Expert: Brad Sears - 6/1/2010

Question
My car sat for forty years before I got it running last spring. I've decided that this summer was the time to get it on the road. The entire bellhousing was a packed rat's nest so after I cleaned it out and made sure the pressure plate was moving well I put it back together. I made sure everything was back together the way I took it out but it doesn't seem to be working despite all of that. I even lightly sanded down the flywheel and throw-out bearing to make sure they didn't stick. I also lightly sanded down the splines from the tranny. I lubed up the pressure plate but once it was all back together "GRIIIIIIINNNDD". I can't get it into gear. I had no clutch so I adjusted the clutch on the top bar inside the engine bay and also on the bottom by the clutch fork. I've run out of adjustment and still no clutch. The clutch had a good amount of meat on it and the throw-out bearing was spinning freely. I'm going to tear it back apart but what could be wrong? Everything looked fine.

Answer
There is a piece of the linkage that we called the "Z" bar. It is the cross peice that the top rod connects to as well as the rod that runs to the throw out bearing fork. These links had levers that the rods connected to weld to them. Well the welds had a habit of tearing loose and causing the condition that you report. Check those welds/ If that is not it let me know and we will go from there.
Brad