In the case of doors, a "mess" constitutes seven. Amongst the other parts: a complete
dash, a vanity, 3 carburetors, a distributor, a number of lenses, a whole bunch of
stainless body mouldings, and a few seats. Plus some NOS 6 cylinder head gaskets.

Picked up the other car yesterday. It drove on the trailer fine, and then reverse gear in
the automatic tranny failed to work. Today, I backed the trailer up against the ditch
(saves putting the ramps out), fired up the engine, and put it in reverse, it freewheeled
a bit and then caught solid, and I shot off the trailer into the road. Got stopped; this
car's brakes work, too! Drove it into the yard and unpacked seats, etc. from inside it.

On Friday, I had a mighty struggle with the manual shift car. Tried to fix the clutch,
which was stuck. At first, I thought it might just be the fact that the little pushrod
that runs between the bellcrank and the lever on the cross-shaft was bent. So I made up a
new push rod out of two shifter clevises joined by a short piece of threaded rod. Got the
pedal nice and high, stepped on it, hard, and it went down and stayed down, Clutch stayed
locked tight. What bent, I don't know, but something did.

So I decided to take the transmission out. Dropped the driveshaft, speedo cable, linkage
rods; easy as pie. Got all 4 bolts out that hold the tranny to the bellhousing, easy too.
Tried to slide the tranny back? Uh-uh! It was stuck in there like it had been glued with
epoxy. Eventually, by prying between the tranny sump and bellhousing with a 4-foot crowbar
while the engine was idling, I was able to get the tranny back far enough that I could
undo the three capscrews that hold the front bearing retainer to the case. Finally, with
that part free, the tranny came out, although the rust on the input shaft spline fought
all the way. The center section of the clutch disc appeared to be VERY loose.

Saturday, I made the road trip to fetch car #2.

Today, after offloading #2, and putting parts away, I tackled removing the bellhousing in
car #1. Put a bottle jack and block of wood under the engine oil pan, and raised the
tranny a little. Got the bellhousing mount and insulators out OK. Chipped away a vast
quantity of hardened crud, and got all the bolts out. Slow process, that was. The
bellhousing came free of the engine plate OK, but it was a real struggle to get it winkled
out past the crossmember. The clutch cross shaft was still attached, as I was unable to
get the pins knocked out of the coupling sleeve. By dint of prying with the handy-dandy
4-foot crowbar, and raising-lowering the rear of the engine to find the sweet spot, I
finally got the bellhousing out in one piece, thump! onto the ground. The clutch cross
shaft was rusted solid into it. Never moved a millimeter.

I undid the bolt that held the pressure plate to the flywheel, and off it came, and the
disc with it, in two pieces. The spring steel center had broken clean on the inside
diameter of the facings. Probably a result of me running it with the tranny hanging down.
but it was very rusty anyhow, so breaking it was no loss. I found a Weasel clutch in
as-new condition in my barn, so that's what it's going to get. It's only 1/4" smaller than
the Lark clutch, and the pressure plate mounts to the same holes. I pulled the clutch off
a scrap '55 engine in the yard, and it's 1/4" bigger than the Lark clutch, and has a
different bolt circle, too.

Using a propane torch and a BFH, I got the clutch cross-shaft out of the bellhousing, and
polished up the bearing surfaces with emery cloth. I could see no indication of the
release bearing levers having slipped around the shaft, so I ran a bead of weld around
them with the MIG welder so they will STAY put. Bellhousing, once I degrease it and spray
it black with a rattle can, is ready to assemble.

I'm going to have to tear into the transmission. The front bearing filled up with cast
iron powder from it being run while I pried on it, and the input shaft may have moved
forward far enought to allow the rollers in the cup of the main drive gear to drop out. So
take the tranny apart, clean it, and reassemble, replacing the front bearing if need be.

Then the car is basically a driver. Putting the clutch and tranny back IN should be a
piece of cake, with everything cleaned and painted, and stiff parts freed up.

Aside from the usual, and not too severe floor rust, and the front fender racing stripes,
this car is VERY rust free and solid. Rockers, rear doglegs, rear quarters and trunk show
no rust at all. Patch the floors, hang a Maaco paint job on it, and swap in the nice
interior from #2 lark, and it'd be a 20-footer.

Anybody want a solid '63 Lark project car? It's a Y4, IIRC.

Gord Richmond

Oh, Matthew, I cannot believe an 18-year-old Southerner would ever have to
ask this question. Of a Canadian, no less!

There's little in Studedom as inspiring as a new chapter in The Further
Adventures of Gord. But remember, kids: Do Not Try This At Home. With the
engine idling...

Type B?

Meaning what? The seats are all Lark or Cruiser seats, mostly bench.

Gord Richmond