new Del Rio project

[djfordmanjack]

It seems your Del Rio had been thoroughly restored and hardly driven any after its last major overhaul. Hope it'll be back on the road soon once you got your new drivetrain sorted.

[billd5string]

It seems your Del Rio had been thoroughly restored and hardly driven any after its last major overhaul. Hope it'll be back on the road soon once you got your new drivetrain sorted.

I hope so. I hadn't gotten to drive it since the brakes were completely gone, and obviously it needs that new motor now. I think I still have a couple big purchases before it will be back on the road. I don't have a transmission yet and haven't settled on going with a C6 because I really miss having a manual. And I'm thinking while the motor is out, that maybe doing a rack and pinion conversion would be a really good idea. So I have to save up some cash for those.

Is it hard to retrofit a clutch pedal and hydraulic clutch master cylinder into these cars?

[lalessi1]

It is not that hard to add a clutch pedal to an automatic car, a matter of the pedal itself and a few other parts. I converted mine to manual clutch actuation first and then to a hydraulic setup next. I used a Mcleod conversion kit for 64-66 Mustang without a lot of issues...be glad to provide details.... 

[billd5string]

It is not that hard to add a clutch pedal to an automatic car, a matter of the pedal itself and a few other parts. I converted mine to manual clutch actuation first and then to a hydraulic setup next. I used a Mcleod conversion kit for 64-66 Mustang without a lot of issues...be glad to provide details.... 

Thanks! I did a hydraulic conversion on a previous truck project, and I still have the master and slave cylinders from that project (truck got totaled when someone ran a red light). The biggest challenge I had on that project was getting the master cylinder lined up with the pedal perfectly. How hard is it to find a clutch pedal for a 60 year old Ford? Do I need to swap out anything under the dash to hang the clutch pedal (support bracket and such)?

[terry_208]

IIRC, there is a pin that the brake pedal pivots on, held with a lock pin.  Remove the locking pin and the pivot then the pivot pin attached to the clutch pedal just replaces it, insert the lock pin.  There's a return spring that attaches and can sometimes be a little bit of a problem but no support changes need be done.  If my memory fails me, someone please correct me.

[gasman826]

The addition of a clutch pedal to a manual brake pedal is fairly straight forward as previously outlined.  Several years of pedals will fit.  The hanging of a clutch master cylinder is much harder.  The pedal/master cylinder connection point is different from the manual linkage connection point.  The ratio on mine was 6 to 1.  Measure from the center of the pedal pivot shaft hole to the center of the pedal pad.  The master cylinder must top out at the top of the pedal swing and bottom out with the pedal contact with the floor.  If the MC bottoms before the pedal bottoms against the floor, the pedal will need a block.  As the pedal swings, there is a slight arc on the travel of the pedal connection point.  The MC must be placed so the bore aligns with the center of that arc.  Clear as mud and hard to do.  I hope this helps you.  It is NOT meant to discourage you.  Hydraulic clutch throwout bearings are the greatest.  Even with the extra work, I will never install manual linkage again.  The smoothness and lack of pedal effort is worth the work!  I built an extension on the side of my pedal to move the MC left to clear the brake MC.

[billd5string]

Wow - this is very doable. I checked, and I do still have my master cylinder and slave unit. The master cylinder looks identical to the one in gasman's photo.

Thanks guys!! Time for me to start looking for a transmission! 

[billd5string]

I found a clutch and brake pedal pair, they'll be here Friday. I also finally pulled out the original headliner (that was nasty) and door panels. Then I carefully pulled the radio, clock, heater controls, gauge panel, dash vents and controls.

I won't be using the radio, heater controls or clock for sure so if someone is looking for any of that, please PM me. I don't want to modify the dash at all, but I am hoping I can make a panel to cover all the openings for a clean look.

[billd5string]

I also was going through some trim pieces that came with the car. They were all wrapped in newspaper dated 1988. I haven't figured out what these pieces are. I think one is for the kick panel - because I saw a similar piece in someone's post. Anyone know where the other pieces go?

[billd5string]

Here is a couple more shots of the interior after I got the panels and headliner out.

[billd5string]

And here are a few shots of the engine bay now that the 312 is out.

[djfordmanjack]

I haven't figured out what these pieces are. I think one is for the kick panel - because I saw a similar piece in someone's post. Anyone know where the other pieces go?

the lower one is the drivers kickpanel molding, as you said. the other 2 are the garnsih moldings for where the headliner meets the rear liftgate opening. they are screwed to the body.

[djfordmanjack]

Bill, in your first pic of the stripped dash, there is something visible that needs attention. look at the upmost corner of the A post and you will see rust streaks running from inside the overlapping metal.
This is again the problem of the bad draining situation of the original factory design. the water comes from inside the roof ( condensed water) and is caught in the inner structure of the rain gutters. now that your headliner is out you have good access to that areas. please study and try to find the og drains to the front and back of the raingutters ( on outside of car. approx 1/2 x 1/8" slots). they have probably been smeared with filler. you might also want to clean out any debris, rust and cloth remains from the inside roof structure with a vaccuum cleaner. and drill further drain holes to the inner structure so the water can drain down to the posts and out of the rocker drains. I know that you are living in dry Nevada, but it still will eat your roof corners from the inside, as visible by the rust streaks.I strongly recommend cleaning those drain holes, as many station wagon roofs are rusted out from the inside and it is a damage that is very difficult to repair. Now you have the chance to remedy those problems, before putting in a new headliner!

[KYBlueOval]

I found a clutch and brake pedal pair, they'll be here Friday. I also finally pulled out the original headliner (that was nasty) and door panels. Then I carefully pulled the radio, clock, heater controls, gauge panel, dash vents and controls.

I won't be using the radio, heater controls or clock for sure so if someone is looking for any of that, please PM me. I don't want to modify the dash at all, but I am hoping I can make a panel to cover all the openings for a clean look.

Bill........P.M. sent to you.

[billd5string]

Bill, in your first pic of the stripped dash, there is something visible that needs attention. look at the upmost corner of the A post and you will see rust streaks running from inside the overlapping metal.
This is again the problem of the bad draining situation of the original factory design. the water comes from inside the roof ( condensed water) and is caught in the inner structure of the rain gutters. now that your headliner is out you have good access to that areas. please study and try to find the og drains to the front and back of the raingutters ( on outside of car. approx 1/2 x 1/8" slots). they have probably been smeared with filler. you might also want to clean out any debris, rust and cloth remains from the inside roof structure with a vaccuum cleaner. and drill further drain holes to the inner structure so the water can drain down to the posts and out of the rocker drains. I know that you are living in dry Nevada, but it still will eat your roof corners from the inside, as visible by the rust streaks.I strongly recommend cleaning those drain holes, as many station wagon roofs are rusted out from the inside and it is a damage that is very difficult to repair. Now you have the chance to remedy those problems, before putting in a new headliner!

Thanks for the insight! I will definitely check that area out. I saw you did a bunch of work on those pillars on your car and was wondering if I was going to have the same problem. also, thanks for posting that link to the dashboard welt - I just found those trim pieces a few days ago. I'm missing a couple small pieces that go at the top of the pillar and connect to the cross piece to the mirror, but the rest was there in a box.