Well, Paul wins the prize. He nailed the problem with the clutch spring. I pulled the transmission yesterday and as soon as I pulled the pressure plate I saw the spring lodged in places it shouldn't be. You can see how mangled the spring is in the picture.
The flywheel and pressure plate friction surfaces aren't too bad. I'm going to replace the pressure plate and throwout bearing while I have it apart.
The transmission is a dirt mess. I think every seal on it was leaking. haha
It looks like the rear main is leaking a bit too, or maybe the oil pan gasket or some combination of the two. Is there an "easy" way to replace these seals without pulling the motor???? This is my first experience with a Y block so I'm looking for some education.
When I took the starter off I notice two mounting ears had broken off. Is there a way to fix this??? I plan on taking it by the local starter repair shop and see what he says too.
I'm not sure who designed these starters but man what a pain to get out!!! I remember my Dad telling me about starters like this but this was my first experience with one. Not only is it still heavy but it is twice as long as a normal starter!!! Luckily my Daughter was outside so I hollered at her to turn the wheels so I could get some clearance from the tie rods.
I pulled the top cover off the transmission to inspect the gears. I was planning on having the transmission rebuilt in the near future anyway, I just didn't expect it to be this near in the future. I've had problems with transmission jumping out of first while accelerating and there is a bit of grinding shifting into second and third unless you shift it real slow. The teeth looked good but I saw a few spots on the 1st/Reverse gear where it was jumping out.
On a side note, what is the correct color for the transmission? Currently the bellhousing and tail shaft are red. I'm going to clean everything up and paint it before putting it back in the Ranchero and just want to paint everything correctly as per factory specs if possible.
thanks,
David