George:

I reset the clutch fork play to 1/8". Running zero tolerance was an experiment to see if shifting might improve.

It would be nice to avoid pulling everything apart again but it does seem that the issue may with the clutch or its alignment. The clutch kit came from Joe Lazenby so its highly likely that the right parts were ordered. The install was by someone else, who might have had a rookie mechanic bang away on the "old blue car". A bearing-like noise was heard during low speed high torque driving as soon as the car returned from the clutch job (about one year ago). Perhaps the pilot bearing was damaged or installed improperly at the time.

I learned to change a tranny last week - outside and in a downpour. I guess I'll learn to change a clutch and pilot bearing in the near future. Joe L suggested that I wait until its cold and snowy for maximum enjoyment!

Joe M in WV