clutch suggestions

I too need clutch info. What should I have buoght?? Here's TMI! My 91 5.0 has an X pipe, E cam, headers and big exhaust, ported stock intake, very ported e7 heads, big throttle body, MSD, cold air intake etc. I ditched the cooked X style puck clutch disc, trashed cable and overheated flex plate that came with it. (it was in some racing class before I got it.) We went with the HD parts store clutch and re-faced the flywheel. But it smells like cooking clutch material when I get throttle happy, and I may have high RPM slippage in first gear. But it is SO much more streetable than something with no springs and no off idle slip. TFS heads and the ported Explorer intake are next up for power level. But super charging, turbo, and NO2 are NOT ever going to happen, and the 347 is a LONG ways off. I want to drive this thing and still not worry about going zoom-squeal on ocassion. No slicks are in the plans, just better control arms. Can I get good streetability and HD clutch life while being easy on my left leg joints? Thanks for the good advice!

centerforce dual friction in my car around 400rwhp very pleased

Talk to Walt or Wally at Promotion Powertrain.

ProMotion Powertrain FORD/GM Performance Manual Drivetrain Specialist FL

We offer the Super Street Pro P/N 75205 that is good for 500HP. This kit comes complete with a pressure plate, dual friction disc, throw out bearing,pilot bearing and pilot tool. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

mcCloud twin disk is still the best clutch ive ever owned. where in phx are you? im on the west side near Luke AFB

Luk stuff isnt bad, a stage1 spec, king cobra or any other entry level clutch should hold just fine for your combo.

I've seen Low end luks hold up to 350wheel cars all day long (lot of clutch life depends on driver obviously). But like Rick said, a stage 1 spec or something along those lines will do fine for you. Sure a lot of those twin discs are really great clutches, they're just overkill for your current car.

McLeod Racing Super Street Pro P/N 75205 clutch set

McLeodRacing said:

We offer the Super Street Pro P/N 75205 that is good for 500HP. This kit comes complete with a pressure plate, dual friction disc, throw out bearing,pilot bearing and pilot tool. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Click to expand...

SInce you offered, I do have two questions.

1. How is chatter with this set? I am guessing it will have smooth engagement with the "dual friction" disc. Am I up to date enough to be right? The X puck required a lot of RPM for smooth engagement.

2. How much heavier is the pedal pressure? Will I be more worn out or break the cable if I get stuck in a "stop and stop" trafic situation or a busy drive through? My '79 cracked the floor under the front seat's rear leg due to clutch pressure (and a maybe because of a heavy first owner).
Thanks!

7991LXnSHO said:

SInce you offered, I do have two questions.

1. How is chatter with this set? I am guessing it will have smooth engagement with the "dual friction" disc. Am I up to date enough to be right? The X puck required a lot of RPM for smooth engagement.

2. How much heavier is the pedal pressure? Will I be more worn out or break the cable if I get stuck in a "stop and stop" trafic situation or a busy drive through? My '79 cracked the floor under the front seat's rear leg due to clutch pressure (and a maybe because of a heavy first owner).
Thanks!

Click to expand...

1. There are always potential for chatter on a dual friction style disc, due to several variables like power,weight,size of tire,rear gearing and the ability for the driver to under power the clutch. The more throttle you give the car the better the engagement should be.

2. Our pressure plate is about 20% than say a "King Cobra" pressure plate. The cracking of the floor isn't really due to the clutch itself, this is a problem with the design in the foxbody itself. We have a automatic car the was a transplant into a manual and it has the same stress cracks in the floor.

Please keep in mind that I am not trying to sell you anything. I have no financial interest in any of the companies that advertise here. I will offer you advice based on 19+ years driving and fixing 5.0 Fox body Mustangs.

The best street strip clutch for a 5.0 Mustang with limited mods and no NO2 or pressurized induction is the Ford Racing King Cobra clutch and pressure plate. This clutch kit will work for 400+flywheel HP, which should be sufficient for any street/strip N/A car. The pedal effort is not high and it has smooth, even engagement for easy driving in stop & go traffic.

Transmission and Clutch replacement 79-95 V8 Mustangs

Before you get started, buy a Chilton or Haynes shop manual. You will need it for the bolt torques and patterns.

1.) Jack up the car front and rear, use jack stands to be safe. I use some very tall jackstands that I bought for my wife’s SUV to get enough clearance. To get the trans out when using a transmission jack, you will need 22”-25” clearance.
2.) Put a 2x4 wood block under the engine oil pan to support the engine. Jack it up slightly. This prevents damage to the motor mounts when the transmission mount is removed. The oil pan is plenty strong for this purpose. Disconnect the negative battery cable. You will need a couple of extensions and a ½” swivel socket to remove the top starter mount bolt, which is accessed from the front and under the headers. Leave the starter wiring connected unless you plan to change the starter at this time.
3.) Label all the wiring for the transmission before disconnecting it. Disconnect the O2 sensor cables at their connectors. Disconnect the speedo cable by pulling it straight out of the VSS sensor, or by removing the bolt that holds the VSS sensor in place. If you remove the VSS sensor, zip bag & tag it along with the bolt that secures in place.
4.) Remove the drive shaft, the rear bolts are 12 MM. You will need a high quality 12 point wrench for this: do not skimp or you risk rounding off the bolt heads. A helper to step on the brake to keep the drive shaft from turning will be helpful. Use your foot to apply pressure to the wrench to loosen the bolts. Note the yellow markings in the drive shaft and write down their alignment.
5.) Put a catch pan under the rear of the transmission to catch the fluid when you slide the yoke out of the transmission. I recommend that you drain the transmission at this time. There is a pair of pipe plug filler ports on the side of the transmission. Use the lower plug to drain the fluid.
6.) Inside the car, remove the shifter boot and then remove the shifter handle
7.) Remove the H pipe & rear trans cross member. The chassis to cross member bolts are metric, you need a 15 MM & 17 MM socket or wrench. Note the direction and size of the humps on the cross member and write it down. Inspect the rear transmission mount and replace if damaged.
8.) Remove the transmission. You will need a long extension & a universal joint with a ¾” socket. A transmission jack or a helper is almost a must have unless you can bench press 75-100 pounds with ease.

Steps 9-21 are for clutch removal and replacement.
9.) Remove the clutch cable cover and pry the throwout bearing arm forward enough to slide the cable off.
10.Remove the bell housing using the long extension & a universal joint socket. Note how the throwout bearing rides it the throwout bearing arm, and which end faces the clutch pressure plate. Write it down or make a drawing if necessary.
11.) Remove the bolts securing the pressure plate to flywheel. Be sure to label & zip bag them separately from the rest of the parts. Work in a star pattern to reduce stress on the pressure plate mounting tabs.
12.) Remove the flywheel mount bolts, as you will need to either replace or re-surface the flywheel. Be sure to label & zip bag them separately from the rest of the parts. Tap the locator dowels out of the flywheel with a 1/4" pin punch. Zip bag them together with the flywheel bolts.
13.) Inspect the transmission input shaft where the throwout bearing rides. Replace it if worn or damaged.
14.) Inspect the throwout bearing, throwout bearing arm and ball pivot stud for wear or damage.
15.) Inspect the rear oil seal for leakage and replace if required.
16.) Remove & replace the pilot bearing. A puller borrowed or rented is helpful here. A wood block will be used to drive it home.
17.) Install the flywheel, noting that the bolts are an odd pattern, and it only lines up one way so that all the bolts go in easily. Torque to specs according to the shop manual. Install the locator dowels at this time.
18.) Install the clutch disk with the hub springs facing the rear of the car. Use a pilot tool available for $3-$4 from the auto parts store to line it up.
19. Install the pressure plate, be sure to use the pilot tool prior to tightening the pressure plate bolts. Torque to specs according to the shop manual. Remove the pilot tool when you are finished torquing the bolts.
20.) Install the throwout bearing on the throwout bearing arm, noting the direction of the bearing and it mounting in the arm.
21.) Install the bell housing. Torque to specs according to the shop manual.
End of clutch replacement steps

22. Install the transmission, have the transmission jack or helper at hand to lift it into place. Watch out that the stub of the shifter does not tear the shifter boot. Some transmission mount bolts with the heads cut off can be used to help support the transmission as you slide it home. It may be necessary to press the clutch pedal to get the transmission to slide the last ½” or so. Remove the guide studs if you used them & torque to specs according to the shop manual.
23.) Reinstall the clutch cable by prying on the throwout bearing arm. Replacement of the stock cable or quadrant is recommended if you haven’t already done so. With adjustable cables, both nuts go on the back side of the throwout bearing arm.
24.) Reinstall the rear crossmember & transmission mount. Torque to specs according to the shop manual.
25.) Reinstall the wiring and speedo cable or VSS sensor if you removed it.
26.) Reinstall the drive shaft, slide the yoke in place. Align the rear yellow markings and install the bolts. A helper to step on the brake to keep the drive shaft from turning will be helpful. Use your foot to apply pressure to the wrench to tighten the bolts.
27.) Remove the jack from under the engine oil pan.
28.) Refill the transmission with the proper fluid. T5’s use Dextron ATF, Tremec 3550’s use GM Synchromesh. There is a pair of pipe plug filler ports on the side of the transmission. Use the top plug as the filler port.
29.) Adjust the clutch cable according the manufacturer’s instructions if you have an adjustable cable & quadrant. Set the emergency brake and use the drag it provides in order to determine where the clutch starts to engage. You should have 1 -1 ½” free play from the top. The cable will not have any slack and will have some preload on it when properly adjusted.
30.) Re-install the H pipe and remaining items.
31.) When you have visually checked all the bolts, fittings and other parts are present and not interfering with each other, then take the car down off the jack stands.
32.) Be prepared to put the car back up on the jack stands to adjust the clutch and tighten up any loose items found after the test drive…

If you have a T5, you may be able to remove the trans & re-install it if you can bench press the 75 lbs that it weighs. If 75 lbs is too heavy, don't hurt yourself, get a trans jack. If your car has a Tremec 3550 or TKO, you will need a helper or trans jack because it weighs 100 + lbs. I built a trans jack from 2x2 angle iron, some swivel casters, 2x4's, 2x6's and a cheap floor jack. PM me if you are interested & I will send you the photos (8 MB) with the write up.

While you are at it, replace the stock cable & quadrant if it is still present. My choice for clutch & quadrant for street use:
Ford Racing M-7560-A302N - Ford Racing Clutch Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Ford Racing M-7560-A302N king cobra clutch kit $215-$245
Ford Racing M-6375-B302 - Ford Racing Flywheels - Overview - SummitRacing.com flywheel, cast iron $92

The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just a good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

Using a stock OEM cable and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.

See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.
Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90
Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40