I just got my spring this weekend and will be putting it in this week. I am pretty tall and it is hard for me to get up under there and be able to maneuver so it was a bit of a challenge the first try, hah. The needle nose locking pliers that I had were too thick to grab the stock spring so I need to get a smaller set.
I bought some needle nose vice grips just to find it was easiest to do it all by hand without tools, held the pedal down with one hand and compressed the spring by pressing it into the lower perch, reinstalling new spring same way
I will try to give that a shot and see how it works out. Maybe I'll grab a mirror to put on the floor so I can kind of see what is going on. If I get under the dash my left arm can't come anywhere close to getting to the spring.
i had to wedge my arm in there then end up upside down with my iphone light just tilted perfect...to the side of the gas pedal. and also had about 3 sets of needle nose/vice grips that were so close, but wouldn't work...trip to the store solved it, but so aggravating with all those tools in the garage.
Just use your fingers to pull the old spring out and install the new one. I'm a big guy, but my hands are relatively weak. I had no problem at all using my fingers to do this job. I'm sure you will also find it easy. Pliers on the other hand, are nearly impossible to use.
Well, I finally had time to do this and you were right. It is waaaaay easier to do by hand than by the instruction sheet.
I said screw it and went for a drive. Clutch pedal feel is as dramatically improved as my first impression - it is considerably easier to modulate with grip. I can also now shift medium-fast effortlessly and the car just goes. Race-fast shifting no longer bucks and the pedal doesn't stick but the pedal still doesn't return quite as fast as my foot. I may try a run or two with no spring at all and see what that feels like at some point. Definitely not leaving it off long term though.
There is no mechanical issue with running no assist spring on the clutch pedal, it is a matter of personal preference. I have been running since January 2016 without a spring, 15,000 miles and the clutch feel and shift performance could not be any better. Some cars are left with free play at the top of the travel, which is a personal fit/feel issue, my GT350 doesn't have that problem. Your not going to hurt the clutch or develop chatter as some have indicated in the past, that is propaganda to promote having a spring in place.
Hmm, thanks for the information. I'll give it a shot and see what it is like - I don't really like play at the top of the pedal so I'll leave the spring when not racing even if that is all it will do.
