torching out a pressure plate

[austinsailor]

One of the things I had to do on my 48 B1B was get the clutch free.

So, I got the jack under the tranny, took the bolts out of the transmission, and ... nothing. No amount of prying got it out. It budged maybe 1/8". Took the bolts out of the pressure plate, then it would slide a half inch. The Clutch is falling apart and rusted to the pilot shaft!

I guess in the morning I'll just take the torch and cut away at it until the pressure plate and clutch hub are gone enough to come through the hole in the bell housing. What fun. Sure glad I have some spare parts laying around.

[Plymouthy Adams]

what a drastic manner in which to resort in order to drop the tranny..maybe just the application of heat to the disc hub folllowed by the application of candle wax would get the unit free and clear...I can see the sparks flying now..be careful..

[austinsailor]

I'm not sure how to get heat, candle wax or anything else to the hub with the pressure plate there.

By the way, when did they quit being pressure plates and become "clutch covers"??

[Young Ed]

I bought a correct engine for my 46 that had been laying in the dirt WAY too long. The clutch pan and oil pan both had rust holes from laying in the dirt. The trans input shaft was stuck into the clutch. Dad and I eventually got the entire motor taken apart. But along the way we had to cut the pressure plate into ~1/8s to get it off and out of the bellhousing. Then the clutch disk was driven off the trans with an air hammer with a punch in it. All this stuff was heated too and just wouldnt come off.

[austinsailor]

Got the pressure plate out, but prying on the clutch hub directly isn't doing anything.

Guess I'll try to find a fork big enough, or make one. Must need the "bigger hammer" method.

Here's a picture of the pressure plate in Kit form.

[austinsailor]

It's not pretty but I got that POS out of there. There wasn't much left, never did get the hub of the clutch off of the pilotshaft.

Tomorrow I'll use a die grinder to cut away the rest and clean up the shaft. No amount of heat would get it loose, and I finally just torched away at the hub until it would go through the throwout bearing. What a mess.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I had a 1942 DeSoto I had to force the trans out of the bell housing with long studs and nuts to get the tansmission out because of a frozen inner pilot bushing frozen to the input shaft-wouldn't pull through the release bearing. I got it out though with no serious damage to the trans or clutch fork. Damm old junk!

Bob