[Marshall V. Daut]

I searched through the archives here to find an answer to my 1932 clutch questions, but nothing was a direct help. Lots of horror stories that are scaring me, though! As some readers here may recall, I am not a V-8 person, only Models A and T since 1966. A friend has a very nice 1932 Coupe that he is selling, but it has a bad shudder when the clutch pedal is let out. Motor mounts look good, as some past postings suggested could be contributing to the chatter. I think we need to look at the clutch and disk, which of course means removal of some kind.
I just examined the car and have a couple questions. Please refer to the accompanying photos. The cross member under the rear of transmission appears to be blocking any rear removal of the tranny. The oil pan extends to the transmission. Does this mean the engine has to come out in order to replace the clutch and parts? If the transmission CAN be removed via the rear axle, how does it come back far enough to be pulled out? That crossmember does not appear to be friendly to being removed. Is it supposed to be removed in order to pull the transmission?
A secondary issue is the brake system, which has been converted to hydraulic. Once again, not my area of expertise. I understand these brakes should still be mechanical with brake rods. Well, they're not. The front wheels have virtually no resistance when I spun them on jack stands. They may STILL be spinning! Obviously, an adjustment is required. Since these are not 1932 mechanical brakes, what year are the backing plates so that I can look up adjusting procedures?
Thanks for helping an antique Ford fan, who is clueless about 1932+ Fords.
Marshall