Do these cars ever run any length of time without breaking or am I just real unlucky?
They do, and no you're not.
If your car was idle for 28 years, I think you have to resign yourself to the fact that it's going to take a while to iron all the kinks out of it. You can pretty much guarantee that every seal is buggered, all lubrication and/or protection would have dried up or disappeared. If you haven't done your timing gear already it's only a matter of time.
But.
Once you do sort the teething problems out you'll find a Holden can be incredibly reliable, despite its half-century.
There's plenty of blokes who spend tens of thousands of dollars on modified cars and still find themselves needing a tow-truck occasionally for the first few months. Don't let it get you down. It's all part of the "fun". It doesn't necessarily seem like it at the time, but you learn from it. I've had an FE as a daily driver for more than 20 years, and there's been a few times I've had to push it off an intersection, usually by myself. But I've learnt a lot about engines, transmissions, electricals etc along the way. I had to do the same thing with my stock FE the day after the reco engine went in, because the (original) coil failed in the extreme heat. It gives you the screaming heebee jeebies at the time, but hey, it's all part of life.
Now, getting back to your clutch. There's a special tool for setting the clutch to ensure it's located properly. Was that done? If it's only shuddering in reverse I'm assuming it is around the right way (that's also a trap for young players!)
cheers
RET
