What does a burning clutch smell like?

Since you say there are bits hanging out, it is probably too late for this...

Decades ago a guy I knew who taught shop cl*** showed me what he always tries first.

He put a 51 Chevy on the lift, blocked the clutch pedal so the clutch was in the released position, raised the car, took down the lower cover on the bellhousing, and used a paint gun filled with kerosene to spray the clutch and flywheel until the whole paint gun was emptied and there was a real mess on the floor.

He told my friend to drive it very gently for several miles and then start driving it like normal, making sure he gets very gentle on the gas whenever it sounds like it starts slipping again.

That car would barely pull itself out of the shop, but by the time he had stopped for 6 or 7 stop signs it was almost back to normal.

After several miles of city driving you couldn't tell it ever had clutch trouble in the first place.

That only works if you still have some good clutch lining left and are not down to the metal rivets.

My friend drove that car for a few more years with no problems before trading it in on a newer car.

If the inside of your bellhousing looks like it is quite oily, and the clutch lining looks good and thick without pieces laying in the bellhousing, then this might be a good way to wash away the slippage. Oil leaks and drips were quite common, and many a clutch has been removed when it wasn't at all necessary.

If the lining is bad or the rivets are contacting the flywheel, then you have to take it apart before you do too much damage.

That may be different from today's pull-it and toss-it advice, but in the old days that was a common way to get more life out of a car.

It partly depends on whether you can take the car off the road for a time to take everything apart or whether you really need the car now.

BUT BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING-
The thing I would check first is the linkage adjustment.
MAKE SURE there is at least a little slack or play in the clutch pedal linkage. If something needs to be adjusted to take the pressure off the throwout bearing, you may have the perfect 3-minute cure right there.
It is not all that rare to have some linkage piece wear, or slip, or something, and make you lose the small amount of play you need to have in the linkage. Usually the play gets bigger as the parts wear, but not always. Check the pedal and linkage adjustment before you do anything.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I'll definitely check the linkage, but the clutch is toast. I have all new parts coming from Ft. Wayne Clutch and will pull everything this weekend and get the flywheel resurfaced. I hope it's still in good shape. I'm also going to reseal the trans with new gaskets.