1969 money pit - What is that noise?

[akfox1]

Well, after a full frame-off, I expected to be driving my 69 convertible all the time. That's what I built it for. Not so.

It has an intermittent noise in the tranny/ clutch that sounds like a squealing/ rattling of bearings or something. It usually happens when I have the clutch depressed, although it has happened while idling in neutral. I can make it go away by pressing the clutch pedal in and back out.

I am getting it a lot now when downshifting from 4th to 3rd. Kind of sounds like running over an electrical cord with a vaccuum cleaner, or a dying dog. - OOOORRRRHHHH!

It makes me want to trade for a C4 I can actually drive. A/C, more than 10 mpg, better performance...

Help.

 

[cntrhub]

Sounds like the "throw-out bearing?" Bad news. You have to pull the transmission! Once you have the new bearing in hand, you might as well replace the fork and ball while you're at it. I bet these are worn out as well. Check the ball that is screwed into the bell housing. This is probably dry and not in the best of shape. Use white lithium grease on the ball and fork on reassmble. Change all three of these new parts, and you are on your......wait! Better check the clutch and pressure plate while you are down this far. If you see the rivits are about to be your new friction material, well, it's time for a new round of parts. This will add up to three more new parts. The pressure plate. The friction disc. The flywheel. Sure, you can machine the flywheel, but the pedal will be just a touch lower and won't have a nice feel upon release. You will need one of those plastic pilot "liner-uppers" for the friction disc. Makes the Trans input shaft line up much easier when reinstalling.
Ain't it nice to restore old classics?

 

[vettepilot]

ditto to what cntrhub said, but I will add one more thing to change while your in there, the brass pilot brng located in the end of the crank. To get it out easily, fill it with grease, then take the pilot shaft or alignment tool (that's what most call the input shaft to your transmission) and push it into the pilot bearing. Because the pilot brng is full of non-compressible grease, it will pop out of the crank, installation of the new brng is pretty straight forward.
You may find that the brng has very wear, or it may have a lot, but when you are into the work that far, it's cheap insurance while it's disassembled now, instead of pulling it apart again later for a nothing but a cheap brass sleeve.
Have fun in there!
Vettepilot