Shudder While Engaging 1st Gear

[PeteF]

I forgot to mention, before you remove the tunnel, you must remove the small access plate at the rear of the tunnel. If you have inboard brakes, this is a good opportunity to bleed them if needed.

[DanEC]

I didn't notice this was on an ERA - yes, the trans comes out from the top and it is heavy (90+ lbs I believe). The dowels to slide the transmission on are an excellent suggestion as they will help prevent the weight of the transmission from hanging on the clutch disc hub and bending it (causing more chatter and shudder). I used an engine hoist to install my transmission but that was kind of a chore to as it goes in well under the dash cowl lip. I had to rig up a lift beam to hang off the engine hoist with the transmission strapped to the forward end of it so I could slide it under the dash cowl and into the clutch.

Using the dowels, it is probably easier to fit a good piece of plywood across the frame and carpet under the transmission - after raising it slightly with a jack and removing the transmission mount - and slide it back on to the plywood with the dowels. They lug it over to the door sill so you can lift it out.

If you're a 250 lb gym rat lifting lots of weight every week - forget all that and just reach over and pluck it out.

[CriticalMass]

Thanks for the help, guys. I got everything uncovered and the drive shaft out today. I expected to run into seized bolts or other complications but it's gone pretty smoothly so far. I was out of time for the day so I just broke all the bolts free on the trans and bellhousing and I think I'll wait until I can have a friend help me lift the transmission out of the vehicle to go any further.

I did hit one snag with a single bolt on the bellhousing that's too tight/close to the bellhousing to get a thin walled socket around. It also happens to be in that 'sweet' spot where if I rotate it with a wrench until I hit the frame, I still can't get around the next side of the bolt to continue loosening it up. So I'll have to figure that one out, but otherwise I'm just happy that I'm not already curled up in the fetal position on the floor of my garage. Of course I know that I've only dealt with the easy part so far...

I'm sure I'll have more questions once I get this thing cracked open and these forums are a great resource, so thanks again.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by CriticalMass

I did hit one snag with a single bolt on the bellhousing that's too tight/close to the bellhousing to get a thin walled socket around. It also happens to be in that 'sweet' spot where if I rotate it with a wrench until I hit the frame, I still can't get around the next side of the bolt to continue loosening it up. So I'll have to figure that one out, but otherwise I'm just happy that I'm not already curled up in the fetal position...

Loosen the motor mounts and put a jack under the back of the engine. You can move everything up a little bit to give you the room you need to get to the bolt.

[CriticalMass]

No mystery what the problem was anymore. The clutch disk was completely shot. The entire disc was nearing end of life, but there was also a section of friction material that had come loose which I found at the bottom of the bellhousing...so that could certainly cause a vibration.

Now I'm looking for replacement kits. The pressure plate/disc were 11.5" 10-spline long-style.

From reading a bunch of toploader posts on the forums I see fairly unanimous praise for David Kee, so I've been looking at his website. It seems he recommends McLeod clutches (in that they're the only brand on his site), however there are no 11.5" models (Super Street Pro Clutch Kits). I do see 12" diaphragm style kits that mention they have the same bolt pattern as 11.5" long-style models.

Anyway, in the end I don't know what I'm looking for, so I'm open to suggestions on how to go about choosing a suitable/compatible replacement. I don't mind the 'heavy' clutch pedal, so I don't have an active desire to switch to a diaphragm style, but is there any reason not to?

If not, are the two 12" kits at the bottom of the page in the link above good replacement options? The difference between the two is in the 1-1/16" vs 1-3/8" measurement. Is that clutch disc hub thickness?

For reference the car puts out a little under 500 bhp.

[Detroit Bill]

Originally Posted by CriticalMass

No mystery what the problem was anymore. The clutch disk was completely shot. The entire disc was nearing end of life, but there was also a section of friction material that had come loose which I found at the bottom of the bellhousing...so that could certainly cause a vibration.

Now I'm looking for replacement kits. The pressure plate/disc were 11.5" 10-spline long-style.

From reading a bunch of toploader posts on the forums I see fairly unanimous praise for David Kee, so I've been looking at his website. It seems he recommends McLeod clutches (in that they're the only brand on his site), however there are no 11.5" models (Super Street Pro Clutch Kits). I do see 12" diaphragm style kits that mention they have the same bolt pattern as 11.5" long-style models.

Anyway, in the end I don't know what I'm looking for, so I'm open to suggestions on how to go about choosing a suitable/compatible replacement. I don't mind the 'heavy' clutch pedal, so I don't have an active desire to switch to a diaphragm style, but is there any reason not to?

If not, are the two 12" kits at the bottom of the page in the link above good replacement options? The difference between the two is in the 1-1/16" vs 1-3/8" measurement. Is that clutch disc hub thickness?

For reference the car puts out a little under 500 bhp.

I would ask David Kee and buy the clutch from him. Brent also could suggest a clutch and sell it to you.