<VV> Clutch cross shaft wear

[chuck mckinley]

Three times now in the last fifteen years I've run into a situation
where something in my clutch cross shaft wears out and the stud gets
sloppy at the right end (passenger end) so that going into reverse, the
cross shaft wiggles back and forth and the clutch engages very jerkily.
The first time all I had to do was tighten the nut on the stud (which
hadn't been tight when I got the car.) The second time, I had to replace
the stud. No big deal. Now the stud, or the cross shaft, or maybe even
the mounting bracket, appears to be worn, and I'm getting the same jerky
reverse symptoms as before. I'll be pulling the whole assembly apart
tomorrow when I have room in the garage, but I thought I'd check with
you to find out what the normal wear history is, so that (1) I can order
the right replacement part(s), and (2) I can take whatever steps might
be advisable to delay a recurrence of the problem.
For what it's worth, the car has about 80,000 miles on the running gear.

Thanks in advance,
Chuck McKinley
'63 Monza 900 80 hp 3-speed