Corolla hatchback FTW! :lol: Those Cibie driving lights were quite functional for mini-gumball events. :secret: 2TC 1600cc hemi head with side draft Webers and TRD tid bits. Best feature of the car was the custom adjustable indexed billet chamber plates I had built for the front towers. Once at the autox course I'd jack it up and set the chamber at -2.5*. Even had Recaro seats out of a '76 911. :D

I thought after I posted it was probably a Corolla... Nice!!!

I owe it all to you Ron!!!

Can't wait to see how we do once we iron out all the kinks still plaguing us. :trophy-1302:

Man... I'm beat. :o Hopefully this solves one of the kinks that have plaguing this car, the clutch slipping under extreme loads.

With just 4 hours of sleep and a hangover, I set out to install my new Ram Performance Powergrip clutch Saturday morning. Things went pretty well until it came time to slip the trans back in place. I didn't properly attach the trans to the trans jack when I took it out, the middle portion of the T56 has a ridge along the bottom front to back which made it flop around like a fish out of water. It worked fine for taking it out but not so much for lining the input shaft up through the clutch disc and pilot bearing. After fighting it for a while we finally got it in. While slipping the clutch fork in over the throw out bearing, it didn't go in as I had remembered. I fought with it, finally got it to slip into place but it just didn't look right. The fork was in a different position than it was with the old clutch. It seemed like it was in place though so I shouldered on. Finished up everything else, cross member, driveshaft, exhaust, wires, shifter...then pushed the clutch in and it went halfway in, popped and fell to the floor, and didn't come back up again.

I was pissed...and very tired, so I quit for the day. After a shower, a meal and a rest on the couch I found myself going to bed at 8 pm...on a Saturday night. Bright and early Sunday morning, I went out to investigate WTF was going on. Pulled the slave cylinder and the pushrod fell out...I guess I missed the cup on the fork with it when I put it in. Still not trusting the clutch fork itself, I pulled the complete trans out to check the clutch fork to throw out bearing fitment. Convinced it was all as it should be, in went the trans again. This time I used a 2x6 under the trans that reached the flat parts on the front and rear part of the case letting me easily use the adjusting screws on the jack to position the trans exactly in place and it slid right into position. Reinstall everything cross member, driveshaft, exhaust, wires, shifter...clutch pedal feels great...start the car in neutral all good, press the clutch in...about halfway down a grinding banging noise happens. A BAD grinding banging noise. :!: The car will start in 4th gear, but not in 1st...the noise happens right about when the clutch is releasing.

We had a visitation service to go to so I cleaned up and left for a few hours. But before leaving I read up on the Camaro boards about an issue when installing an aftermarket clutch kit in LT1 style applications. Apparently the new pressure plates are thicker than the stock ones and an issue comes up where the clutch fork hits the pressure plate. This is what I found when I pulled the trans for the THIRD time this weekend.

Check out the marks on the clutch fork and all of the metal in the bell housing I found upon removal.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...180424_497.jpg

And I didn't run it like that very long either.

I ground an 1/8" off of the bottom of the Tee pivot block and rounded in smooth the ridges on the Clutch fork where it was rubbing the pressure plate just in case.

This is where it had rubbed on the pressure plate, the banging was from the edges of the bolt heads hitting the clutch fork ridges.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d...180450_130.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o...180505_757.jpg

and where the yellow marks are on the side of the fork is where it was hitting the edge of the pressure plate and the bolt heads...the area that I ground down just a bit to make sure.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...184318_918.jpg

It all went back together pretty smoothly only this time I stopped after the cross member was in place and started the car (open headers, no driveshaft) and ran it through the gears to be sure. It all felt good.

I test drove the car tonight and it all works great, no strange noises and the clutch engages and releases just like it should. The pedal travel and engagement spot seem very similar to where they were before, so I'm gonna call it good. There is no chatter, really the clutch feels almost exactly like the old one I took out (except hopefully it won't slip now under extreme load). I just have to break it in now. I still have to put the interior back together but that won't take long.

Why do things have to be so difficult with cars sometimes...

If I've said it once on Lat G - I've said it a 1000 times... Ya gotta cut to cure... and I've rarely come across a part I didn't have to hot rod.

Your situation was - sadly - more difficult because you can't see the clearances etc... but bet you were thanking your lucky stars that you have a lift and a tranny jack!! WOW... Think about doing that laying on a creeper!

Screw that... :snapout:

I couldn't have done it...not three times in one weekend anyway for sure.

I have a REAL busy schedule coming up with the car that starts later this month. Getting the clutch issue fixed before that busy time starts was crucial, that's why the push to get it done fast was in place. The setbacks were killer...but I had to push through.

Now I have 3 weeks to break the clutch in and work out a few other bugs before the busy summer racing season starts in earnest.

I did finally get my emergency brake issue fixed for good while I had the cross member out (the first time). I now have a functioning emergency brake again for the first time since I swapped my rear brake backing plates 180 degrees about 2 years ago.

Very nice lance