The block side pivot ball snapped off yesterday. The shank is slightly below flush with the block. The pivot ball was a GM part with only about four years of service. Questions:

1. How do I get the shank out so I can install a new part?

2. Why did that happen? The clutch/pressure plate are stock. The linkage was working smoothly before it happened.

3. Is there a possibility of damage to the block?

4. I'm guessing that I'll have to pull the engine and drill out the shank. Would it be easier/cheaper to install a hydraulic clutch linkage?

The car is a 1965 Chevelle with a GM crate 350, a GM 621 bell, M20, OEM clutch linkage (except repro z-bar).

1. Drill a hole....like 1/4" into the rest of the ball stud that's still threaded in there and use an easy-out to get it out of there.

2. This probably happened due do a bad casting, or improper z-bar geometry binding on the ball pivot.

3. There is a possibility of damage to the threads in the block, but most likely the pivot ball just broke.

4. You can remove the inner fender, remove the clutch z-bar and stuff, then have a long enough drill bit and/or a bit holder for the easy-out tool to get it out. Putting a new one in shouldn't be too bad....a hydraulic clutch setup will not be any easier, and it will be a lot more expensive.

Be very careful with an ez out. They break very easily and then you have a real problem. If you can get at it, a small hammer and small punch might get the broken piece to turn and back out. The piece probably isn't tight unless it is rusted in. This has worked for me on many occasions over the years. Not if the piece is in tight.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago. I drilled the hole and tried using an easy out and broke that off in the block. :mad: I ended up pulling the motor and taking it to the machine shop. They drilled it out and putt a heli-coil in. They wished I would have brought it in before the easy out broke. Needless to say they wished easy outs were never made.

Pull the motor and get it removed without the easy out...you'll save time and money. :thumbsup:

I haven't broke a easy out in 10 years or so and I use them weekly. But in reality I have broke several and had to get them out myself and have learned their limitations. If you use Keiths method which works if you can get a left hand drill it will spin itself out when your drilling it.

Every easy-out on earth should be gathered up and melted down and sold as doorstops. They have created a hundred times more grief than they have ever helped. I also wouldn't spend two minutes trying to do the repair in the car. Look at where the centerline of the Z-bar is in the horizontal plane above the frame. There is no way you can drill the ball stud on center. The best tool for this type job, without question is a left hand twist drill bit.
I would also suggest you run a tap in the hole before you install the new ball stud and then check to make sure the shoulder of the stud is fully seated against the spot-faced area around the hole. If you don't get the stud seated it will work the shank back and forth over time and then break again. JMHO
Mike

You could also tack weld a bolt or a nut to what is left of the stud and use the correct size wrench.......

OK! This happened to me also. It happened when I was using the clutch with the engine angled down in order to install the trans. I took my dremel and just cut a slot through part of the block and the remaining stud. Then I used a screwdriver and it came right out. I did this in the car. Yes, I cut slightly into the block a bit but it doesnt hurt a thing and a new ballstud seats just fine.

Now thats clever!
Mike

Usually it isn't siezed in so it's a matter of just bacing it out.
You might concider using a lefthand drill bit. We used to do that on hydraulic pump and motor housings with bolts sheared off. Lots of times it will spin out befor you drill very deep into it!:)

Was this car a conversion to manual?
Check your motor mounts as a broken one can cause this.

You can also buy left hand thread taps and screws at Mcmaster.com. Tap about a 10-32 hole in the broken stud and use the left hand screw to back it out. Works like a charm.

Mike -

Yes, the car was converted to manual from a PG. Ideas?

te,
It is a real easy fix if you pull the engine. A little harder in the car depending on how much room you have. The biggest problem guys have with EZ outs is using the wrong size one, too small. That is why they break.

Personally, I would weld a nut to it and it will back right out. If you dont have a welder, that will mean having it towed to someone who can do the job, but that would be cheaper and easier than pulling the engine ? There are a couple of guys in the Md Chevelle club that have shops near you and do performance work. Look on the MCC web site in the classifieds, or business listings.

As far as why it broke off ..... any chance it was loose and moving around a little the entire time ? Another thing that will do it is if the hole in the block does not have a little chamfer on it and the flat part of the pivot ball is not seated flat on the side of the block.

The pivot ball loosens by itself and I have to tighten it every once in a while. If that's what happened, it should not be that hard to back the stub out. Reaching it is the problem.

Drop the inner fender out, put it on a jack stand and remove the wheel. You should have enough room to work.

When you reinstall a new one, use some Loctite on the threads to keep it from backing out. Clean the stud threads and the threads in the block with some brake cleaner first.

The reason it broke could be from being loose-bolts/studs don't take kindly to the added stress of moving around in the threads.