The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Project Journals 1952 Chevrolet 3100 Project

8/22/20: One of the items on my list while the engine is out was a noise that was coming from the clutch/transmission area. When I release the clutch fully and the transmission is in neutral, there is a noise that sounds like the the clutch throwout bearing was still engaged. When I was investigating the noise, I found that the clutch fork was loose on the pivot ball. When I removed the bell housing, the pivot was indeed worn needing replacement.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of my problem. I checked the transmission and found the both the input shaft and the output shaft have slop. Today I disassembled the transmission to diagnose the issues and found that the input shaft (sometimes referred to as the clutch shaft) ball bearing was bad. I believe that accounts for the noise I was hearing. I found that most of these parts are readily available. Unfortunately, I found that the rear bearing support bushing is severely worn. According the the shop manual, if this bushing is worn, You are suppose to replace the bearing support and bushing as a unit and I have not found where I could buy a replacement.

I removed the main shaft, synchronizer drum and first gear cluster and decided not to remove any of the other gears. They physically look great and have no noticeable slop. My plan is to get a rebuild kit, replace the input shaft bearing, the associated roller bearings, main shaft bearing and attempt to procure a replacement rear bearing support.

I suppose if all else fails, I could pick up bearing bronze, press in a bushing and cut it down to a finish size.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the parts and getting the casing ready for a satin black paint job.