I ordered a clutch kit for my 55 crown Victoria. It said it was for a 55 ford car. When it arrived it was an eleven inch clutch and pressure plate with a fine spline clutch disc. My car has a 10” course spline disc. Was this clutch for a thunder bird? Had to send it back or figure out a different flywheel.  After putting everything together my clutch grinds when on the floor and the transmission won’t go into gear   I’m thinking bad pressure plate

Is it a 272 or 292?

10in DIA & 10 SPLINE?

Are all linkages/bushes good? ADJ correct?

Where did you source the clutch?

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TBirds came with 11 inch clutches.Most sedans had 10 inches,  but I assume some may have come with a 11 inch.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Along with the different clutch sizes and splines I think there was more than 1 throw out bearing. That could be an adjustment problem, depending on what combinations you ended up with. It sounds like it’s not disengaging, hence the drag or interference, or both.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Don't know if this will help, but years ago I purchased a a 312 pulled from a 59 Mercury, The motor was mated to a 3 speed manual trans and the transmission  had the longest tailshaft I have ever seen on a Ford . I dropped the complete unit, the way it was, into a 56 Victoria. I did have to use a 56 Ford Z bar and clutch linkage.  I soon found out that I had to depress the clutch pedal with nearly all my strength to disengage the clutch. I did not try to run the car that way feeling that it would be impossible to drive that way. With the engine in place, I removed the trans, pressure plate, clutch disc and bellhousing. What I found was an 11 inch clutch disc with the pressure plate for an 11 inch clutch.and a flywheel that was drilled for the  the 11 inch clutch and pressure plate. I called a machine shop and asked about drilling the Mercury flywheel  to utilize the smaller clutch and the machinist told me it would be cheaper to find the correct flywheel and pressure plate. I wound up sourcing a flywheel, clutch disc, pressure plate and bellhousing  from a 56 ford parts car. Clutch pedal was then smooth with a minimum of pressure to depress it. I did discover that the Mercury clutch disc had a finer spline.

Thanks everyone for the help. After installing the new disc I used the old pressure plate that was working fine before,.it was grinding when I pushed the clutch near the floor. We pulled the transmission back enough to take the throw out bearing out. I put the new bearing on another “retainer” and the end stuck out a couple of inches so I cut the excess off. Put everything back in that solved the grinding problem but it still didn’t work right  (grinding sound when on the floor and transmission grinds when you try to put it in gear)my brother went under the car and when I pushed on the pedal he thinks one of the arms on the pressure plate is not lined up with the other 2 so it is twisting when appied. I ordered a clutch kit from Rockauto that was listed for a 1955 ford car with 292 and when it arrived it was an 11” and not the 10” like I have. I’m going to pull the transmission back out and see if I can adjust the arms where the bearing touches each one. I remember seeing they have adjustments on each arm. Sorry for my long winded explanation but I’m sure you get the gist of my problem

I am not an expert on numbers, but I think the only 55 Ford cars with a 292 were the TBirds. I think the passenger cars such as Fairlanes and Crown Victorias , even the ones equipped with 4 barrel carbs were 272 cars, and probably had the smaller clutch and pressure plate. 

"I am not an expert on numbers, but I think the only 55 Ford cars with a 292 were the TBirds. I think the passenger cars such as Fairlanes and Crown Victorias , even the ones equipped with 4 barrel carbs were 272 cars, and probably had the smaller clutch and pressure plate."

Your post heading read 11". Then within the post it became a 10". Then again, you described a later 292. Just trying to verify what you have and how it was built and/or modified to try and help.

I was just trying to narrow as to what you actually have. Then again, no telling of what the car has been through with service repairs, poor service repairs or any modification(s).

1955 POLICE AND EMERGENCY VEHICLES - https://1955-ford.com/1955-ford-police-and-emergency.html#police-engines


         

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Have you adjusted the clutch linkage before the z bar? Does the clutch pedal hit the floor? most likely it has been adjusted as the clutch wore down. new clutch disc will set the engagement point closer to the flywheel and your concern sounds like the throwout bearing isnt traveling far enough to disengage the clutch. new flywheel will come drilled for 11 inch long clutch or mustang 10.4 diaphragm. for the 10 inch you can get a ram long pressure plate and use a 10.5" clutch disc. good luck, hopefully its a cheap easy fix.
Seth

I should have explained what I have. I never had the original engine.I bought a 292 out of truck. There wasn’t any fly wheel or bell housing with it so I used my spare parts to put it in my 55 crown Victoria. It ran and shifted great. But when I decided to restore the car I pulled the engine and transmission out to put gaskets new rear main seal etc… put in a new clutch disc and found it grinded and wouldn’t go into gear .I noticed on rock auto there was a clutch kit for a 1955 ford  clutch,pressure plate,throw out bearing and input shaft bushing. So I ordered it and when I got the kit it was 11” not the 10” I assumed it was going to be. I just was wondering why it was advertised it for a 55 ford  . Could it be it was for a thunderbird?  I have a friend coming over today with his transmission jack and I’m hoping when we remove the transmission it’s the pressure plate that is the problem. The new pressure plate 3 arms aren’t adjustable but my old plate arms can be adjusted. Hope it can be adjusted I’m not happy laying on the concrete floor again