~ Information provided by Brian Snyder – Link to the Original “Willys Parts Ingenuity”
This Willys CJ-3A clutch and brake shim / spacer list follows Dowie Soetenga’s CJ-3A Foot Control Mod blog – “Willys Parts Ingenuity” that was published back in 2012. Spacing requirement could be different in your situation, measure before ordering. Start with new(ish) bellcrank and cross shafts. The master clutch bellcrank repair kit or the US Made cross shaft from Kaiser Willys is a great start. Don’t forget the inner and outer clutch release bellcrank pivot ball studs and brake/clutch pivot shaft bracket with tube.
M-C denotes McMaster-Carr’s part number (McMaster.com) and all part numbers are for 1” shaft diameter.
.125” spacer – M-C#3088A516
.075” shim – M-C#3088A416 (.025” thick, use 3)
.048” shim – M-C#3088A456
.060” bronze bushing x3 – M-C#5906K412
Optional
.005” brass shim stock (highly recommended if using original tube) – M-C#9011K501
Rod ends internally threaded 5/16”-24. Choose 1 each left and right hand thread – M-C#2458K33
Use low carbon steel rod to cut the threads. Can use all-thread for mock up.
.125” by 5/16” spacer for spherical rod end (as needed)
Manuals : Mechanics Manuals, Owners Manuals, Master Parts Lists
*EMAIL or call Mike Toll Free (1-888-648-4923) Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST if you have any questions about this part or restoring your Willys.
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If you use spherical rod ends for the pivot points be sure to put jamb nuts on the bolts or they will eventually come loose. When I did this with my ‘2A it worked for the full life of the vehicle. Dave Jones
If you use spherical rod ends for the pivot points be sure to put jamb nuts on the bolts or they will eventually come loose. When I did this with my ‘2A it worked for the full life of the vehicle. Dave Jones
After following Dowie’s suggestions the setup improvement was remarkable. However, it still had a little side movement from an egg shaped tube and brake pedal arm. Replace the tube with the bolt in or weld in unit. My weld in tube came bronze bushed. All purchased from KW.
I bushed the brake pedal arm. Bronze bushing for the brake pedal came from McMaster.com
After replacing the tube and bushing the arm, wow, like new!!
A note of caution… if you placed your tub on with leaning arms then you correct them, they now stand up straight and may scrape the opening on the floor. I had to do some bending of the brake arm to correct it and fine tuned with the shims. Since the clutch arm is tightened to the cross shaft, no work was required beyond adjusting with shims.
After following Dowie’s suggestions the setup improvement was remarkable. However, it still had a little side movement from an egg shaped tube and brake pedal arm. Replace the tube with the bolt in or weld in unit. My weld in tube came bronze bushed. All purchased from KW.
I bushed the brake pedal arm. Bronze bushing for the brake pedal came from McMaster.com
After replacing the tube and bushing the arm, wow, like new!!
A note of caution… if you placed your tub on with leaning arms then you correct them, they now stand up straight and may scrape the opening on the floor. I had to do some bending of the brake arm to correct it and fine tuned with the shims. Since the clutch arm is tightened to the cross shaft, no work was required beyond adjusting with shims.