Replacing clutch in a 3-speed, 230

[MikeN]

I am currently swapping a heavy duty Muncie 3-speed into my 64 C10 to replace the little crackerjack Saginaw 3-speed that came with the truck from the factory. I got sick of dealing with the problem you describe, so I drilled out the rivets holding that e-brake crossmember in place, and replaced them with bolts/lockwashers/nuts. It was much easier than I thought it would be. I drilled out all four rivets and had the crossmember out of the way in about 45 minutes, and now the crossmemeber can be easily bolted in and out for future maintenance. I lifted the tranny straight up into place with no drama.

Here's the procedure...knock a divot into the rivet head with a hammer and punch to get your drill bit bit started. Drill all the way through the rivet with a small bit, something like 1/8". This is the hardest part, it will take several minutes to drill all the way through. Then go through the hole with 3 progressively larger bits until you have completely removed the shank of the rivet. Finally, knock the rivet head off with a hammer and chisel, this only takes about three blows. Four Grade-8 bolts with washers and nuts from Lowes, and you are good to go. It was way easier than I thought. Next time I'm under the truck, I'm going to do the same with the rivets holding the bellhousing crossmember, to ease future clutch/pressure plate/flywheel repairs.