My 62 has the sound of a dry throw out bearing. I have an NOM
327/ 300 hp engine and a four speed(?). There is a dust pan (inspection
pan) at the bottom of the Fly wheel. Do I have to pull the engine to change the throw out bearing???
I had a great drive today . About 60 miles. She still has a skip. I think plugs will help. sHE HAS R43 PLUGS and I am not keeping them blown clean.
AUpAUL :steering:

 

aupaul,

There have been a few posts in the past on how to replace a throw-out bearing. Do a search in the archives under "clutch slips on my 62" dated 10/23/2002, and you should come up with some very usefull tips.
Below is what I think is the direct link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=417958

Basiclly you do not remove the engine, but do remove the dust cover, driveshaft, shifter, and then trans. The rear of the engine needs to be supported with a saddle/girdle (made of wood that goes under the oil pan and up both sides of the pan to support at the oil pan rails to the block - see above search for a picture). Do not attempt to support the rear of the engine on the bottom of the oil pan, unless you want a dented pan. The saddle is then supported by a jack. Once the trans is pulled out, the throw-out bearing is a snap to replace. Just get the correct one (several different lengths were used over the years), and install it correctly on the fork. If you think the clutch plate needs to be looked at, now is the time to do it!

Note that I have pulled/replaced the trans by myself (as of last year - twice, don't ask - all 58 years old, 138 pounds of me), but I would think it a lot easier with 2 people! I am just stubborn and pig headed enough to do it by myself!

Good luck,
Plasticman


[Modified by Plasticman, 10:04 PM 11/2/2003]

 

As for the plugs, lose the R43's and replace with R45's. They will perform much better. R43's are way too cold for anything except extended WOT operation. :auto:

 

If you have any reservations at all about your clutch, now is the time to replace it (and get your flywheel resurfaced); you don't want to do this job twice. All Corvettes use the 1-1/4"-long throwout bearing, NOT the 1-3/4" bearing used in some passenger cars.

When you install the bearing on the end of the clutch fork, both the flat spring AND the "curled" ends of the fork go IN THE GROOVE of the bearing; it's possible to install it wrong (curled ends of the fork capturing the flange at the rear of the bearing), and you won't be able to adjust the clutch. :thumbs:

 

I replaced the plugs tonight . It sure helped. But the test drive showed the throw out Bearing is shot. So I will be in to changing that out soon. :cry

 

If you have any reservations at all about your clutch, now is the time to replace it (and get your flywheel resurfaced); you don't want to do this job twice. All Corvettes use the 1-1/4"-long throwout bearing, NOT the 1-3/4" bearing used in some passenger cars.

That's a fairly bold statement, not eveyone uses a stock clutch. There are different bearings for different style clutches. I can think of at least three different syles plus some clutch makers use there own bearing.

 

I assume you went with some hotter plugs?

 

Good point - the 1-1/4" bearing is for stock clutches, or replacements with the same dimensional configuration (finger-to-flywheel distance); if the replacement clutch is a different configuration, use the throwout bearing recommended by the clutch manufacturer (usually included if you buy the complete matched set). :thumbs:

 

R45S plugs. I still need a alittle work. It was stalling just a little. She has a
Edelbrock 1406 carb..
I have gotten some great info here about the throw out bearing. One more question. If you ONLY wanted to swap the Throw out bearing. What would do? Do you still need to unbolt the shifter? Can just slid the trans back and let it rest on the bell houseing? Then replace the TOB with out putting the trans. on the floor? She only has 800 miles from a rebuild and the clutch feels good..
AUpAUL :flag

 

If the tunnel area and the X member are the same on your 62 as mine, then it will be a lot easier if you set it on the floor. My car has a Muncie, if yours is original it is a BW, about the same overall size. I don't think it will slide far enough back but I might be wrong. I don't use the stock mount, made a mount that bolts to the stock holes and drops down a little to make up for the difference in trans mount. :thumbs:

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the throwout bearing may not be the problem as the pilot bearing can make some disturbing sounds when it's going and it's easy to mistake one bad sound for the other. Don't ask me how I know. sigh.

 

Paul,

Mine has a Muncie, and yes I could slide the trans back and rest the input shaft on the lip of the bellhousing to replace just the throw-out bearing. But, I would still need to remove the shifter before the trans will go backwards.

Also, with the trans just sitting there, I sure would not want it to slip off the bellhousing lip (could hurt one of the more important pieces - on you).

Plasticman