Lost clutch and lots of bellhousing noise

I was out for a ride at lunch continuing the shake-down tour on my '71 CJ-5 w/ Hurricane engine. After accelerating from a stop the clutch went to the floor between second and third followed by a tremendous racket in the bellhousing area. I immediately powered down and pulled off to the side where right off I noticed the linkage between the clutch pedal and the bellcrank had popped loose (at the bellcrank). It apparently just had some kind of pop-on cap on the end where it bent 90 degrees and went through the hole and it had had become a pop-off cap. Fiddling around I noticed the clutch fork cable had also come loose from the clutch fork control lever. I have no idea what's going on inside the bellhousing, but it was noisy enough and I was close enough to the house that I called the spousal tow unit and had her pull me in to the driveway where things will sit until I have time to dive into them properly this afternoon after work, a macanudo and some tequila.

Any thoughts and/or tips appreciated.

p.s. my problem with sticky valve-related issues was solved with a can of Seafoam in the gas and oil and rocker area... for now, anyway.

 

My guess would be that the noise is either the throw-out bearing or the clutch fork came loose. . . . or both.

 

I got home and didn't have nearly enough tequila - loosened the floor panels, removed the access plate and pulled out, with great difficulty, what was left of an extremely greasy and mangled fork - it looks like the flywheel and clutch played hockey with it. The retaining spring is AWOL, but the WELL lubricated throwout bearing is intact and moving back and forth, round and around nicely. The fork is Toast. I'll have a new one on the truck from Houston in the morning.

Any hints on how to install the new retaining spring - through the starter hole?

 

Very carefully...

IIRC it can be done, just barely, through the fork opening - with a lot of cussing. I did it once but that was several decades ago.
I think there was a post on here about doing that a while ago.

 

I did it too, but it wasn't easy. I was using a larger inspection mirror and a very long pair of long-nosed pliers, bent at a 90 degree angle at the end, standing on my head under the dashboard...

 

My first guess would have been that clutch lever too, but mine was in a Volvo. I pulled the transmission out did some welding to fix it then reinforced the heck out of it. OK, break again now you little bastid. No tequiilla was involved but as I remember there might have been a beer in the garage.