clutch help

Are you running the stock cable and quadrant? If it's stock, it's possible that the plastic quadrant or pawl may have broken a few teeth and allowed enough slack in the cable for it to fall out of adjustment. Switching to an aftermarket clutch quadrant and a firewall adjuster with a STOCK (non-adjustable, Ford brand) clutch cable will fix this problem oncea and for all. UPR and Maximum Motorsports have some nice quads and FWA's for cheap (like $50 or less for both).

If you're running an aftermarket quadrant (usually aluminum) and/or an aftermarket cable, then perhaps your cable is snapping and is hanging on only by a couple of threads like mine was before I had to change it. If your cable is an adjustable aftermarket piece, DITCH IT NOW. Those things are notorious for binding up and snapping because of their weak design. You can score a new "universal" FORD clutch cable (one of the few times a brand name makes a difference) for about $75 shipped from Maximum Motorsports. Again, couple this with a good quadrant and firewall adjuster, and your problems shall go away for a long, long time.

UPR usually has a combo deal where you can buy an aluminum quad and FWA together for something like $35 or $40 (can't remember, my memory is crap). Frankenstang has identical setups on her '89 notch (used to be mine) and her '80 Capri - UPR quad and FWA, and stock Ford cable - and they shift like buttahhh. If you do wind up needing a cable, I'd recommend getting the "universal" Ford cable from Maximum Motorsports, which is about $75 shipped.

A couple quick notes if you do wind up needing a new cable and get the above one. First, you'll need to transfer your stock retaining bracket (holds the cable near the frame away from the headers) from the old cable to the new one - no biggie, just bend the loop open a little bit, swap it onto the new one, and crimp it back down a little just to hold it. Secondly, with just about ANY brand FWA and a stock cable, you'll need to remove the rubber firewall grommet and then cut or file down the four little plastic nubs or barbs or tabs or whatever you wanna call 'em ... the sticky-uppy things that held the rubber grommet in place ... so you can insert the cable sheath into the FWA. And thirdly, if you get a multi-hook quad, start with the hook closest to the firewall and have the FWA screwed all the way in, then back it out to take up the slack; if there's not enough adjustment, screw it back in, move the end tab to the second (middle) hook, and then screw the FWA back out again to take up the slack.

With any FWA, the adjustment rule is: more cable slack (looser) = clutch engages with pedal closer to floor; less cable slack (tighter) = clutch pedal engages higher. (This is why your clutch is having issues now - the cable has too much slack in it, and the stock plastic auto-adjusting quad can't tighten things up anymore, so it's not allowing you to fully disengage the clutch when you push in the pedal.)

Usually, I can set the clutch cable almost perfect on the first try just by pulling the cable sheath out towards the front of the car and screwing the FWA out until it just makes contact with the firewall end of the cable sheath - from there, if I want the pedal to catch higher, I give it 2 or 3 more turns to tighten it up.

That depends on what HP you're looking at putting down to the wheels and what kind of traction (full slicks, DR's, or street radials). Just looking at your mods list, I'd say a King Cobra would be a safe, reliable, and cost-effective kit, but there's others you might want to eyeball ... although most will cost you 2x more.