89 Clutch kit

[Tim Ferrell]

So I've searched the threads, which are many on replacement clutch kits for my 89 SHO, just basically looking for the kit (manufacture and part # if you have) that most recommend and with which throw out bearing. Seems that for me, the pressure plate fingers always wear out long before the clutch does. The car isn't driven daily and I've heard that the fingers weaken over time. Please advise on the best option for some performance and longevity. Thanks

 

[Irish Pride]

Asking which clutch kit to go with is like asking what brand oil do you use. You are going to get several different answers.

I personally prefer to use an O'Reillys Power Torque clutch kit in a stock or lightly modded SHO. I've always had good performance from them and if you buy it from O'Reillys you get a lifetime warranty. The O'Reillys clutch kit is a reboxed Sachs kit.

The weak point with the PP fingers is not the PP but the throw out bearing. The stock bearing doesn't seem to hold up over time and it's what actually eats thru the fingers. For that reason I recommend buying a SHOnut Ceramic TOB. You can get them directly from SHOnut Performance or via SHOSource. All my clutch replacements get a SHOnut bearing. Most of the time if I already have one in the car I just replace the clutch and PP and reuse the bearing. I have a good stockpile of new stock TOBs in my parts room.

-Chad

 

[luigisho]

Yeah there are a few common kits. The rebranded Sachs like Chad mentioned. I always had good luck with Valeo kits. Just make sure your clutch has been upsized already as the early cars (at least the 89's Im sure about) had the smaller clutches and many were upgraded to the larger size over time.

Chances are you have an upsized one in there but, maybe someone was an original equipment stickler and and kep the original size on there.

 

[BaySHO Performance]

I recommend Valeo from SHO Source or the Sachs / Power Torque K0122-01 from O'Reilly as well for a stock car that isn't going to be thrashed. If you want something more heavy duty, Clutchmasters stage 1 from SHO Source. It has 120 thou reinforcing straps with HD rivets vs. 80 thou on the others. Reduces the possibility of them bending under extreme shock load conditions.

And the Ceramic TOB will extend the life of the fingers. I've only known of a couple of cases where the friction disk has worn too thin as opposed to the dozens of cases with excessive finger wear.

 

[malphius]

Thank you for the helpful advice in this thread. I'm shopping clutches myself and there seems to be some conflicting information in the sales books that some of the sales reps are using.

For the 89', is it an 8.5" clutch or is it 9.750"? I'm also looking for the ceramic TOD but can't find that either. I checked SHO Source, but they seem to be out of stock. The O'Reilly kit says it's a 9.75 so I'm assuming that is the correct and universal size for the 89? Is the 8.5" for the base trim Taurus?

 

[BaySHO Performance]

Your '89 will have the 9.75" flywheel, not the 8.5". They started out with the smaller flywheel, but a factory recall swapped them out for the 9.75".
The Ceramic TOB is only available from http://www.shonutperformance.com/ but has been back ordered since last year. Supply chain issues.

 

[malphius]

Got it. Thanks, Nick.

 

[zak]

Heard from SHOnut that they and SHOsource are getting ceramic TOBs back in stock soon.