Clutch Issues, HELP!!!!

[Dave.Barnett]

Hello, I am new to this forum, I hope I did this correctly. I have a 1959 Lark 2-door sedan with a 1964 259ci V8, backed by a T-10 4 spd. transmission. I installed a new clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing and had a new ring gear put on my flywheel. The car had 4.10 gears in the Chevy 10 bolt rear and I since swapped them for a set 3.52's. When I originally built the car and tested on the street I could get the rear loose by letting the clutch fly. Now the clutch slips. If I rev to 3000rpms and let the clutch fly, the car goes nowhere. Then I smell clutch burning. I didn't get the flywheel turned and some folks are telling me it may be glazed. I never heard of this before. Can anyone give me pointers on this? I am tearing it a part in a few weeks. It does not look like anything is leaking in the bell housing, so I doubt that is an issue. Thanks a lot fellow Stude Owners

[Flashback]

Are you using the same throw out bearing?
Could be the problem. Is your cluth free
play ok?

Tex E. Grier

[Dave.Barnett]

I installed a new throw-out bearing from Studebaker Int'l, everything is new inside. The only thing I did not do is turn the flywheel. I adjusted my clutch to the point when I leave the clutch pedal out the car didnt move to the opposite extreme where the car started moving as soon as I released it from the floor.

[wolfie]

Hi Dave,Welcome to the forum.Your clutch pedal should have 1-2" of free play from the top before you feel resistance from the pressure plate.If you dont have any freeplay the clutch will slip.Good Luck,Steve

[Dave.Barnett]

When you say free play, do you mean as I apply the clutch, I should feel the clutch engaging, or releasing the clutch from the floor I should feel the car start to move? I adjusted my clutch in all kinds of positions and could not get anything to work right. I can get the tires to break loose in the grass, but not on the road, there is too much resistance.

[rockfoot]

Sounds like you may have fried the clutch. Check the clutch pedal like wolfie said. Sit in the car and touch the clutch pedal with your toe. Push it in until you feel more resistance than just the spring and weight of the clutch pedal. It should move at least an inch before a resistance is felt. If it is resisting all the way from when you initally started pushing it (the pedal) in, then that is probably your problem. The clutch is not releasing all the way. You have to have some play in the top of that pedal to ensure that the clutch is fully engaged. If you have play at the top of your pedal and the clutch still slips, the clutch plate probably needs replacing.

1955 President one owner
Moncks Corner, SC

[Dave.Barnett]

Since its a new pressure plate, can it simply be adjusted? Or do I simply buy a new one? Another member suggested that sometimes the pressure plates need adjusted from new. Can I send to someone for them to fix it or is it better to buy a new one?

[Flashback]

get someone to help you check the free play. Don't jump too quick until you have found the problem

Tex E. Grier

[fmarshall]

As others have said, first, check pedal free play.

Ask yourself if you can, with the engine running, shift into all gears easily with the pedal depressed. If the answer is yes, then the clutch is fully disengaging.

Now in any gear, like 1st, can you drive the car?

Or better yet, if you put it in 3rd, and set the brake, when you let out on the clutch, does the engine continue running or try to stall?

It should do the latter or something is wrong with the pedal free play, the way it was assembled, incorrect parts possibly, or the disc is fried.

========================
63 Avanti R2, 4-Speed, 3.73 TT
Martinez, CA

[Dave.Barnett]

I can drive the car, its only when I try to rev it up and/or get moving quickly that the clutch slips. If I drive it normal, its fine. Its when I hammer it from a rolling start or pop the clutch, it slips like crazy.

[rockfoot]

I'm sorry... I did not read your post as throughly as I should have. If you have just replaced your clutch and pressure plate, then a lot of things could be wrong from your linkage to the throwout bearing and so forth and so on... sorry I jumped the gun. One thing that comes to mind is that it is possible to put the clutch plate in backwards... one side has a raised splined area where the input shaft goes through. If the clutchplate is in backwards then the throwout bearing won't let the clutch engage the pressure plate with all the play in the world in the pedal. Look up in there with a flashlight and you should be able to tell if the clutch plate is coming into contact with the pressure plate... not with the car running, of course.[]

1955 President one owner
Moncks Corner, SC

[Dave.Barnett]

Thats okay Rockfoot, all and any info at this point I am grateful for. Let me tell you this, when I had the 4.10 gears in it, I had the car sideways on the road, because the clutch was NOT adjusted properly. I was a little excited to drive it and I live on a back road in Lancaster Co. So it obviously worked back then, but now I have 3.52's in the rear and the clutch slips. Before I had carpet you could really hear a slipping noise coming from the bell housing. I went by the yellow bible I have for installation, so I can't see I put it in backwards, but I am no mechanic, nor am I perfect. When you say look up in there with a flashlight, where, in the drain hole in the bell housing?

[StudeRich]

You should always resurface the flywheel when replacing a clutch, that is part of your trouble.

Also I would check to see if you ordered the Standard pressure plate 800378, or the one to use for 4 speeds and performance driven cars, the 800379 H.D. pressure Plate.

Do not expect to do a whole lot of "breaking loose" with a 3.50 Axle Ratio! Is that a stock 2 Brl. 259? Or a warmed over engine with 4 Brl.?

And as recommended, you MUST have 1 to 2 inches free travel at the top of the pedal travel as felt with your hand! [:0]

[Dave.Barnett]

I would have to check my records and see which clutch I bought, I assume its the basic NOS clutch. Its a stock 259ci with a 600 cfm 4 brrl Holley. I adjusted it to have that free travel at least 10 times. When its not adjusted properly I can't shift into reverse with out grinding gears. I always had to shut the engine off, then put it in reverse so I didn't fry my T-10. The tranny is the older 4 spd. which from what I read has lower gears in it then the newer T-10's.

[rockfoot]

My bad, I guess.... I was thinking there was a cover on the bottom of the bell housing like a chebby.... those 3.52 gears shouldn't cause the clutch to slip... Especially if it is a new clutch and pressure plate... No, I would go back and look for that play in the pedal and if there is play there, then the clutch should hook up if the installation is correct. I cannot remember which car it was on but I put one in backwards one time and the only thing contacting the pressure plate was the springs that were in the clutch plate...the car ran fine but it slipped during acceleration and made a racket. To look at the clutch plate both sides looked the same... the springs stuck out a little more on one side that the other. Isn't there a hole in the top of the bell housing?? Nevermind, the engine is in the car...no access. I am in the middle of the North Sea right now, killing time... weather has us laying a little low right now. Check that pedal.....

1955 President one owner
Moncks Corner, SC