Used cat's & another Milano clutch problem

[Rosso75@xxxxxxx]

This may get long....

  Easy stuff first.  A couple weeks ago I posted that I found a place that
sells used cats and I had quite a few folks ask me about it.  Apparently they
send them to a place in southern Va. that soaks them in some chemical that
removes all the buildup in the converter, flush it, dry it out, and re-test
it.  The converters are then fully EPA re-certified.  Sounds like a lot of
hocus-pocus, but stranger things have happened.  I got a price for my Milano
of $200, though they weren't sure if they had one.  If they didn't, they said
they could send mine out and have it done.  The place that sells them is in
Marlow Heights Md., called Foreign Car II.  It's part of a large chain of
local yards (Brandywine, for those who know) and they can be reached at
301-423-0363 or (maybe) 800-638-3446.  No affiliation, yadda yadda yadda.
Another option, maybe, is to e'mail the EPA (off their web site) and see if
they can give you a list of places in your local areas that do this sort of
thing.  If they gotta be EPA certified, then the EPA should know where they
are.

  Now the tough part.  About a week ago Terry Akins posted stating that Alfa
and Volvo parts were about equal in price.  I suggested Terry has been putting
the wrong tobacco in his cigarettes, and that everything on a Volvo is a 'big
ticket' item compared to the cost of parts for my Milano...so far.  I left
open the possibility that maybe I just hadn't come across the Alfa 'big
ticket' items yet.  Now I have, and I know this because I need them and
they'll cost me more than I paid for the car.  My apologies Mr. Akins (gotta
be nice to him....he's gonna help me but doesn't know it yet). 
  I felt well enough today to crawl under the car and see why my clutch won't
work...leaking clutch slave.  No problem.  Put in a new one, was in the
process of bleeding it, and noticed another problem.  I can bang the clutch
fork off both sides of the access hole in the trans....no resistance at all.
I figure that ain't right, so I check his (Terry's).  Sure enough, expert
diagnosis....it ain't right. 
  I pulled the clutch fork...no cracks, bends, or other obvious maladies.
Check the pivot ball...no problem.  Stuck my finger in and spun the release
bearing...spins ok but won't move forward or back, which seemed strange since
the fork would move from one end of the hole to the other when installed, but
I figured it was just the mechanical advantage of the lever vs. just getting
the tip of a finger on the bearing.
  So now I got the manual out, which in it's unique Italian to English
translated way is sometimes as clear as mud.  I'm trying to decipher how the
clutch works exactly.  On every other clutch I've done in my whole life the
clutch is actuated on one end, pivots on the other, and in the middle sits the
release bearing which is pushed toward the pressure plate when you step on the
pedal.  Naturally, the Milano appears to be different.  You step on the pedal
and that pulls the bearing away from the pressure plate.  
  So now my search is to try and figure out what acts on the bearing to move
it back forward when you release the pedal.  One of the clutch diagrams in the
manual shows a C-clip or something between the pressure plate and the clutch
disc and I'm thinking that attaches the release bearing to the pressure plate.
Yes?  No?  Why?  My thought is that the clip broke somehow.  The clutch was
replaced less than 1500 miles ago, though the car sat for 14 months just since
I've had it.  Maybe it rusted (condensation over time...? I have no clue),
maybe it just broke, who knows.  
  My questions:  Am I on the right track?  I've had a rattle that would go
away when I pushed in the clutch pedal and I'm thinking it may have been a
piece of that clip banging around.  Is it safe to assume that brand new clutch
is now a nice door stop?  Any good deals on clutch kits anywhere?  Is there
any aftermarket stuff available cheaper than OE and is it any good for this
application (like maybe a Centerforce clutch)?  If I'm going to do a clutch
then I'm going to pull the whole rear end out.  I could use a wheel bearing on
one side and might as well do the other.  Anything else I should look at while
it's apart?
  To add insult to injury, while I was under the car I noticed the pipe before
the rear muffler has a large spot of damage where the pipe at one time was
hitting the CV joint.  No hole yet, but I'm sure it's coming.  Also, the
center muffler has been pretty well beat, on speed bumps no doubt.  The real
treat though was when I noticed that one of the two pipes coming out of the
cat. converter has been welded by a graduate of the Helen Keller school of
welding.  Maybe it was damaged, maybe it broke off at one time, I'm not sure,
but it looks like crap and has lots of pinholes in it.  How hard is it going
to be to find someone to weld stainless?  If I have to replace it, is the 3.0
cat the same as the 2.5?  When I replace the exhaust, are Stebro and OE the
only real choices?  
"...we now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in
progress..."
thanks
Bryan Carter

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