59A pressure plate removal

[FRANK PKNY]

I have the transmission out or my 46 PU I can't find any way to remove the bolts that hold the pressure plate in place. Help?

[59ab]

Look and see if your engine has a two piece oil pan. If it does remove the rear part . This will give you room to unbolt the pressure plate.
If your engine does not have a two piece oil pan you will have to remove the oil pan completely.

The 59a engine is truck motor and probably has an 11 inch clutch in it.
My 59a engine has a two piece oil pan but the rear part is missing.
Hope this helps.
Eddie

[TomT/Williamsburg]

If your truck engine is like the car, you need to remove the oil pan and then you can get to all the bolts ..... I think the truck two piece oil pans were later than 46 .....

[JWL]

Most 59A blocks have a "notch" at the top center of the bell casting where a socket and extension can be used depending on which pressure plate is on the flywheel.

[FRANK PKNY]

Thanks guys, I'll look at the pan but I think it's one piece. I tried to get a socket into the notch even a 1/4" will not get past the space between the pressure plate and the housing. Shitty set up , I thought when I started to job ,"wow this is going to be easy" being an open drive shaft. Never owned one of these before, lots of closed shafts over the years, always just dropped the rear end jacked up the frame rolled the rear back took out the transmission and changed the clutch and pressure plate . Not so I struggled for several hours yesterday trying to get the PP out to no avail. I thought perhaps I was missing something. Last night I looked into my books and the original Operators manual says remove the trans and then remove the six bolts holding the pressure plate on. Yea right, no mention of anything else. I thought perhaps during a rebuild before I purchased the truck they put in a larger clutch and pressure plate. That would account for the lack of clearance? Wondered if anyone out here on the FB had run into changing the PP and clutch on a 46 PU . If they could chirp in I would appreciate it. I really don't want to pull the engine the truck has been very nicely painted.

[JSeery]

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Sounds like it has an 11 inch pressure plate without the corresponding two piece oil pan. If it was mine I would replace it with a 10 inch or 9 inch. Your other option is to change to a two piece pan. Either way I think you are going to have to drop the pan on your current setup. You shouldn't have to pull the engine, just drop the oil pan.

Even if you could get to the pressure plate bolts is there enough clearance to remove it?

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by JSeery

Either way I think you are going to have to drop the pan on your current setup. You shouldn't have to pull the engine, just drop the oil pan.

In most cases, this is easier said than done. I have struggled both ways on this type of project, and in the long run, I found that removing the engine was the better of the two alternatives. JMO

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

In most cases, this is easier said than done. I have struggled both ways on this type of project, and in the long run, I found that removing the engine was the better of the two alternatives. JMO

The voice of experience!! Guess I should have said it is "possible" to drop the pan with the engine in the car/truck. It's too bad, but I don't think there is anyway around it, one way or the other something is going to have to give to get the pressure plate issue straighten out.

If the PP would come out once the bolts were removed you could use a hole saw to cut an access hole to remove the bolts. But, don't think the PP will come out.

[FireEngineMike]

You have to remove the oil pan or rear section of the 2-piece pan with an 11" clutch. No getting around it.

[FRANK PKNY]

I had a little time to work on it tonight, I could get the bolts out if I cut a half moon over by the starter side on the pan, there's plenty of room there. It would not affect the structural integrity of that area. I'm not confident that the PP would come out without dropping the pan. I pulled the transmission because it was a bit noisy and the clutch was dragging , upon inspection the clutch & pressure plate appear rather new, clean no noticeable build up of any sort. The clutch was dragging perhaps because the release arm bushing was worn out even though the clutch was adjusted very high about 3/4" free play, it was still dragging. The shaft bushings are tight and the joint on the bell housing is fine. I thought perhaps the pilot bearing was bad but from feel and sight it's fine and has no unusual amount of play. Thinking I may finish rebuilding the transmission, install it with a new bushing on the shaft, properly adjust the linkage and try it. It only takes a few hours to take the trany out, or reinstall it. I would rather not pull the engine just now, that's a better project for winter. If I only knew that the pp would come out with the pan on. At this point my main question would be can the pp be removed with the pan in place? I would get the bolts out.

[FRANK PKNY]

Here is a photo the the pp the hand written number seems to be 7147 , it does not seem to correspond to any numbers in the book? Still debating if I should remove the six bolts and try to get the clutch and pressure plate out without removing the pan?