Clutch not disengaging?

[Dan-MI]

Sorry for the length, but I want to tell the whole story. I need a little help trying to diagnose a problem. Just my luck to have multiple problems all at once. The car was running fine when the trottle stuck, it wouldn't stop revving. So shut it down and spayed a liberal amount of WD40 on the linkage thinking that was the problem. When I got in to try to start it, the clutch had almost no pressure when pushed. It also stayed on the floor. So I had it towed home. When I climbed under there was no return spring on the linkage, so I got a spring (thanks to OGTS for suggesting a cheap local part). Put that on and the pedal came back up fine but still felt real soft. So I pulled out the manual again and read up on adjustments. The E clip was still there, but the cable took a fair amount of adjustment to get the slack out of the pedal. Pedal pressure is still soft. When I tried to start it this time the starter wouldn't engage. You could hear it grinding its little teeth off. Stopped that and pulled the starter. The local rebuild guy tested it and replaced the bendix gear. Put the starter back in and it engages just fine. But the engine made a weird grinding metalic noise when turning over. Not normal. I tried putting it in gear instead of neutral, put the clutch to the floor and tried starting again and the car begins to roll. So now to the questions.

It appears the clutch never totally disengages. Would that be the cause metalic grinding noise? What would be the likely cause of the clutch not disengaging? Next, how tough is it to pull apart? While my son and I have totally disassembled a Mini Cooper, the Mini is lawn mower simple compared to the GT.

I'll worry about the carb later. I know the solution is a Weber, but that has to wait awhile.

[baz]

it sounds like the clutch fork may have come off its pivot so you are pushing on nothing when you put the pedal down and the fork is catching on the pressure plate making the noise as it turns if you get hold of it where it sticks out of the bell housing it will feel real lose and be able to move side to side , with the "e"-clip off you should be able to rehook it then put the tension back on the cable and put the e-clip back on ,if it still feels and sounds funny it will need looking at incase the thrust bearing has come of the fork (you might just be able to see with a torch and a hand mirror if it has come off through the hole )

[Dan-MI]

Ok, by side to side you do mean in the direction it moves when you push the pedal or more of an in/out as if pulling and pushing it in and out of the openning? It seemed stiff in the direction of travel when you push the pedal.

[baz]

in towards the bellhousing and out or up and down (across the normal movement )

[West Coast GT]

Perhaps your clutch plate is disintegrating from old age and a hard life (aren't we all), and you might have broken a piece off which has become wedged between it and the pressure plate.

Most likely symptoms would be:
1. clutch goes mostly to the floor before it offers resistance.
2. vibration once the car is moving due to the out-of-balance clutch assembly.
3. difficulty starting or burning the starter out from trying.
4. grinding from the bell housing.