Pedal Cluster rebuild...if you haven't already...please do so.
 

I strongly recommend that for those of you that have not done it that you rebuild your pedal cluster. My car is in pretty good shape and was never abused. All of the repairs I have done from suspension to engine work all bolts come out easy and have little corrosion. All external indications were that my pedal cluster was solid as well.

Turns out my pedal cluster was a ticking time bomb.

The first thing I found was that the arm which grabs the clutch cable was severely worn, the retainer pin had cut through about half of it and it was at risk of breaking and releasing the cable without warning.

The second thing is my pedal tube is cracked where the roll pin goes through.

It's all been documented here before but I just wanted to make sure you all were looking closely at this area of your car.

My car has 120k miles and no corrosion whatsoever in this area of the car or the cluster itself.

I consider this a pretty serious safety hazard. Not as bad as bad brakes but if the clutch pops in the middle of a shift I may spin at the track. If it pops while depressed and waiting for a traffic light I either launch into the car in front of me or into the middle of the intersection.

I will post a pic later so you all can see.

See http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70567&highlight=cluster +rebuild for the trunnion pin damage and repair (Leland).

I don't know why folks put up with stiff clutches. The rebuild, fresh helper spring and cable, and proper adjustment (given the throwout fork and trans is fine) yields one of the lightest feeling clutches in the business. It's all of $200.00 and an afternoon or so of work.

John

A critical issue with pedal assemblies and early cars is if the master cylinder leaks brake fluid, it ruins the plastic bushings. Always, ALWAYS look for any signs of leakage. If in doubt, replace the master cylinder.
I like the plastic bushings. If for no other reason they give an indication something is wrong.

Best,
Grady