I bought a 53 ford a little while ago for the drivetrain and it was suppose to have a new clutch and everything. So then 1 day i start the car up and hold the brake and let up the clutch a little bit and it still had a BAD chatter so its gotta be the clutch, I thought the rear was bad. I pulled the motor to get ready to swap the motor into another car and pulled the clutch off and everything visually seemed ok and fairly new as the guy claimed and the flywheel you can tell was resurfaced. I hear flatheads are common with this just not sure why or what to look for so I can fix or replace it. Any suggestions?
The earlier flatheads with the integral bellhousing had anti chatter rods which prevented fore and aft movement. My '40 has them and I have never had chatter. I don't remember seeing them on the '50s cars. If there is no oil or grease present on the clutch ( flathead rear seals and transmission seals are notorious for leaks) then the most likely problem is the pressure plate. If the springs are not pushing equally, then chatter will result. I don't know how you test it. If the fingers are at different heights that would be a clue. I would replace the whole clutch myself as it is just too much work to replace a clutch once it is all together in the car. p.s. don't forget the throwout bearing and steer clear of the cheap Chinese ones. I had one fail in less than a year.
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