and your tranny has not been torn down....your just flaming him. Those flywheels are prone to the plate warpage Ash mentioned. Your clutch could simply be out of adjustment....and since it's not going into reverse thats what i would vote for. Also you could have a weak master or slave. You need to post after you have resolved this with some mechanical facts and not slam ASH with bullshit heresay from a couple of garages.