Long version...

I bought a ls1 fd which occasionally grinds going into 5th. The previous owner said it started happening when the ls7 clutch went in so I pulled the transmission and put a spacer on the slave. That helped to get rid of a bunch of the freeplay, but the grinding is still there. Messing around with the rod length going into the master it looks like it grinds more often and other gears when adding freeplay and reducing travel ... which is what you would expect. So now I adjusted the rod so it's basically giving max travel with very a small amount of freeplay by backing out the clutch switch all the way and adjusting the rod until there are only a few threads engaged in the pedal. Still need to test drive it, but I'm concerned that there might be too much travel and the problem is actually in the transmission (synchros). Before trying all this I put in half a quart of good fluid and the pedal is stiff. This is a wilwood 7/8 master from hinson.

Actual questions (short version)...

- How much travel is in everyone's rod going into the master? I'm maxed out now unless I grind the stop down and get a longer rod.

- Is anyone else running the ls1 f-body bell housing with a ls7 clutch?

 

Took it for a drive last night and it looks like the grinding is gone. It must have been a problem with disengagement. I'm still surprised the travel had to be maxed out, but that's a much easier/cheaper fix than pulling out the transmission again and rebuilding it.

 

... and it still grinds sometimes. I'm having a hard time coming up with a way to confirm it's a problem with internals vs a hydraulics/clutch problem. Seems less likely to happen at lower revs and lower speed. When it doesn't happen it goes into gear perfectly. If it grinds 5th then it sometimes grinds 6th. It tends to either happen all the time during a drive or not at all. Any suggestions?

 

Lots of people using the LS7 clutch with that transmission setup. No issues generally.

I run the clutch pedal with about 1/16" of freeplay at the fulcrum.

 

Ya, ls7 works fine in my other t56/fbody bellhousing car so I'm thinking it's a problem with the transmission itself. One thing to try is to put one of those inspection cameras into the bellhousing and see if the slave moves through the entire sweep of the pedal. I can also put it up on stands and see if the wheels turn with the clutch pedal all the way down and in gear. Not looking forward to pulling it out again, but would be nice to have a good trans in the car.