vette427sbc
Well-known member
Here is another mod made cheap by using OEM parts, a little time and fabrication. The only major tools you should need for this are a Sawzall (or any other metal cutting tool), welder (I use a 120 volt MIG), a grinder and a hand drill (a drill press is always nicer). It is fairly easy to do and well worth the time it takes to fabricate to save a couple hundred bucks. There are two different types of hydraulic clutch styles. One uses a hydraulic throwout bearing to disengage the clutch, and does not use a clutch fork/pivot ball. The second style uses a slave cylinder which takes the place of the Z-bar linkage and hydraulically actuates the clutch fork. Both styles have their own pros and cons. Doing some research showed that going with the slave cylinder style would be cheaper and easier for me. The slave cylinder style does not require removal of the transmission, and is significantly cheaper than a hydraulic throwout bearing.
For those of you with stiffer clutches, going to a hydraulic clutch may help to reduce pedal pressure by eliminating the friction created by the pressures put on the Z-bar, depending on its condition. In addition to the easier pedal pressure, this particular hydraulic clutch setup auto-adjusts for clutch wear too. Besides the mechanical positives of a hydraulic clutch, it looks cleaner and clears up the engine bay a little too by getting rid of the Z-bar. The nice thing about this mod is that you do not need to take your car off the road for days at a time. The Z-bar comes out with a spring pin, a bolt on the frame bracket, and a bolt on the clutch fork. It takes all of 10 minutes to take out/put on the Z-bar assembly, so when you are done with mock-up for the day, it can all go back together quickly and easily.
I began by buying a clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder from a 1986 Chevy C30 pickup. I’m not sure if it matters, but I chose the 350/5.7 engine. Rock Auto seems to have the best prices at $33.79 for the master cylinder, and $51.79 for the slave cylinder.
Here is the stock clutch setup:
This shows the clutch pedal rod and part of the Z-bar assembly.

Here is the master cylinder made by Wagner. Part number CM110273.

And here is the slave cylinder also made by Wagner. Part number SC103483.

Next is the master cylinder reservoir. I read that a bunch of people use reservoirs from Hondas, and C-4 vettes. I couldn’t find any of these on Rock Auto, AutoZone, Ebay, etc… My friends all have sport bikes and I noticed that the front brake reservoir would be a perfect candidate for the master cylinder reservoir. It has a bolt-on style mount and the proper size hose barb on the bottom. This one is from a 2003 Yamaha R1/R6. It was about $30 from my local motorcycle repair shop.

With the Z-bar and clutch pedal rod removed, I marked and drilled two mounting holes in the firewall. There is already a piece of steel behind the fiberglass which makes reinforcing the firewall unnecessary.

Here are the holes from the inside of the firewall with the master cylinder in place:

Here is the master cylinder mocked up in place.


Here is where the stock clutch rod attaches to the pedal under the dash.

This is the only mod you will need to do to the master. The rod is too long by about 1 ¾ inches. It needs to be shortened and then threaded to fit.


I took the other end of the rod that I cut off and threaded it, and welded in a sleeve to reduce the diameter to the size of the pin on the clutch pedal. Here it is in place, mounted on the clutch pedal:
Next, I fabricated a small bracket for the reservoir out of sheet metal. It mounts to the power brake booster bolts on the firewall and the brake master cylinder stud. This position may not work if you have a vacuum brake booster. Anywhere else is fine as long as it is above the master cylinder. The hose size is ¼ inner diameter.

For those of you with stiffer clutches, going to a hydraulic clutch may help to reduce pedal pressure by eliminating the friction created by the pressures put on the Z-bar, depending on its condition. In addition to the easier pedal pressure, this particular hydraulic clutch setup auto-adjusts for clutch wear too. Besides the mechanical positives of a hydraulic clutch, it looks cleaner and clears up the engine bay a little too by getting rid of the Z-bar. The nice thing about this mod is that you do not need to take your car off the road for days at a time. The Z-bar comes out with a spring pin, a bolt on the frame bracket, and a bolt on the clutch fork. It takes all of 10 minutes to take out/put on the Z-bar assembly, so when you are done with mock-up for the day, it can all go back together quickly and easily.
I began by buying a clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder from a 1986 Chevy C30 pickup. I’m not sure if it matters, but I chose the 350/5.7 engine. Rock Auto seems to have the best prices at $33.79 for the master cylinder, and $51.79 for the slave cylinder.
Here is the stock clutch setup:
This shows the clutch pedal rod and part of the Z-bar assembly.

Here is the master cylinder made by Wagner. Part number CM110273.

And here is the slave cylinder also made by Wagner. Part number SC103483.

Next is the master cylinder reservoir. I read that a bunch of people use reservoirs from Hondas, and C-4 vettes. I couldn’t find any of these on Rock Auto, AutoZone, Ebay, etc… My friends all have sport bikes and I noticed that the front brake reservoir would be a perfect candidate for the master cylinder reservoir. It has a bolt-on style mount and the proper size hose barb on the bottom. This one is from a 2003 Yamaha R1/R6. It was about $30 from my local motorcycle repair shop.

With the Z-bar and clutch pedal rod removed, I marked and drilled two mounting holes in the firewall. There is already a piece of steel behind the fiberglass which makes reinforcing the firewall unnecessary.

Here are the holes from the inside of the firewall with the master cylinder in place:

Here is the master cylinder mocked up in place.


Here is where the stock clutch rod attaches to the pedal under the dash.

This is the only mod you will need to do to the master. The rod is too long by about 1 ¾ inches. It needs to be shortened and then threaded to fit.


I took the other end of the rod that I cut off and threaded it, and welded in a sleeve to reduce the diameter to the size of the pin on the clutch pedal. Here it is in place, mounted on the clutch pedal:

Next, I fabricated a small bracket for the reservoir out of sheet metal. It mounts to the power brake booster bolts on the firewall and the brake master cylinder stud. This position may not work if you have a vacuum brake booster. Anywhere else is fine as long as it is above the master cylinder. The hose size is ¼ inner diameter.
