Hello everyone, I was a member on here about 10 years ago or so when I built my car, and I never finished it. Now my son will not leave me alone so it came come off the jack stands and I am back working on it. The car is a 1970 Buick GS with a 455, the problem is that I have converted it to a 4 speed manual, and have had nothing but problems from parts not fitting to people telling me it fits a buick when its really for a chevelle. Here is what the car has in it now.... Lakewood Blowproof bellhousing ( LAK-15120 ) and adjustable pivot ball Thicker throw out bearing ( N1466 ) Year One Z Bar ( RZ21 ) Year One Clutch Fork ( 8600N ) Centerforce Clutch ( CFT16552) and ( 383735 ) I had the wrong throwout bearing, and the fork was hitting the back of the opening in the bellhousing. After lots of trial and error ( and replacing every other part in the linkage setup ) I figured out the throw out bearing was the problem. I replaced the N1716 with the N1466, now the issue I have is that the clutch fork doesnt line up. Once connected to the pivot ball, its about half an inch short to connect to the bearing. I called and checked with Year one, and they tell me that the 8600N cross references with GM # 3892632 which is for v8 Chevies and v6 pontiacs.....so that explains a few things. I dug out the 1970 Chassis manual and it shows part number 1386001 as the stock fork number. I spoke to the folks at Lakewood, and they told me that they dont make a clutch for for the buick, but that the 3892632 is definatly for a chevelle, and definatly will not work. They tell me I need a stock Buick 455 fork..... Is this true? Where can I get one? I am a single dad and cant afford to be throwing parts at this thing. Can somone please help? Years ago when I built the car this website was the only reliable source of information on the web that had tons of really great members that were really helpful.....I hope that still the case.....PLEASE HELP!
I'll take a crack at helping here. Sounds like you've got a couple of things going on here, and I'll see what I can do to help without spending too much more $. Centerforce recommends that the pivot ball height be set at 4.75 from the block. You'll have to remove the Lakewood and measure. Make sure you add the thickness of the block plate if you're using one. Once this height is set, reinstall the Lakewood and install the clutch fork. Install your throwout bearing and see where the TO bearing puts the other end of the clutch fork in relation to the lower adjustment rod. There are several guys on here using the same fork you have and they've made it work. Other guys have had the same trouble. If you could post pictures, it would definitely help.
