I installed a LUK clutch in my 63 SWC 340HP project. The 63 is 99% done and I hope to test drive it as soon as the rain stops. I did drive it into the trailer and from the trailer into the alignment shop and the same process to get it home. There was no noise in the clutch system. The other night a friend and I were re-setting the valves and timing when there was a squealing sound. If the pedal clutch rod was pushed slightly to the front of the car the squeal went away. If you push the rod toward the rubber stop or inside of the car the squeal gets worse. The free play is set by the 63 manual. Any ideas of what is happening and how to fix it?

Thanks for any help!

Ray

 

Sure sounds like a throw out bearing. The face of the TO bearing is metal and the pressure plate diaphragm fingers are also metal. The light squealing you are hearing is that metal to metal contact of the TO bearing face and the PP fingers.

A few things may be causing this if your free play is "as specified"
1. Improper installation of the TO bearing in the clutch fork
2. Slop in the linkage
3. Bent pressure plate fingers causing one or more to be higher than the rest requiring more free play
4. Some other non-stock geometry caused by the wrong stud or something else although this is less likely


Aside from pulling your transmission the only things you can do are to increase the free play or to remove any slop from your system. I suggest the latter. Slop is most often observed where the rod meets the fork. The hole in the rod gets elongated and the pin wears creating a slot.

The squeal goes away when you push the clutch because the TO bearing actually starts spinning rather than dragging against the pressure plate.

I had this symptom with two different clutch set ups. One was due to slop and to unever pressure plate height and the other was due to slop. Both could be overcome with excessive free play. Once the slop was eliminated from the 2nd setup I could asjust per the shop manual.

good luck.

brian

 

Make sure to check your linkage for mixed parts from 63-67 and the right z bar.The 63 had a different lower shaft and clutch fork set up and some times people put in later year models because they are more available.
Good luck!

 

Make sure the throwout bearing is installed correctly on the ends of the clutch fork; both the fork AND both ends of the anti-rattle spring must be inside the groove in the bearing in order to maintain the throwout bearing in its correct position on the fork. The design allows it to be assembled incorrectly.