Clutch Question

[Palf70Step]

Can you change the clutch and pressure plate in these trucks with the factory bell-housing without shifting or lifting the motor?

My tranny blew on the 64 today ( http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=627495&page=2 ), and figured once I found a replacement, I might as well change out the clutch, throw-out bearing and pressure plate when I put it back together.

Just at quick glance it looks real tight to drop that pressure plate and all with that bell housing cross member there.

[Jurassic-1]

You can get the bellhousing off by removing the top and side bolts(leave the lower ones on each side. Then unbolt the mounts on either side. Put some wood on a jack and lift the motor up to clear the trans mounts . You should be able to remove the mounts which will give enough room to get the pressure plate off.Hope this helps.

[Sharps40]

Short answer is yes.

Pocket the keys and disconnect the battery.

Unbolt the pressure plate while using a long screwdriver or other bar to wedge the flywheel......

It'll all come out the bottom....drop on yer face if ya aint careful.

From there its up to you, ya might be able to pull the flywheel, might not. I am pretty sure you can pull it from the bottom, bell housing in place....it'll be a 4 handed job catchin it though.

[padresag]

everything can come out the bottom
ron

[66Submarine]

Why not just take the bellhousing off?

BTW, also check/change out the pilot bushing while it's apart.

[padresag]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Why not just take the bellhousing off?

BTW, also check/change out the pilot bushing while it's apart.

why not just pull the engine out
ron

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by padresag

why not just pull the engine out
ron

Are you being sarcastic?

I just pull the bellhousing when dealing with the clutch/flywheel. You seem like you are making a big deal out of that, but I could have removed it in the time that it took to write the first post. Not a big deal at all.

[bloody hammer]

I just did a clutch job on my '62 and was able to drop it all out the bottom with the bell housing left in place. It wouldn't come out as an assembly though... I had to drop a piece at a time. Pressure plate first and the clutch plate.

[padresag]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Are you being sarcastic?

I just pull the bellhousing when dealing with the clutch/flywheel. You seem like you are making a big deal out of that, but I could have removed it in the time that it took to write the first post. Not a big deal at all.

not sarcastic but perhaps a little facetious. there is no need to pull the bell housing off to do that job. it is just more work is all and if you are doing it fo a customer; more cost
ron

[jtrichard]

it comes out the bottom you need to pull the clutch fork out and back the ball stud out and the rest should almost fall out then LOL...its been awhile since I did mine you might have to back out the ball stud out first to get the fork out

[smackhead61]

Just did a clutch replacement on mine today. Considered leaving bell housing in place but it was only 8 more bolts and it makes more working room, just my 2 cents worth.

[Sharps40]

Setting aside all myth and misinformation. From Motors, Truck, 37th edition, page 449 Chevy Clutch Service:

1. Remove transmission

2. On models with hydraulic clutch control disconnect slave cylinder from clutch fork.

3. Remove clutch throwout bearing from fork.

4. Remove clutch fork by pressing it away from its ball mounting with a screwdriver untill it snaps loose from the ball.

5. support clutch assembly during removal with a suitable pilot tool.

6. loosen clutch attaching bolts one turn at a time to prevent distortion of clutch cover until diaphragm spring is released.

7. Remove clutch pilot tool and clutch from vehicle.

Looks pretty clearly like ya take it all out the bottom of the belhousing.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

It is not necessary to remove the bell housing & it is not that easy to remove. You have to remove the starter, flywheel cover, raise engine to remove the mounts. When you do get ready to remove the clutch, You will have to push the disc up towards the top of the bell housing & drop the pressure plate out the bottom first. Then get a package of band-aids.

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by padresag

not sarcastic but perhaps a little facetious. there is no need to pull the bell housing off to do that job. it is just more work is all and if you are doing it fo a customer; more cost
ron

I must be a super-mechanic, because it really takes me very little time to remove the bellhousing. IME I'd rather take the extra couple minutes to do that than work with the greasy thing in my way.

Originally Posted by smackhead61

Just did a clutch replacement on mine today. Considered leaving bell housing in place but it was only 8 more bolts and it makes more working room, just my 2 cents worth.

Exactly my thoughts. Nothing in your way with the bellhousing gone.

Originally Posted by Sharps40

Setting aside all myth and misinformation. From Motors, Truck, 37th edition, page 449 Chevy Clutch Service:

1. Remove transmission

2. On models with hydraulic clutch control disconnect slave cylinder from clutch fork.

3. Remove clutch throwout bearing from fork.

4. Remove clutch fork by pressing it away from its ball mounting with a screwdriver untill it snaps loose from the ball.

5. support clutch assembly during removal with a suitable pilot tool.

6. loosen clutch attaching bolts one turn at a time to prevent distortion of clutch cover until diaphragm spring is released.

7. Remove clutch pilot tool and clutch from vehicle.

Looks pretty clearly like ya take it all out the bottom of the belhousing.

That doesn't mean it is the only way to do it (or even the most convenient), and it actually doesn't say anything about the bellhousing. I'm pretty (99.9%) sure my grandfather pulled the bellhousing when doing clutch work, and he actually worked for years as a mechanic for the city on these trucks. I like that stupid piece of greasy iron out of my face when I'm rolling in the mud.

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

It is not necessary to remove the bell housing & it is not that easy to remove. You have to remove the starter, flywheel cover, raise engine to remove the mounts. When you do get ready to remove the clutch, You will have to push the disc up towards the top of the bell housing & drop the pressure plate out the bottom first. Then get a package of band-aids.

Again; I must be a super-mechanic, because it really takes me very little time to remove the bellhousing. IME I'd rather take the extra couple minutes to do that than work with the greasy thing in my way. Plus, my "hard way" doesn't involve personal injury.

[66Submarine]

I'll also add that I never said that removing the clutch with the bellhousing in place was "wrong" or something to begin with. It's up to whoever is dealing with it to decide if they want to remove it or not.

[Sharps40]

damn....I think op asked if it could be done without pullin the bell. Seems the short answer is yes. The long answer is yes, leaving the bell in place is one way.

[Palf70Step]

The more I read, the more I don't like the design. I think the key to getting it out with the bell in place is the removal of the clutch fork arm.

After trying today, there is no way it was coming out with that lower bell housing brace and the fork still intact. I think the fork being out gives it just enough more tilt to slide thru.

I guess the engineers back then were as crazy as those designing the crap on the vehicles today.

Thanks for all the replays. It is very enlightening to hear all this.

[padresag]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

I'll also add that I never said that removing the clutch with the bellhousing in place was "wrong" or something to begin with. It's up to whoever is dealing with it to decide if they want to remove it or not.

I am just curious if you do or ever did this type of work for a living?
I did from the early 60's up to the mid 70's and re and re a lot of this stuff. working on your own stuff you have all the time in the world to do it.
in the I6's from 32 to 62 you had to drop the flywheel first to take the b/housing off. there were quite a few of those I6 around to practice on.
ron

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by padresag

I am just curious if you do or ever did this type of work for a living?
I did from the early 60's up to the mid 70's and re and re a lot of this stuff. working on your own stuff you have all the time in the world to do it.
in the I6's from 32 to 62 you had to drop the flywheel first to take the b/housing off. there were quite a few of those I6 around to practice on.
ron

Right now I'm working on my stuff for the most part, although I may start doing it more as a source of income soon. That is totally besides the point though, and meaningless to the discussion. As I said though, I'm 99.9% sure my grandfather that worked on these trucks for a living for years and messed around with them for many years after that did it the same way.

No one mentioned pre '62 sixes, and those are also irrelevant. Very few around these days, for one thing. If you started on those and like not removing the bellhousing, great. Good for you.

But, how do you replace the clutch on a later model truck without the stamped dust cover at the bottom of the bellhousing? Oh, right. YOU TAKE THE BELLHOUSING OFF! Wow, must take days. Or not.

It's really not that big of a deal if you want to do it one way or the other.

[PGSigns]

I have worked on these things for a good while and one of the things that is not coming up in all this is the fly wheel. If you are doing you own stuff and don't have to worry if it shakes a little when your done leave the bell housing on and go for it out the bottom. But if your after doing this right the condition of the face of the fly wheel needs to be looked at. If it is showing the signs of a lot of heat and it age then it should come out and be surfaced. So I always pull the bell housing.
Jimmy

[Mackie]

I just did a disc swap a couple of weeks ago when I replaced the S10 T5 for a WC Camaro version (different spline count). I did it with the bell housing AND fork in place, including a new pilot bushing. It wasn't fun.

[bloody hammer]

Yep, same thing here on my '62 C10... got the clutch out without removing the bell housing or the clutch fork. The only "trick" was dropping the pressure plate out first while holding the clutch plate up in place... then dropping the clutch plate by itself. There's no way it would come out as an assembly.

Once I got going... I never felt the bell housing was in my way but it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that other people might want to take it off. No harm, no foul.

Besides, if I'm remembering correctly you have to take off the flywheel before you can get the bell housing out... and to get to the flywheel you have to get the clutch out... so, I'm not clear why some would say to remove the bell housing to get the clutch out.

I don't recall the names but several people on here helped me figure out what I was doing and I'm only trying to repeat back what I learned. I'm not taking sides on what is the "right way" to do it.

[Sharps40]

So, what'd ja decide to do? Rip it out the bottom or tear the entire back end off and balance the rest on two by fours?

[tincan1966]

I just figured the way they were designed(the bell housing) with the whole bottom as a removable cover, that you didn't HAVE to remove the bell housing or any mounts. Done a bunch over the years and never removed bell housing, have removed every flywheel and had it resurfaced, too. Have a pilot bushing removal tool, so even those were no problem.

Seems like a lot of discussion over a pretty simple task.

But to answer the OP original question, like others have YES it CAN be done. Whether you choose to or not is up to you.

[Jimal]

I just replaced the flywheel and clutch in my K10 over the weekend (I have a 400 SBC, the previous owner used the wrong flywheel, so I had a vibration to address) and I was able to drop everything out of the bottom without removing the bell housing. The hardest part was lining up the transmission to reinstall it, but that would be the hardest part if you took the bell housing off. The job itself was a cinch, with only a rain delay to interrupt the work.