New clutch and clean up for the 71

[MM71lwb]

Hey guys! I'm new to the forum and was wondering if anyone knew any tips that would make replacing a clutch on a 71 c10 with a 250 l-6 any easier. I'm going to be pulling the motor out as well to clean it up and and repaint everything. I'll try to post pics as I go to show the progress. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Matt

[71Sixer]

Interested to see some pics of your progress...I have the exact same setup 250 with 3 on the tree.

[PanelDeland]

Welcome to the greatest truck place in the world.

Pull the tranny then the engine.Then put the engine back before you do the tranny.Have the flywheel surfaced.It will usually make the clutch last a bit better and work smoother.The engine will need to be unbolted from the split crossmember or the crossmember from the frame to remove the engine.The bellhousing to crossmember bolts are up on the inside of the bellhousing.Label your wiring if you're not familiar with it and vacuum hoses also.Pull the radiator and the fan.Buy a set of gaskets for the valve,side,covers and pan.It's easier to replace while out of the truck.Use cheapie,"Dollar store" oven cleaner to degrease/strip paint.It will take paint off and skin too so use rubber gloves.The cleaner the engine is the better paint will stay so I usually use some paint thinner or something as a final prep before paint.Plan on new wire looms either stock or generic,if you're trying to dress it up under the hood.

Good luck and

It's required that you post pics of the work and before and after of the truck.lol.....

[MM71lwb]

Thanks for the reply guys! I'm gonna go get started on things today and will post pics before I tear into things and then during the process. I'll probably run into some problems seeing as how this is the first time I'm doing something like this

[MM71lwb]

Got all the mud and leaves cleaned out of the garage from the flood earlier in the month. Got some pics of the truck. Gonna tear things apart tomorrow!

[MM71lwb]

Got everything from the clutch back taken off today. Gonna order a clutch kit tomorrow and get pictures of everything for you guys. Only ran into one problem and that was getting the bolts that went from inside the bellhousing to the trans out because the cross member was riveted in and i couldn't get a wrench in there very easily, but after some motivation everything came out

[MM71lwb]

Pulled the engine over the weekend and going to clean on it a little, put new gaskets on, and paint it this week. Sorry for not having many pictures, I keep forgetting to get a new memory card for the camera but i'll work on that

[oldblue1968chevy]

it looked pretty good before!!

dont cheap on the gaskets felpro!!!! FTW

[MAK191]

Be very careful. Many guys start just like you and before the weekend is over the truck is tore down to the frame and it never sees the road again. Bite off what you can handle and good luck with the repairs.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

As far as replaceing a clutch that is the easiest one on the road. A good tip is when you have the engine out, enlarge the holes in the bracket that the mount sets on. You will be glad you did. If you dont you will wish you did when you are under neath trying to start those bolts. The thick flat washer will compensate for the larger hole.

[Longhorn Man]

Something I would do, remove the rust on the inner fenderwells and paint them black. You can get the high dollar 'correct' paint, or just semi gloss spray bomb to be close enough... in reality you could go any shade or color... but by painting them, you'll make the engine the center of attention under the hood. Looking at the pics you posted above, my eyes are drawn to the rusty head, and the fenderwells. Make them all semi gloss black and they disapear. You can sand the stuff down or use CLR (here's a thread I posted on that http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=447159 )
Either way, that looks like a very nice starting point.

[MM71lwb]

Which gaskets would you guys go with, cork or rubber? A local mechanic that is kind of talking me along with this said to go with cork, but I've heard other people say rubber. We were thinking of replacing the inner fenderwells but with as little rust as they have we are just going to paint them. I'll try to have some pics of my progress on Wednesday. It's just hard to find time to work on this thing in between school and sports!

[71Sixer]

I'd go with cork.

[fattyarbuckle]

Originally Posted by 71Sixer

I'd go with cork.

+1^^

Cork gaskets are good and have been for years. The one thing to remember is to NOT use and sealant on the cork gaskets...it makes them hard and they will leak.

[hayhauler71]

felpro blue stripe [cork with rubber]

[MM71lwb]

Thanks for the advice guys! Got the gaskets and they'll be on Wednesday evening hopefully, then ready for some paint on the motor whenever I can find some free time to work on it again

[MM71lwb]

One inner fender down, one to go. Going to get the motor and trans back together tomorrow. All these reports at the end of the school year aren't leaving much time to work on the truck!