clutch/trans concerns and questions *long post*

[DHMag]

im in the midst of a clutch job and need some futher input on a few things. ive read on here many times about it being a *MUST* to have the flywheel resurfaced. ive spoken with my dad about it, whose opinion i respect highly, and he says if the flywheel is flat, doesnt show signs of heat/temper loss, then it doesnt need to be resurfaced. here on the forum, ive read some pretty horrible stories about SHOwners having to tear back into the clutch 2 or 3 times because they didnt have the flywheel surfaced. this creates major concern for me as to whether i should get it surfaced or not. could anyone help sway me one way or the other ? also, the flywheel dowels(if i get it resurfaced), could i punch em out and reuse em ? or should i just get new ones ? are they Ford only or could i use any steel dowel ?

as for the TOB, i noticed a few things (other than exposed ball bearings). the aluminum quill sleeve is still intact without anywhere on it. ill be purchasing my clutch set from Auto-Zone and i dont think it has the new design TOB in it. it is a Cumberland NU022 clutch set. since the quill sleeve is still in good shape, could i just stick with the OE design TOB ? yeah, i know itll fail on me sooner than the redesigned but the OE lasted 125K miles.

the clutch lever has a "clutch release lever stud" in the top arm. it was broken when i pulled the trans, and closer inspection showed its plastic. is it needed ? if so, should i get another one from the Ford house or could i just stab a roll pin in there ? looks like it keeps the TOB from wandering too much on the quill. also, the clutch lever arms have some wear on them from pushing on the TOB, is this wear normal ? the back side of the TOB actually has worn down a bit, telling me i was having to force the TOB out when depressing the clutch.

on a lighter note, i was relieved to find the reason my A/C compressor locked up. when i got the SHO, my dad and i retrofitted to R134 and put on a new A/C clutch. a month later, it locked up tight. today, i removed the bad unit and replaced it with a used unit i got from a friend. i tore apart the locked up unit to find the swash plate badly mangled from a dislodged "bearing." also, on piston had a nice plivot in it from maybe too much RPMs (i was taching 5K wth A/C on when it locked up...****, it was enough to **** the motor at WOT). i had thought my dad and i did something wrong when we converted from R12 to R134, but that wasnt the case. alas, i was *VERY* relieved. i hooked up the other compressor, dumped a can of R134 in it, and sat and wondered if i had cold A/C now (as i sat on the porch and looked at the seperated subframe and body). shrug

on an even lighter note, i tinted my own windows for the first time today ! shooo...looks sweet, compared to the bubbly, torn, purple tint that was on there before. and the light duty silicone spray i put on the tires 3 weeks ago still shines like new....man, i want my SHO back .

anywho, back on topic, could anyone help me out with my clutch related questions and concerns ? Thanks In Advance

 

[sdpatt]

Dale, Get the flywheel resurfaced at a NAPA auto parts store for $25. You really need to let the new clutch disk start with a smooth, fresh surface. Just use two wrenches turning in opposite directions to remove and reinstall the flywheel bolts.

The SHO NUT clutch set used the Ford throwout bearing (TOB) which came with a new nylon "pin" in the sealed TOB package. Any new TOB should come with a new pin.

Wear on the clutch fork fingers is natural and should be expected. There is supposed to be a little grease applied to these wear locations during installation. Do not apply any grease to the quill sleeve or the contact area between the TOB and pressure plate fingers.

I had a long write-up about my clucth replacement service with picture link here. If you would like to borrow the engine support brackets that I made, you are welcome to have them. I also still have Murph's old flywheel and it has alreay been resurfaced. It is the DFW area "spare flywheel" I believe. I also have Brian M's SHO NUT clutch video an procedure which were a great help. Get in touch with me about swapping these items if you need them.

 

[SHOpar]

I'd spend the little extra time and money right now to resurface the flywheel, rather than risk finding out it needed resurfaced after you have everything put back together. Any decent machinist will install new flywheel dowels.

Also, it would be a REALLY good idea to replace the rear main seal and oil pan gasket while you have the flywheel and trans off. It's pretty easy to do, relatively cheap, and will prevent the inevitable rear main leak.

I would highly recommend you at least get the OEM clutch kit from SHOnut Performance, as this is known to be a good clutch, and is a bargain at $219 delivered. I didn't see a listing for the Autozone clutch on their webpage, but I noticed you can buy a reman clutch disc - something you NEVER want to do on our SHOs. I had a Ford reman disc and pressure plate in my SHO that must have been installed under warranty before I bought it. At 50K, I had to install the car's 3rd clutch! headbang rant

Just remember that you don't want to tear back in there again any time in the near future, so spending a little more time and money to do everything right the first time is well worth it IMO. thumb