86 K10 clutch help

[Tony]

I've owned a lot of Jeeps and worked on the drivelines but this is my first older Chevy 4x4.
I just bought a 86 Chevy K10 short bed 4x4. It a 4 speed 465 Muncie, 208 C transfer case and posi rear.
I got it for a good price and it's quite solid, the engine engine runs strong ,steers straight and it appears the previous owner put some money into it.
In the past at some point this truck was converted from auto to stick.
The problem is it's got really bad clutch chatter when you take off. I have heavy duty tranny jacks no pulling the tranny/TC is no big deal.
But...There's just a small hole cut to clear the shift tower on the tranny ( the stick is removed) I would have to drop the tranny about 4 inches to clear the floorboards.That seems quite an angle .....
Do manual tranny trucks of this year have a large removable floor section? I'm not afraid to cut the floor if necessary...
Do you usually pull the tranny/tc in one unit or pull them separate?
One other question,the clutch linkage rod from the cross shaft to the clutch release fork has about a 15 degree angle downward...My past experience says these rods are straight across so to speak.
Thanks

[cadillac_al]

The middle of the floor is removable if needed. If you have good jacks you could remove trans and TC together, I usually do them separately. I don't recall seeing a clutch rod on a K10 but usually the clutch rod is a pretty straight shot like you say.

[Titomars]

The tunnel is bolted in. But I have done many without touching the tunnel. It is a pain in the rear to pull up the carpet/mat to get to the tunnel section.
I always split the trans and the T/C just makes it easier and gives me the chance to change out seals so the trans and T/C don't start swapping oil with each other.
I seam to remember (20+ yrs ago) the clutch fork push rod being perfectly straight. no bends at all.

[Tony]

Thanks, there's no removable floor section in this truck..

[Titomars]

Then it is one of two things going on. It is not a factory 4 spd. truck or the cab has been swapped. I should caught the fact you tower sticks up through the floor so much. From the factory the tower is about 1/2 inch higher the floor.

[jetmech85]

Not sure about 4x4 trucks but two wheel drive manual trucks stopped having removable trans covers by '85. Not sure when they stopped having bolt on covers because my '81 does have one. Your '86 would have not had clutch linkage, the factory used hydraulic clutch release that year. Probably when the conversion to manual they used parts from an earlier truck. You said the rod is at a downward angle but it is a straight rod, right? I'm thinking as the arm on the pivot shaft swings in an arc that the clutch push rod would be, at least, somewhat less of an angle. You should check your rubber engine/trans mounts also.

[Tony]

Originally Posted by Titomars

Then it is one of two things going on. It is not a factory 4 spd. truck or the cab has been swapped. I should caught the fact you tower sticks up through the floor so much. From the factory the tower is about 1/2 inch higher the floor.

I mentioned in my first post the truck was converted from auto to stick in the distant past...

I'm going to cut the floor to make it easier.

I think the best approach is to pull the TC separate and then the tranny. And deal with the clutch linkage The tranny mounts are earlier style also......

[Titomars]

Originally Posted by Tony

I mentioned in my first post the truck was converted from auto to stick in the distant past...

I'm going to cut the floor to make it easier.

I think the best approach is to pull the TC separate and then the tranny. And deal with the clutch linkage The tranny mounts are earlier style also......

Sorry guess I missed that it was converted. I would go to a wrecker and get the bolt in hump and cut your floor out.

[Tony]

I did cut the floor, neatly...TC and tranny were pulled separately without a problem. man that 465 is a big lump compared to a Jeep 5 speed...
What I found ,tranny is fine, clutch looks like a recent replacement and the flywheel shows machining marks. Transfer case has issues but main drive shaft and bearings are good.
What was bad ; pilot bushing is worn real bad, the tranny mount, wrong year,was poorly engineered and the bolts were loose. These two things and the previously mentioned clutch linkage are the most likely cause of the nasty clutch chatter on take off.
It appears the previous owner put in a new clutch but failed to address the problems contributing to the clutch chatter and then just sold the truck...
Opinions....The transfer case chain is worn ( I have a new one) and the planetary drum engagement teeth were burred enough to make engaging low range difficult. I can can de burr the teeth with a die grinder....The male piece bolted to the case looks usable...
Do you think the low range will operate ok considering this truck is mostly operated in high range 4x4 and low range only used for part throttle crawling..?

[Tony]

And more errors....And more wrong.....I installed the flywheel and housing to check for run out. The housing didn't feel right up against the block...The alignment dowels were pushed in so that just a bit of the tapered lead was beyond the block...I punched the dowels back into position and then did a run out check with a dial indicator on the wheel and registering on the housing bearing retainer hole. It's off .020 to the left..but stays near zero for the other 3/4 's of a the circle....
Hmm, I think it's ok considering I have no jig to bolt to the crank flange to check absolute center...
The old pilot bushing is very worn and shows peened over material that would be consistent with the the housing being way off center because of non functioning alignment dowels...