Ok...

I FINALLY got to drive the '74 this past weekend, and tried to see how well the thing would pull, to see if I got the carburetor tuned right.

Well, I THINK the clutch may be going on it...No smell of a burnt clutch or anything like that (although, I was getting smell of power steering fluid that had leaked onto the exhaust from the lines not being tightened down properly) as far as I could tell, but when I tried to pop the clutch and stomp on the gas to see if it got good pull, the engine revved up to 4000 RPM and the car seemed to slowly roll up to speed. No feel of torque or anything...

I thought when I initially drove the car that the motor mounts and tranny mount were shot and that there was a lot of torque loss due to the mounts being bad. I replaced the motor mounts and the tranny mount with Energy Suspension polyurethane mounts (turns out the motor mounts were really bad, and one was torn) and that seemed to help a little bit, but there's still a slow takeoff with the engine racing at 4000-4500 RPMs.

My dad seems to think that we can adjust that somewhere on the stock tranny (something about adjusting the clutch fork throw?) but I've never heard of anything like this. Anyone have an idea on this one? Is this something I just need to save up and buy a new clutch kit to replace the old one? I don't really want to throw money at it unless it's something I'm sure is bad.

 

sounds like a bad clutch or pressure plate. the best check is shift the car in high gear at low speed and floor it if the engine revs and car acceleiots slowly then you have a bad clutch. you'll know it engine revs but no accelriation.

 

The clutch has to be slipping or the tires would. How much free play do you have at the "top" of the pedal? Some say you need an inch but you need at least "some" for sure or the clutch doesn't fully engage. Good luck.

 

1 1/2" free play......Go up the hill to Alpine..slow to 40 at base in 4th...go up hill in 4th accelerating to 70 (speed limit)....
When my clutch slipped 2 years ago,I was going from Santa Ysabel up the hill in 3rd towards Julian....knew it was bad then...
Rich

 

I'm going to try to take up Fanita this weekend, over by Grossmont College. It's got a semi-steep hill there, and if it slips there, I'll know for sure. If that's the case, it's gonna be a new clutch kit from Summit to replace it...I just don't want to have to dish out the money that I don't really have.