Tom,
One possibility is that you installed your clutch disk backwards. Most
clutch plates have a hub sticking out of one side where the spline is and
the other side is flat. The hub should face away from the flywheel. If
the hub is towards the flywheel, then the clutch will never release.
It is also possible that you have the release bearing or fork installed
incorrectly or that the parts that you received are wrong. Your
description of having to pull the bellhousing tight the last 1 1/2 inches
would fit with the release bearing hitting the fingers on the pressure
plate too early. This could cause the entire assembly to bind due to over
release.
Last but not least, do you feel any resistance to the clutch pedal when you
push it? If not, you may have just the opposite problem where the release
bearing is not pushing on the pressure plate. Maybe the fork or pivots are
worn or the parts are incorrectly assembled.
How much movement do you have at the slave cylinder? A half an inch or
more is necessary to release the clutch, I believe. Can you see inside the
bell housing and watch things move? I have never worked on a clutch for
these cars.
Unfortunately, most of these problems require engine removal to fix.
Good luck,
Bill Eastman
61 MGA fun to drive sports car fossil as reported by our resident MGA
historian, Bob Allen (for someone who disdains them so you sure have a lot
of literature on them, Bob ;-)
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