100% agree. Just sent several pic's to a tech at CF, his thoughts are this pressure plate was hosed from the get go or became so after install. he said in his opinion and experience two of the 3 lifting arms were not lifting or sitting down at the same as the third which correlates to the hot spots on the PP.
Parts just arrived so off to work I go May not know much until the linkage parts arrive from Brewer's which likely won't be until next week.
Will keep all updated

Be weary of some bushing which aren't oil impregnated. I've seen them being sold at some shows.

With our current supply chains executive money grubbing, cost cutting, and overseas suppliers trying to out bid each other it is hard to know who to trust anymore when it comes to quality. Quality sources/brands are not what they used to be. Even Napa has buckled in to selling 💩. So one does have to be very selective when choosing parts.

Before removing the flywheel, I'd like to check the runout of the face. Indicator base on the block, needle on the face.

That dark spot looks about 180 from where the grinding marks are visible. Like the flywheel wobbles.

Be a good idea to check that on the new flywheel too. Who knows if the crank flange is bent. Unlikely but not impossible.

Bellhousing concentricty is important too.

There may be multiple little things adding up.

A kwik update:
1. The crank flange had a high spot ring around the outside preventing the FW from sitting flat on the entire flange surface. Wasn'nt really noticeable until one looked at flange pattern the back of the FW. Rust or something similar (orange & black spotting) was evident on the flange. A kwik pass with a flat aluminum block confirmed the presence of the ring.
2. The pilot bushing was not installed straight as the upper lip was proturding
3. The Z bar mount is definitely tweaked
4. new flywheel mounted showed 0 variation to the block measured across the face
5. Bellhousing run out checked at .022"
Waiting for offset dowels to get the bellhousing in spec

glad to see everything is getting back to normal.
did you check runout on the old flywheel ? if you did, i missed it.
who knows "how many fingers has been in that pie" in over 50+ years ?

No I did not, When I saw the PP I figured anything beyond wass just burning time. I already have too much in it as it is

Hopefully the RobbMc dowels and directly from Him , Summit sells the lakewood branded RobbMc type now and they are almost 150 a pair vs. 39 a pair ...

well having too much to do, plus a little more, keeps one out of the bars and away from chasing wild women.

Never been one for bars, my mother taught me it was god place to find trouble whether you wanted it or not This was further impressed upon my young mind when a good friends neighbor had an altercation with an individual at a small strip mall bar on a Saturday early afternoon in a nice part of Santa Clara, Ca about 1973-4. The disagreement was settled out back with the other person leaving afterwards. 2 or 3 hours later when the neighbor walked out the front door he was blasted twice with a 12ga.

Wild women? known a few, kind of like bars IMO, nothing but trouble LOL No use for them either

I certainly wish i had know about those before pulling the trigger on the summit / lakewood ones Oh well next time
Didn't get much accomplished today other removing the dowels. The welding a bolt trick worked really well especially with the motor still in the car. So thanks for the suggestion Still learning at 69 YO
Attaching a few pic's of the back of the crank and FW where one can see it was only seating on the outer edge along with non shouldered bolts

Nothing like multiple issues contributing to one big problem. Back in the 80's, I had a 360 crank worked on by Hank The Crank. One of the operations done by them was to true up the rear flange.

I was thinking maybe a bent crank

I thought everyone that's a longtime member knew about them , the good thing I guess is it's on the customers dime. I have all 3 available offsets in my stash , would have really hurt at the summit price ...

The first time I bought them all they were only 28 a set ...

RobbMC dowels

I have his site bookmarked now. And I agree, the Lakewood prices are flat thievery IMO

Summit branded offset dowels are even less than RobbMc

https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/bellhousing-dowel-pins?N=dowel-pin-diameter-in%3A0-500-in

https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/bellhousing-dowel-pins?

the only drawback with those dowel pins, they are .500, while the mopar pins are .495-.496.
that extra .004 in diameter will prove to be fun installing them, then the bellhousing or transmission case holes may need enlarging by a few thousandths so the pins fit there.

Just an FYI Sniper, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong
the summit pins are oversized at .500 which work well in a ford but Mopar's use a .496 diameter pin. If one does get them in you're not going to turn them. Additionally, the same is true for the bell housing side/holes as I found out yesterday
So to use the "Other guys" pins one will have to polish them down with some aggressive paper (80 grit) and a lathe, drill press or such. DO REMEBER you have to do BOTH ends of the Dowel. If not when installing the bellhousing it may push the offset side of the dowel partially into the block causing it to seize as I found out yesterday, My D/A fault for not thinking this through again. Fortunately this only happened on 1 of the 2 pins and it was the lower more accessible one.
After seizing, it broke one allen driver bit while trying to rock it back and forth. OK get another. The sides of the allen socket on the dowel then split/ fractured. THANK GOD FOR CARBIBDE BITS 🙏
So what should have been a 2-3 hour job at most turned into about 8-9.

The RobMc pins are a two piece design in which the dowel in the block is separate from the bellhousing dowel. Once installed you rotate the bellhousing half of the pin to where you want it and the lock it down with the internal screw. Last night I would have paid 300.00 for a pair of those pins. ROBMC PIN LINKY
I tried ordering them yesterday but no one answered
From my limited searching he and Brewers appear to be the only offering the correct size pins. It was too late for Brewers.
And I alos thought about John RR as he said he had them but again to late to get them o/nited
So Today I will give the summit ones another shot with both ends turned down to the .496 diameter. Wish me luck

OK You Treed me are we even now ? 😂😂

Well, the Mopar pins are at .500" too so your screwed which ever way you go.