old clutch fork is better than a new one, unless you are fortunate enough to get an original one , If you get another one compare it very closely and you may find that your original old fork is made out of thicker and stiffer metal, also you will likely find that even though they look the same they don't have the profile and the end result is , after you get it installed you will find that the clutch will not completely disengage. Best bet use your old one or get one from another car, the ones from the aftermarket definately do not do the job.
 
Carb Doc said:
You may find that your old clutch fork is better than a new one, unless you are fortunate enough to get an original one , If you get another one compare it very closely and you may find that your original old fork is made out of thicker and stiffer metal, also you will likely find that even though they look the same they don't have the profile and the end result is , after you get it installed you will find that the clutch will not completely disengage. Best bet use your old one or get one from another car, the ones from the aftermarket definately do not do the job.
Click to expand...

Well I did do some searching here and I did find a post where some one did say the aftermarket ones were defiantly weaker the the originals. My worry with the one I have is the ware on the fork. Could I build it up with a weld? (see pic) and also I saw in that same search that the spring can be replaced. If someone has done this would I appreciate if they could inform me on how they refastened the spring.

Corvette018.jpg
Corvette019.jpg
 
I have rebuilt mine several times since 1970. same fork as in your car, a touch of hard facing on the worn area then grind back
till flat, the spring is easily replaced, get one from an old fork in the scrap yard , one in good shape of course and rivet or bolt it on, a bit of glass beading, some paint and presto, new clutch fork.
 
Last edited:
Carb Doc said:
I have rebuilt mine several times since 1970. same fork as in your car, a touch of hard facing on the worn area then grind back
till flat, the spring is easily replaced, get one from an old fork in the scrap yard , one in good shape of course and rivet or bolt it on, a bit of glass beading, some paint and presto, new clutch fork.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the info. But as for finding a spring in a scrap yard that's not going to happen anywhere near me , none of the scrap yards near me will have anything that old. hell I couldn't get a part for my 98 jeep there.
 
elevatordude said:
Carb Doc said:
I have rebuilt mine several times since 1970. same fork as in your car, a touch of hard facing on the worn area then grind back
till flat, the spring is easily replaced, get one from an old fork in the scrap yard , one in good shape of course and rivet or bolt it on, a bit of glass beading, some paint and presto, new clutch fork.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the info. But as for finding a spring in a scrap yard that's not going to happen anywhere near me , none of the scrap yards near me will have anything that old. hell I couldn't get a part for my 98 jeep there.
Click to expand...

Yes....rebuilding worn areas on a clutch fork is easily done with a welder and the way to go.

Replacing the fork spring is different challenge. When I chose to replace my broken fork spring I discovered how difficult a challenge. I couldn't find a rivet that fit the hole properly. After exhausting all local rivet sources, I spoke with Doc Rebuild personally. He sent me a couple rivets he had, but none worked. My spring was an original OEM replacement, as I didn't trust the imported repop replacement parts. Original clutch fork springs are hard to find. Then there is having a rivet set that will give you the room to keep the fork at the correct angle while you peen over the other end. I ended up making a rivet set for the job and making a rivet out of a machine screw. I'm sharing this as you may like to try a screw and nut instead, but I have no idea how that will work. This is a job that seems simple at the surface, but I found it to be a struggle. This was my first fork spring replacement job and hopefully the last.
 
Sorry I could not help you more on that rivet Red. I'm at a point where I would rather not have a job done twice so I opt for the fork job rather than the spring job. Although we got those springs from GM, there was never a rivet listed in their catalogs for that specific rivet. Often when a part is only used in production & not sold over the counter at a Chevy store, the GM Part History Book (yep there are such "history" books) you can find the part number listed followed by the notation - proloc aka produce locally aka GM don't sell & you are to proloc.

pssssst stop ridin the clutch & you wont have to fork with it :D
 
It doesn't seem reasonable the general would sell the fork spring and not supply the required rivet to install. That must be why I had such a problem finding one and made my own. This was done a couple years ago and worked out fine, but took me way more hours than the fork was worth. I passed on the aftermarket fork with spring already attached, as I didn't trust it. I cursed my decision during the labor process, as the $24 after market fork started looking mighty good. I just wanted to share my experience, so anyone considering this job think it through first.
 
elevatordude said:
Could I build it up with a weld? (see pic)
Corvette019.jpg
Click to expand...

The wear marks ??? Yes.....hell yes.... that can easily be fixed by welding and grinding it back to original shape....
I can weld it for you, no problem.... send me a PM if interested.... $10 to send it USPS flat rate.... no sweat.....
 
Thank you for the offer of welding it but I do have a small mig here. Also I just picked a good one up on ebay for 10. bucks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top