Uphill reversing in the 66 gave me some sort of a chattering feeling in the clutch
 

While uphill reversing yesterday I got a sort of shaky feeling in the clutch. Is this the sign of the need for new engine and transmission mounts or is it the clutch? The clutch works perfectly in all forward gears and I have not reversed again to see if it does it when not going uphill.

It can be a lot of things but ususally it is clutch chatter. May be the flywheel, not the actual clutch disc itself.

JR

Symptom is of a slipping clutch; more pronounced in a gear reduction speed like first and reverse. Could be a worn clutch assembly or maybe a clutch free play issue (hopefully).

Sherwood

Not what I wanted to hear. I don't know how old the clutch is but it can't be more than 20,000 miles or so. Is that their lifespan? I do get stuck in traffic from time to time.

A clutch can last much longer than 20k. The problem may be that the flywheel has gotten hot from slipping the clutch. "Hot spots" on the flywheel can contribute to chatter. The problem is usuall worse in the lowest gear on the car and with a higher load (like you experienced when going up a hill) and can be worse at lower revs. Slipping the clutch more and at higher revs (while engaging it slower) can reduce the symptoms, although it may make the problem worse.

Check the easy stuff first. Clutch free play and travel, engine and trans mounts, clutch cable condition and routing, etc. If you do a search, you'll find lots of discussion on chatter.

JR

Quite often your "problem" can be nothing more than nature of the beast. As design progress was made over the years, symptoms like yours went away - never to return. The clutch release in your car, if not downright primitive, is at best basic. Reversing up hill puts an unusual load on the drive train, which can be somewhat alleviated by using a few more revs, or other technique changes. That said, there might be a slight possibility that the transmission main shaft seal has begun to leak, and the clutch disc is lightly contaminated with trans oil. Because all other driving/shifting efforts are normal, for now anyway don't give it a second thought.

Just drove it around and it didn't do it. I think the flywheel and clutch could have been real hot that day. I can live with that!