clutch replacement, what to do about flywheel

Everytime that i have replaced a clutch ive put a new flywheel in. You dont have to you can have the flywheel turned but for me its just the piece of mind knowing that i wont have to worry about it and that it should wear in properly. On that note to ill only replace it, if its the first time to replace and its all stock parts. Its pretty much personal preference change it if you want but if your strapped for cash just have the flywheel turned it should work just fine.
 
94_Cobra_5.0 makes a good point. To resurface a flywheel it should cost somewhere between $25-$40 depending on where you go and live. A new stock flywheel can be had for around $100 shipped if memory serves me right.
 
if the flywheel has not been resurfaced before then its fine. Yes a stock flywheel can only take so much resurfacing but if its never been touched before then you will be ok. I had mine resurfaced w/ over 100,000 on it when the aftermarket clutch went in and its been trouble free.
 
My95.0L said:
May want to look into getting an alum. one while you're at it.


how come? :shrug:


I dont see the possible advantage of having an alum flywheel unless your building a stout engine, other then that it seems like a waste of money when you can just resurface it for under $40
 
Striped5.0 said:
how come? :shrug:


I dont see the possible advantage of having an alum flywheel unless your building a stout engine, other then that it seems like a waste of money when you can just resurface it for under $40
I understand what you're getting at (personally I'm still running my stock flywheel), but in theory, an aluminum flywheel would allow your engine to rev faster as there would be less of an inertial load on the crank when you're trying to spin it. There *should* be a benefit to all engines.
 
well, i just had the clutch go out on mine and the way i look at it, i dont want to open it up again before it needs a new clutch so while im in there im doing the pilot bearing, rear main seal, and putting in a fidanza aluminum flywheel along with the king cobra clutch assembly. with me it was just a matter of not wanting to yank the tranny out 6 months from now to change the flywheel out for an aluminum one.
 
illwood said:
I understand what you're getting at (personally I'm still running my stock flywheel), but in theory, an aluminum flywheel would allow your engine to rev faster as there would be less of an inertial load on the crank when you're trying to spin it. There *should* be a benefit to all engines.



the question is if the benefit of the alum flywheel on a not heavly modded engine out weighs the cost of the flywheel?

What it really comes down to is cost and what whoever wants to do w/ there car. Im just running a resurfaced flywheel for now but when/if I ever upgrade my T-5 to something that wont blow up on me w/ alot of power then I'll prob put in a alum flywheel at that time as well.
 
well, just a suggestion here if you do go with an aluminum flywheel. i would definitely go with the fidanza. the surface is replaceable, and the flywheel will be good on ANY 302 based combo since it comes with a 0 imbalance and comes with 2 removable weights (28oz and 50oz). that is what made the decision for me. when i do get done building the 347, all i need to do is change the weight on the flywheel and bolt it to the new motor. as far as making a difference on a nearly stock motor, i put mine in when the car didnt have much done to it (headers, o/r h, cat back, gt40 intake, cold air kit, 70mm t/b, and timing at 14*). the car definitely was more responsive and did rev more freely, but i honestly dont think that the difference in driveability was worth the $349 i paid for it at the time. however, i did it because i knew i was doing my heads and cam soon, and that at that point the benefit would be much more noticeable.
 
Striped5.0 said:
the question is if the benefit of the alum flywheel on a not heavly modded engine out weighs the cost of the flywheel?
That is a damn good question. It would be nice to see some sort of data (timeslips or something) with the same driver, same driveline, running a steel vs. an aluminum flywheel.

The trouble is that most times several components get repaced at once, so it's hard to say which caused the benefit (i.e. I needed a clutch, so I put in an aluminum flywheel and dropped 2 tenths, but was that due to the flywheel or not having a clutch that slipped all the time).

Anyone with any data on the benefits of the aluminum flywheel?
 
Just a FYI, ebay has the Fidanza's for less than $300 shipped. I just got mine a week or so ago.

Like stated above, an aluminum piece has its advantages but i wouldnt do it at a stock level. When considering going with a billet steel vs aluminum where the price difference is $50 or so, then i say aluminum all the way. But when sticking with a basically stock setup, $40 for a resurface should do just fine.

The aluminum flywheel conversation has been brought up on here and corral a few times. A good search will reveal a lot. Its up to your pockets on which way to go:nice:
 
Heres my question. Is it neccessary to resurface my flywheel when I had it resurfaced maybe 1000 miles ago. I torn my engine back down and took the clutch and flywheel off. I plan resurfacing it, but this would be the 2nd time resurfacing it. Am I safe with the thickness. What are the specs for it.

Jeremy
 
DARK-5.0 said:
Heres my question. Is it neccessary to resurface my flywheel when I had it resurfaced maybe 1000 miles ago. I torn my engine back down and took the clutch and flywheel off. I plan resurfacing it, but this would be the 2nd time resurfacing it. Am I safe with the thickness. What are the specs for it.

Jeremy
i wouldnt resurface it unless theres some burn marks on there. if its still pretty clean just scuff it with some steel wool or fine grit sandpaper