1959 Chevy Apache clutch won't disengage

I have a "59 Chevy Apache that I dropped a "63 283 and a "90's S-10 5spd behind it. New everything between the engine and trans. Doesn't matter if the linkages are tight with no lash or with 2 inches of free play. Any where you push the pedal the clutch will not disengage. With clutch pedal pushed in, I can get a pocket screw driver and wiggle the clutch. Andbody have any ideas? Thanks

 

input shaft siezed to pilot bearing

 

The clutch disk could have been put in backwards, I have done this before but don't remember how it acted

 

Mabey the wrong throwout bearing there is a long and a short one. also wrong clutch fork? OldWolf

 

I thought that too, but the alignment tool and the trans went and out like ****er. I went to the local clutch shop with the flywheel, bellhousing and fork I'm using and they gave me the right clutch, high pressure plate and short throw out bearing.

 

Disc turned around, Hub jammed in flywheel center locking clutch up, outer part of disc loose on flywheel, center of disc bottomed? If the disc is turned around, clutch is locked up. Lippy

 

Disc turned around, Hub jammed in flywheel center locking clutch up, outer part of disc loose on flywheel, center of disc bottomed? If the disc is turned around, clutch is locked up, but not on facing, locked up metal to metal. Lippy

 

Disc turned around, Hub jammed in flywheel center locking clutch up, outer part of disc loose on flywheel, center of disc bottomed? If the disc is turned around, clutch is locked up, but not on facing, locked up metal to metal. Does pedal feel real hard? Lippy

 

peadl feels likt it would normally, not real hard.

 

Ok, here's an idea. Is the disc too big for the pressure plate? Is the outer part of the disc hitting the pressure plate? Long style pressure plate or diaphram? Understand where I'm going with this? Outer part of disc may be hitting where bolt flange is on pressure plate. When you tighten pressure plate bolts up, may be pinching disc. ??? Lippy

 

remember the return spring?

 

Clutch is the width of the surface of the pressure plate, it doesn't stick out to get snagged by the bolts. It's a diaphram pressure plate. I'm gonna re-look at the clutch in the morning. Take the pressure plate off with trans. still on and look at the clutch and see if it is reversed like you said, maybe I got excited and stupid when I put it back in.

 

Usually when the disc is in backwards the clutch pedal feels hard and won't go down. I also thought maybe the throwout brng collar is too long hitting the disc center. Running out of ideas, check that the disc slides on the trans input shaft easily. Jeez, I dunno.

 

I had a similar problem years ago, had the wrong throwout bearing .

 

Lippy might just have the answer.

A 92 S-10 with a 173 shows a 9-1/8 disk
With a 4.3 it shows a 11 inch disk.

Napa shows 11 or 12 inch clutches for a 59 Although with a car flywheel it might have a smaller flywheel and pressure plate.

I've got 10,11 and 12 inch flyweels for V8 Chevs out in the shed and couldn't tell you off hand what diameter clutch I have in the 48 behind the 250 except that the flywheel matches the truck bellhousing and bellhousing mounted starter.

I'd pretty well bet that in the flywheel, pressure plate, clutch disk, throwout bearing combination there is something that doesn't jive with the rest of it. My bet is that the pressure plate and disk are missmached.

I ha

 

Did you shorten the trans input shaft at the pilot area about 1/2 -5/8s. If not you are binding the input shaft into the end of the crank.

 

Bingo we have a possible winner. Leave it up to Mr Evens to find the answer. And I just read that the other day in one of those trans swap articles.

 

When I put the T-5 behind the 235 in my 37 p/u I shortened the collar about a inch and took a die grinder and extended the splines back some along with cutting off a little of the input shaft.

 

That I did not do. Months ago I had to get a new bell housing so I could get a starter that bolts to that (cuz they don't make a starter that bolts to my 283 block), so I had to upgrade to the 14" flywheel. I went to the local clutch shop and brought them everything I was using. I know I got all the right parts, the clutch isn't hitting the bolts on the pressure plate, I have the tall pressure plate and the short throw out bearing, the trans slides in and out like ****er. But no matter where I put that pedal it would not disengage. The trans input shaft has to be it. I'lll pull it out and knock it down and sees what happens. Thanks Evans.

 

Here's where I'm at now, I dropped the trans and cut about 1/2" off the tip of the input shaft and retappered. (It was scuffed and could tell it was binding in the crank.) Reinstalled but still would not disengage. Dropped the trans again and put in the clutch alignment tool. Realigned the fork and throw out bearing, pressed on the pedal and WAS able to turn clutch with the tool. Measured from the clutch spline to the back of the bell housing, and the front of the trans to the end of the nose cone (where the input shaft comes thru) and notcied that they where the same length. Cut about 3/4" off the nose cone and reinstalled. Still won't disengage fully. If I chock the wheels and hold down the pedal, I can start it in gear, but the engine is bogged down and I'm somewhat burning the clutch. But when I slowly release the pedal it grips and wants to move. That's with the linkage tight and the throw out bearing is running against the pressure plate full time.
The one thing I can think of is that the input shaft is binding against the pilot bearing now. After putting the alignment toll in there and pressing the pedal, I lost my straight in alignment and was ****ed a little bit. It was harder to install the trans after that and cutting the tips off. Compared to the other times I installed it before messing with the alignment tool.