I took out my 91 Firebird today and I have the T56 swap i performed two years ago. I run the Centerforce Dual Friction clutch and I never had a problem with the trans/clutch up until today. I'm a little confused. I was in fourth gear and about to downshift. I had the clutch pedal all the way down and i heard/felt a grinding noise. It only happend three times, but all within the last trip i took. It still seemed to shift and drive fine like it usually has... I have a new slave/master cylinder assembly waiting to go into the car, I just haven't had the time to do it yet. The stock slave unit I have in the car right now has a slow leak. I'm really hoping that it is the slave/master assembly and not something with the clutch / transmission. Also, is there a possibility that the clutch fork may have slipped off or rotated somehow? How would I check to make sure the fork is on the TOB CORRECTLY? Any help is appreciated as I want to take my car out again sometime soon. I appreciate any comments.

If your hydraulics have a leak then you should know what's causing this. You aren't getting full clutch disengagement because there's probably air in the system. Remember if fluid can get out; air can get it.

That's what I'm hoping it is. I already have the new slave/master assembly waiting to go in when I get time. I just hope I'm not hurting anything else. I turned around and brought it right home. The grinding occured when the trans was still in gear, with the clutch all the way to the floor. The pedal still felt normal? Also, when I install the new hydraulic assembyl, I can just leave that plastic piece attatched to the slave, correct? It should just snap the first time I press the clutch in?

I've heard you can leave that piece in place. I removed mine and have had no issue with it.

Another contributing factor to this problem is your Centerforce clutch. It is well documented that the Centerforce disc is thicker than the OEM disc. This means you need more travel to fully get the pressure plate off of it. With your hydraulics being just the tiniest bit off it is probably enough to cause a problem. I've had issues with properly functioning hydraulics when using the Centerforce clutches in 3rd and 4th gen cars. I prefer SPEC clutches for just this reason.

Well i hope it's not the clutch itself, although I've heard this as well. I have next to zero money so not sure what to do. Doesn't help I have no spare time with the car, my house, friends and whatnot. I may be able to replace the slave / master on sunday hopefully. Would i have to remove the brake booster? When I did the install, I had the motor out of the car so it was really easy.

Could be your fork is grinding into your pressure plate do to over travel. Have a look at the face of your pressure plate around the outer edge, doesn't take much travel for the fork to hit.

I pulled by brake booster when I did my install. It isn't difficult and gives you a lot of room. Just slide the master forward and you won't have to remove it. The lines have enough slack/flex to allow this.