'52 gear grinding 3speed synchromesh trans.

[chub chub]

i just bought a 52 special.the throwout bearing seems shot (always rattles and is loose to the touch when clutch is disengaged). every time i shift into third, it grindes painfully, unless i double clutch! is this somthing a new throwout bearing would correct or do i need to go inside the transmisson and replace the synchronizing drum? it doesn't grind into second and i just adjusted the clutch pedal lash to 1 inch. any advice? i want to get chub chub on the road asap. thanks!

[Bob]

chub chub,

I don't claim to have any specific answeres to your situation, but if it were mine...

Even if all that was wrong was the throw out bearing, once I had it apart that far, I would replace at least the clutch disc unless it all looked brand new (which would be a miracle). Once apart that far you should pull the trans and open it up. You will hopefully see the syncros into third are damaged, then you can feel sure replacing them will probably solve that problem (carefully inspect the syncro dogs on the third gear). While its a apart, you should probably throw in a set of bearings and then it should be good for a long time.

[chub chub]

thanks for your response bob. my problem is that i am learning this all by just throwing myself into it. i really want to do everything myself on this car...but i'm not sure i would know what a damaged synchro would look like and i'm a little intimidated to get inside the transmission. i guess i just need to go for it and if i make any mistakes... i just hope i can learn from them. thanks again, chub chub.

[Bob]

You are right! Just go for it! Every one needs to start. Most of us started without the internet to ask on, believe me it was a lot harder to find help. I am not trained in anything, and do make many mistakes! But its all a learning process.

You should purchase a shop manual to go with the car. It's always a good idea to read through the instructions completely before starting any project, then refer to the instructions again as you do it.

[iddie makel]

Hello chub chub,
bob is correct.I took the plunge last year.I had a broken piston & had never pulled an engine and was scared to death.These guys promised to walk me through it,and they did.At every stumble,someone was there to help me.I don't want to name names because I fear offending someone by inadvertently forgeting to list their name,but I am thankful to everyone who supported,advised,and went above & beyond the call to help me.All new parts have been installed except the crankshaft.I haven't fired the engine up yet (working on a stripped bolt),but I'm close.I'm betting they'll be there for you.good luck.
iddie AKA neandertal

[53BUICK]

sounds like you need 3rd gear and a new synchro ring and sleeve. The synchro ring matches the speed of the gear to the shaft,if the speed is the same the gear wont grind when shifted. When the synchro ring gets worn it cant match the speed of the gear to the shaft,then it grinds into gear. damaging the dogs on 3rd gear and the shnchro sleeve (the sleeve pushes the ring into the gear and then locks the gear to the synchro hub which is splined to the shaft.)Anyway you need to replace all these parts so it will shift smoothly again. hope this helps. and take a good look at the clutch,its probably wornout.

[slick50]

OR you could put a 55-56 PONTIAC 3 speed that would also give you an open driveshaft and something other than the 4:10 you have in the rearend now.

[chub chub]

sometimes i'm not so smart (thats why i need you guys). it turns out that a tranny needs gear oil after all. i drained it (all two spoon fulls) replaced the shift linkage bushings, and added gear oil. now it shifts smooth into all gears as long as i don't shift real fast. good enough for now. then i tried to drive it home. after 10 miles it was overheating and spilling out of the overflow. the radiator cap is holding pressure.i pulled the thermostat and tested. it works. i even drove it without it to be sure and it still overheats. next i'll flush the radiator. (the water pump is new so it should'nt be that) any other suggestions on what to check? chub chub thanks you

[Dan]

check to make sure the radiator isn't clogged. when it's running temp (and the car off) run your hand across the radiator face (remember it's hot so be carefull). your looking for temp changes, if you find a cold spot it's clogged. you might not be able to clean it out by just flushing, might need to be rodded out.

[chub chub]

hey dan,
you're right, the core is clogged. i pulled it and brought it with me to s.f. now i'll get estimates to clean it out. the off the shelf flush didn't do much. i'm also looking into a new high perfomance radiator. it still has the straight 8 but i'm looking to hot rod it a bit so as long as the radiator is shot i figure i may as well upgade and save myself some trouble in the future. anybody got any suggestions or preferances as far as radiators go?
thanks
chub chub