greetings all, in the ongoing attempt at getting my car roadworthy a new wrinckle has arisen. the car has sat for while. in attempting to get moving the clutch was stuck. i put the car in gear and hit the starter, it lurched and then seemed to free up. i drove the car up and down the driveway and back into the garage. the problem is it will not go into gear while it is running. have to put in gear then start with clutch depressed. grinds at any attempt to change gears while running. i adjusted the cable and it is at the end of the the adjuster and made no difference. i would appreciate any input as to what this might be as i really hope to avoid dismantling the transmission until the fall. thanks. 1970 tailshifter btw.

Sounds like something is not letting the clutch disengage all the way. You might need to pop the trans off and deal with the clutch parts (maybe clean up, maybe replace).

--DD

You could try slipping the clutch real good once to burn off any rust or glaze. If you still need to take it apart, your really no worse off.

Before you go to all the trouble to fix this common problem, try this.

My reply from the other site: Carefully drive the car to a place where it can be driven safely for a moderate distance without obstructions or traffic. Get it moving at high rpm in first gear with the clutch pedal all the way to the floor. Repeatedly floor the throttle and suddenly release it. The jerking motion should (nearly always does) break the clutch disc free from the rust that's holding it in place. You'll look like a kid in his first stick shift driving experience, but you'll likely solve the problem.

The Cap'n

thank you for the replies, i will do as suggested and hopefully enjoy some success. thank you again

While the Cap,n suggestion may solve this...
I would also suggest that at some point you pull the tranny (an hour or two on the floor) and clean the shaft that the clutch disk rides on and grease it.
If its been together for close to 40 years, sat for a long time, it may have alot of rust on the teeth of that shaft and a good wire brush, a dremel and some new 2011 grease will make everything happier in the long run.

You can pull the tranny while leaving the motor in the car BTW.

RIch

i am going to do as suggested with the drive, but i think i am going to drop engine/trans and also do as suggested. i need to rebush the the shifter as it is sloppy, i need to clean out the engine bay so i might as well service the trans and set the valve clearance and also need to add tin and flappers that are not installed. it looks like it will just be easier to drop the engine and trans and do it right the first time.

some pics and progress. have not dealt with clutch yet.