So early this spring, I couldn't get the car into gear sitting in my driveway. If I started it in gear with the clutch all the way down, the car would jump. I figured I broke a spring on the pressure plate. So I pulled the tranny and Lakewood to take a look. Everything checked out OK and seeing as I had a leaking rear main seal, I figured I would pull the motor and change it. Well, I found most of the rear face of the thrust bearing in the oil pan. Upon further inspection I had started to push the crank out the front of the block and the balancer outer ring started to walk itself off the inner ring. Ended up with a new crank, new balancer and fresh bottom end...all from what I thought was a bad clutch. Check out the pics. Good crank surface: Bad crank surface: Also when the new crank went in, the input shaft on the tranny didn't line up the same way. So after using a dial base indicator about 50 times and having shifting issues, I bought the tool described in this article: http://www.camaros.org/bellhousings.shtml They had to machine the tool to fit the Buick crank hub of 2.480 and with a little massaging of the register bore on the Lakewood with some emory cloth, the ring slid down the tool and I clocked the offset dowels with the tool in place. Slid on like a glove. The tool saved me a ton of time and frustration.
Yo Paul- Nice to here from ya! Looks like your "clutch" problem was about 2 seconds away from a major engine catastrophe! As bad as it was, it could have ended up a lot worse! Ditto on the valve covers and also on the contrast with the black paint. :TU: What's the latest on the desert find '65? (or was it '66) GS?
Common problem with tolerances on chinese made pilot bushings: Too tight once the tranny is installed in the car. Went on the input shaft fine before being installed in the crank. This pilot bushing had 15 miles on it when this pic was taken. Car wouldn't release gears with the clutch depressed.
Thanks for that pilot bushing pic. I am curious to what mine looks like as well. I started developing some shifting issues at the end of this season as well. I am going to try and pull the transmission this winter and take a look at everything.
