Hamilton

Take a couple of minutes and remove the release bearing, the bearing fork and sleeve and the clutch adjusting rod & pull-back spring. Without the gearbox in place the fork will bounce around - you probably won't lose it, as it's held in place with a threaded fastener, but the rest of the stuff could go bye-bye. _

The shudder you're experiencing is likely the result of a worn/warped pressure plate or flywheel, or a worn/glazed clutch disc (my money would be on the PP and/or disc, as opposed to the flywheel). As long an you're in there replacing the throw-out bearing anyway you should consider a clutch kit. Public Service Notice: if the one you pull out is an older unit manufactured in the U.S. either have it rebuilt or find another one like it. I just went round-and-round with a new set I purchased. Ultimately gave up and found rebuilt OEM parts - finally found resolution today. Thread on that subject here ...

Solved! Problem was 100% the fault of the cheap Chinese crap I purchased from a well-known classic Mopar vendor about a year ago. After posting this thread, considering some of the advice offered and trying various things, I pulled the flywheel (which had already been resurfaced), PP and clutch and sent them out for balancing. Made absolutely zero difference. Finally decided to search out a factory unit to send in for rebuild. I got lucky and found a complete set on e**y that had already been rebuilt (many years ago) but that had never been installed. It arrived this afternoon and I spent a little over an hour installing it and buttoning everything up (ah, the joys of having a lift) before a quick test drive. No chatter, no vibration, no untoward noises. Damned near perfect, in fact. If anybody thinks they can find a way to balance a clutch disc and pressure plate (or figure out whatever the hell else might be the issue) that have maybe one mile of use on them, PM me - I'll cut you a long deal. Otherwise they're going out in next week's garbage. _

Unless the torque converter requires it, there's no benefit in removing your floorboard. Indeed, with a regular three-speed gearbox it would certainly be a waste of time and effort. Plus, on a 1950 I believe only the driver's side is removable. _

It took me fifty years, but I finally found the guy who tortured me as a high school freshman by coming up with the question about one train leaving Chicago at 11:00 AM, traveling westbound at 60 mph, and another leaving Los Angeles at 4:00 PM, traveling eastbound at 85 mph ... Sorry, Rich, couldn't resist. _

It's been probably ten years since I replaced mine so my memory isn't all that clear, but it appears as though you have it properly situated. The real fun is balancing two pieces of windshield glass that want to flop around because they're being held in place by only the rubber seal, while roping the seal into place. Not a one man job. _

I hate when I'm wrong, but in this case I clearly was. I guess that's what I get for dealing with slushbox cars for so long - haven't dealt with a clutch in some years now. Obviously the release bearing can't make any noise in a properly adjusted system. Thanks for the reminder - I'll take a good look at the clutch pedal free play. _

In my experience, release bearings will make noise (typically a chirping sound) when the gearbox is in the neutral position and there's no pressure on the clutch pedal, with the noise disappearing even with light pressure on the clutch pedal, whereas a pilot bushing won't make noise until the clutch pedal is depressed and the clutch disengaged.

I installed a new clutch disc and PP I figured new pilot bushing would also be in order. The old one hadn't displayed issues of any kind but as long as I was in there ... The new bushing was noisy. It wasn't terribly noisy, there were no loud grinding or or rattling sounds,. It was more of a "whooshing" sound (for you older guys, it was kinda like the sound your corduroy pants made in grammar school - you know, the ones you told your mom you'd never wear again - except that it was constant) and was present only when the clutch pedal was depressed. Bought and installed a second bushing, using the 1/4 teaspoon of greased mentioned in the old Chrysler Corp instructional videos. Same issue. Bought and installed a third bushing, using no grease, but soaked the bushing in oil for about 20 hours prior to installation. Same issue. As part of a vibration issue I've been dealing with (in a separate thread) I just had my flywheel, disc and PP balanced - the shop said it was off by quite a lot (flywheel was about .3 ounces out of balance and the PP was a full three ounces(!) out). I'm now wondering if perhaps it's not the bushings, but the balance issue that's been causing the noise. I'm inclined to reassemble as-is to see if the noise goes away before trying yet another bushing, but given the vast knowledge base here I'd like to hear your thoughts and insight before deciding how to move forward. Thanks!

I'll admit that my first thought when I read the thread title was "Wait, you actually pass people in your car?" _

I've owed a number of cars over the last decade or so (ex: '79 Porsche 930/911 Turbo, a number of "regular" air-cooled 911s, `70 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda, '70 Judge, '70 240z and a few more) that had a fair amount of market value - some had quite a lot, actually. In the absence of any real sentimental value ... they're all gone. I now have just a `49 Plymouth Special Deluxe Club Coupe and a `49 Dodge Meadowbrook. My tools are worth more than my cars but I could give a whit, as I'm able to take them out without having to worry about theft or damage, parts are readily available (and, compared to the world of air-cooled Porsches, crazy cheap!) and I get more interest in them from Joe Q Public than most of my others cars ever did. Young folks are interested in what they are and people from their mid-fifties and up either had one, or remember their parents or grandparents having one growing up. And for me, that's part of the joy of having them. It's nice to be able to enjoy the hobby for hobby-sake, if that makes any sense ... _

It can be challenging to climb into the head of previous owners but at first blush I'd guess that a PO lived in a very dusty area and that the modification to the oil filler cap was done to mitigate the possibility of dust infiltration (whether or not such an adaptation would be effective in that location). Another possibility could be that a PO was prone to using "drain" oil in his engine from time-to-time (BTDT) and would top off the engine through his clever modification, using the screen in the cap to help remove at least some impurities from the used oil. _

I have a rather well-heeled friend who owns five welders (I guess if I had 30+ special interest cars stored in three locations I might, too) and who speaks very highly of one he bought just to see if it could possibly be decent for the price. He says the Titanium 200 from HF would be a great choice for any hobbyist who doesn't need to run it for several hours every day. Mig, stick and Tig capabilities for under $800 almost sounds too good to be true but I trust this very knowledgeable guy. _

I'd still be looking at the brakes. You might try avoiding the pedal while backing out, using the parking brake to slow/stop the car. If it still locks up then I'd resume my search for other causes. If it doesn't, look harder at your braking system. _

I've owned vehicles in which I used a zinc additive. The `49 Plymouth I've owned for 30+ years (and my very recently-added '49 Dodge) isn't one of them. I believe the combination of very limited RPMs, light (relatively speaking) valve spring pressures and very moderate cam lobe ramp angles make it unnecessary. Will this approach eventually "wipe" my cam? Only time will tell. _

Check the Downloads section. There are some wiring diagrams there.

First time the Plymouth has seen the sun in a year. Still have plenty to get sorted out but at least it's able to move under its own power.

Well, I was hoping it was the mounts but am becoming less confident of that, as the vibration remains even after eliminating the "floating" phenomenon depicted in the video. Still, they could be an issue: I removed them and upon re-installation, found that the mounting holes on the gearbox tabs weren't lined up front-to-back - off by approximately 3/8". Had to use a come-a-long and loosen the four bolts at the bottom of the front mount horseshoe in order to move the engine forward enough to get the bolts to pass through and had to apply quite a lot of force in order to move it forward the last eighth-inch. Just seems as something has to be off, as you would think that everything should line up nicely. Engine, by the way, was not removed, just the gearbox. I'm again leaning toward flywheel/PP/disk balancing issues. _

Here's a link to a longer video of the mounts. https://youtu.be/XGXdHe82sQU

^^^ Thanks, Ken, that is my thought. And, Sniper, that's a great idea. Now if I can just remember how to post on YT ... _

^^^ The install has been completed twice, which is why I finally posted. _

And finally, the mysterious (to me, anyway) "floating" mounts ... IMG_1505_Trim-a_Trim_Trim.mp4

My imagination, or less movement with the clamps in place? IMG_1500_Trim.mp4

Given file size limitations you've gotta look quick but here you can see the engine moving a bit. IMG_1504_Trim.mp4

Flywheel looks true - my naked eye detects no run-out. IMG_1499_Trim.mp4