Clutch Fork Hack

Just found this video. You fancy guys with your trucker knots. Above my pay grade. What I do is wash the fork nice and clean. Then use electrical tape. Attach it to the top and bottom flats of the fork arm. I stick the tape together and make a string of it about 15 inches long. It reaches up out the top inspection cover of the bell housing. You can use your left hand to control the end of the fork that the cable ball fits into, which is  through the drivers side bell housing round hole. That's if your bell housing is the early type. ( MB. GPW, CJ2A.) When you get to the later bell with the square opening for the clutch fork end, you have it much easier. A helper can grab the end of the fork.  In the mean time, your right hand (which is all you can fit through the oval opening) has to locate the ears of the fork rearwards under the two ears on the slider that has the throwout bearing on it. The small return spring on the slider is fragile, so don't get too wild pushing the slider forward. You have to hold the tape, and manipulate the the fork ears in place while pushing the slider forward, and get the ball into the pivot of the fork, all while keeping the fork horizontal and lined up with the hole the cable goes through. Do not remove the tape yet. The tape will help position the end of the fork so you can see it through the cable hole with a flash light. By the way, make sure the cable will fit through the slot in the end of the fork BEFORE you begin. Ask me how I know this------- . 

You also will learn to rotate the engine and position the pressure plate to give your right hand more room to manipulate the fork. You will understand after you try and stick your hand in there what I mean.  

Another tidbit I have learned from BW Is that it is possible to mount the clutch fork on the transmission and while installing the transmission,  angle the fork into the bell housing . I'ver never done it myself. I'd like to see how that's done. 

Back to the tape. Once you have the cable mounted into the clutch fork and solid, you simply pull the tape off the fork. It sticks well if you clean the fork of oil. Since it adheres just to the width of the top and bottom flats, it comes off fine. 

Last thing is if you don't already know, the fork has to come off before you pull just the transmission. If you take the transmission with the bell housing, then no. 

This job is not fun and falls into the peckeroid catagory.   Oilly