ok i,m trying to remove my starter and i have an issue with the stupid clutch (or at least i assume the clutch). the geniuses at gm designed the deal that comes out of the lower passenger side of the transmission so that it is in the way of every possible attempt to remove the starter can i simply unbolt this thing and get it out of the way temporarily to remove the starter or do i have to abandon all hope and have a mechanic do the honors?

Please tell us what vehicle you're working on. Generally clutch linkage is located on the drivers side.

i figured out what it was (by the way it's a 95 k1500 pickup) it was the slave cylinder for the hydraulic system that my clutch uses. i just unbolted it and got it out of the way so that i could get the old starter out and the new one in. only problem is that when i put it back in, i didnt get the end of the shaft coming out of the slave cylinder all the way into the hole in the tranny so i got it started and pushed the clutch pedal but that little shaft didnt go into the tranny and therefore i bent the rod that connects the clutch pedal to the master cylinder. that kinda pissed me off, but i fixed it so it's all good now.