59 Frozen Clutch

[Ken Collison]

Foolishly did not drive car while restoring interior and clutch is frozen. Is there an easy way to free it?

[Charles W.]

Re: 59 Frozen Clutch

Take the inspection pan off the bottom of the bellhousing and stick a thin putty knife between the flywheel and clutch disk and tap the putty knife with a hammer until it seperates the two. Then stick the putty knife between the clutch disk and the pressure plate and tap putty knife with a hammer until it breaks the disk loose from the pressure plate. Rotate the flywheel and repeat this procedure until clutch is free. The clutch disk may not be stuck to both the flywheel and the pressure plate so adjust this procedure to fit the situation. This will work as I have personally done it before.

[Mike M.]

Re: 59 Frozen Clutch

charles method will work. before resorting to crawling under the car, i get the engine running in neutral. turn off ign switch, put car in lo or second gear, fire the puppy up (make sure garage door open and no children in your line of garage exit)and drive out into the lower 40. give her a little gas(getting up to 10 mph or so), then dump the clutch and hit the brakes simultaneously. this method not recommended for crowded urban settings. i damn near ran over ole bessie last time i unfroze a clutch this way.suppose you could do the same proceedure on jack stands under rear axle. good luck, mike

[Terry F.]

Re: 59 Frozen Clutch

Ken,

Just start the car in neutral and let it get good and warm. The clutch may let go on its own and often will. You can resort to the other methods if need be. Terry

[John Daly]

Re: 59 Frozen Clutch

I have had good luck in the past by placing the trans in first and tapping the ignition switch to bump the engine over slightly. This has worked twice when my car has sat for a few months and the clutch was stuck.

[Lyle24961]

Re: 59 Frozen Clutch

Mike
I use your jackrabbit method and if it don't work it's alot more fun.

Lyle