In May 2022, Lurch and I spent a WONDERFUL week at the VCCA's 30th Four Cylinder Tour, in Porterville, CA. This event is only open to 1911 - 1928 Chevys, so we hob knobed with around 40 other vehicles of this era and enjoyed being amongst other similarly diseased owners and families. Here's a link to Lurch's take on the event:
Lurch Goes On TourWe drove over 300 miles in 4 days! ;-) Unfortunately, Lurch developed a noticeable 'squeal' towards the end of the week. The sound seemed to be coming from the clutch or transmission area. I did notice that it only squealed right after shifting gears and stepping on the gas pedal. This leads me to think the problem is a worn clutch. Another possibility is weak pressure plate springs.
To help confirm that the clutch is worn, I put Lurch in first (granny) gear, put wheel chocks in front of the rear wheels, and tried to turn the engine over with the hand crank. Sure enough, I was able to give the engine a 1/2 half turn WITHOUT the rear wheels turning. This little test seems to confirm that the clutch is slipping. I'll learn more when everything is opened up.
Well, it's time to put Lurch under the knife, figure out what the problem is, and fix it. I'll be posting my progress and findings as I go through this project.
Lurch sleeps under his blankie (tarp) in the driveway. I don't have a garage (that became our bedroom 45 years ago) and the carport is taken up by Justin. See Lurch blissfully sleeping in photo number one. That is also where I work on him.
In photo number two, you'll see how I normally jack up his rear axle. This setup won't do for the surgery. The jacks need to be under the rear chassis, which in turn allows his rear axle to hang lower and provide more space in the u-joint area. Photo number three shows the jack moved to be holding up the chassis.
Pic number four shows the transmission area (from underneath) before any disassembly takes place. Ahead of the tranny, you'll see Lurch's depends (a cake pan that catches his engine drippings). Hey, when you're over 95 years old, you're gonna drip!
The next pic shows the floor space in what's left of the cab. Photo number six shows the floor boards taken off and the transmission area exposed from the top. You'll also see in this photo the main battery disconnect, which is mounted to the side of the transmission.
Before I started taking anything apart, I drained the oil out of the transmission.
In pic number seven, the u-joint ball housing retainer is unbolted and slid back. In pic number eight, I'm starting to take the u-joint itself apart. Photo number nine shows the u-joint starting to come apart.
At this point, I have the opportunity to inspect the u-joint bearings (trunnions) and the yoke shafts. I was wondering if Lurch had a '27 u-joint (which was the same one used in cars) or if he had a '28 u-joint, which was more heavy duty. It turns out that he has the '27 parts and they are within spec (.004 inch difference between the trunnion ID and the yoke shaft OD). Good news!
To be continued...
Cheers, Dean
