think its a synchro problem, rather than a slave issue. shifting to N then into 2nd helps a lot. checked the tranny fuild, its full
i did switch from redline to royal purple fluid.. maybe that made the difference.
while i was under there i noticed the bleeder valve on the slave has a slow leak around the threads so that will be fixed next. i think the valves usually come with sealant on the threads.. wonder what type is safe.
another new problem i noticed as well, instead of starting a new thread i'll include it here-- when i hold the throttle to 1.5k it will cause the rpms to dip down to 1.3 then back up, over and over. other rpm seem to be uneffected.
and yesterday the car started popping/backfiring more. today as well. i've probably idled the car for ~30min total since it was first started (its a rebuild) and driven ~10 miles. time for new plugs?