Check the block ground as well - we had a Dodge Omni that would be a no start after it was hot... Turned out block ground was all corroded inbetween on contact surfaces. Started intermittently, then got consistent with hot engine.

Starter couldn't complete the circuit since it wasn't grounding properly.

Rabin

Thanks Rabin, I looked at it briefly the other day but will pull it as well as the battery neg and ensure they are clean.

Reminds me of that Cruise we had a couple years ago...That was just a bad connection at the regulator. NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A MULTIMETER!

So finally installed my carbs that I sent out to Rhys for rebuilding this winter and went to fire up the engine to start tuning and the clutch pedal drops to the floor... From what I can see the hose to the slave is all wet so my first guess is either the fittings or the hose itself. Did some reading up on SWEM and get the impression that the MC and slave should be re-done with age as the seals will fail eventually if that wasn't the source of the leak to begin with. Looked on iPd and they have the MC for $118 and the SC for $80 plus the hose for $26 so not that much to be all new and good for another 49 years??

Get a Wilwood MC...same unit. Someone can tell you piston size. They're $50 on eBay everywhere. Or the rebuild kit is under $7. Slave is $65ish at WP. Braided stainless hose is on eBay too...at least they used to be.

Hey thanks Dale, that's a fair bit less. I was just going to get it all at iPd to save time and get the free shipping, but they don't have any slaves in stock anyway. I found the Wilwood MC on ebay at the $50 price and slaves as well around the WP price. Can't find any braided hose anywhere, tried a generic google search without success, actually the only hose I found at all was the rubber one on iPd. Looked on FCP and was surprised to see how overpriced they are on both MC and SC.

With a few fittings and mods a generic stainless -4 hose can be run for the clutch. It's also possible for the brake guys in Calgary (greenline) to make a stainless hose if you bring them in the part.

Thanks Craig I'll file that for future reference, I needed some stuff from iPd so I threw a hose on the order so I can try and get this thing on the road before the snow flys...

So finally got my stuff after USPS decided to route my Portland originating shipment via Philadelphia where they were kind enough to let it sit for 2 days before sending it North... Guess I was due as my USPS experience up till now has always been pretty good, just wish it wasn't something I really needed, oh well.

So the first attempt at fitting wasn't so quick. The rod on the Wilwood MC is probably an inch longer than the OG which means it hits the clutch pedal rod before you can do up the yoke. As both MC's are the same size in the body should I just hack off some of the rod to the same length as before?? The slave cylinder is also putting up a bit of a fight. The one I took off was fairly snug up against the fork and the new one seems like it needs to be really pushed up hard to get the bolts started. Both slaves are the same and the rod doesn't seem like it has any adjustment to it even though it's over half threaded? Pretty sure I can get the bolts started, just didn't want to force it too much in case I'm missing something obvious?

As far as the brake MC, yes: trim off as much of the rod as you need. As far as the clutch MC, I'm lost. Picture?

Sorry Matt, I probably wasn't very clear. The Wilwood MC is the replacement for the original Girling clutch MC, same body size just the rod is longer on the Wilwood The amount of stroke should be the same length given the identical bodies so I'll just trim off some of the rod so I can fit it to the clutch pedal arm.

The clutch Slave cylinder I bought is identical to the one I pulled. I just want to confirm that it's a tight fit when installing it with the actuator rod pressed up against the clutch fork.... Ok DUH, just realized that the adjustment nuts need to thread down the rod a bit to allow the slave cylinder to be bolted up and then adjusted after. Not sure what I was looking at before but it's clear to me now what I need to do.

One other thing I noted in Haynes is that there is supposed to be a return spring mounted on the fork, there wasn't one on here and nothing fell off under the car so how was the clutch working without one before??

I have a return spring for my clutch, but as you discovered it's not absolutely necessary. The springs in the clutch pressure plate are way strong enough to push the pedal up, haha!

Gravity will put a little hydraulic pressure on the slave cylinder, and this (plus the friction in the slave) will keep a slight bit of pressure on the throwout bearing. The return spring may or may not be enough (one would presume, "may") to overcome the gravity and friction within the slave to let the throwout bearing come off the spring forks on the pressure plate. Without it, the pressure plate will spin the throwout bearing all the time, and there will be some noise as the throwout bearing bounces around. It's not the end of the world without the spring, but it's not "factory ideal".

I'll post some pictures of the bracket and spring later so you have an idea of how it looks.

To the left is the engine side, to the right is the clutch fork. It sits this way in between the slave cylinder and the bellhousing.

Haven't posted, or done much with the car, in a while. Finally getting started on dealing with the crank end play issue we discovered last summer. Alllowable is in thousands, mine is probably 1/8" so out comes the engine. Before I started figured a compression test would be good idea to see what the general health of the engine looks like. Results were:

#1 - 142.5
#2 - 140.5
#3 - 66.5
#4 - 141.0

Engine burns no oil and has 50-70 psi oil pressure so hoping its just a valve and the rest is OK, we'll see. Not much with this car has been as the PO claimed, so I'm curious to see what we find when the engine is opened up. The rad and the alternator both look OK and have worked fine, but both are going in for a check and refurb, might as well do this right. The fuel line needs to be replaced so after the gas tank is drained I'm thinking it should come out and get cleaned/coated as well.

Having seen the video of that crank walk, I worry about the inside of your engine. The thickness of that thrust bearing is easily thinner than the amount your crank moves, so you're likely looking for a new core. I hope I'm wrong.

One low cylinder and no smoke is usually a valve, that's the rule of thumb anyway, but it could also be a wiped cam lobe. If the crank has burned through the thrust bearing it may be a moot point though. We'll burn that bridge when the time comes.