New Clutch On The Way

Either the stock clutch is about to explode or my paranoia is getting the better of me. I know the stocker wasn't going to last forever. The cars got 113xxx miles on it and the engine is putting out way more than it was ever intended to (as Ford intended it to). I don't beat the car too hard but it sees its fair share action. Nobody spends the money on a supercharger to putt around at 25 mph hour on nice Sundays. I really wanted to do the job on my schedule and not out of necessity but....

I keep finding single ball bearings on the floor of the garage and underneath my car, which I suspect are from the throw out bearing. After some spirited driving last week, something changed in the feel of the clutch. The next time I drove the car, it was having trouble going into and out of gears. A new notch appeared going in and out of each next gear, intermittently while shifting. 2nd has always had its little tricks but 3rd, 4th and 5th have never been anything but smooth until now. I figure the old TOB is spitting bearings and can't muster the push to fully disengage the clutch. I'm fearful it will leave me stranded, so new stuff is on the way.

Got a Spec 3+ clutch, Spec Billet Steel flywheel, ARP flywheel bolts, FRPP pressure plate bolts and pin kit, new Ford clutch fork pivot ball and MM clutch cable on the way. Already got my FRPP TOB, double hook quadrant, and pilot bearing, and a firewall adjuster that I'm not sure of the brand (its the jamb nut style). As of right now, I'm planning on reusing my original clutch fork.

If there is anything I have forgot or any words of caution/details (or encouragement), let me know.
Bet you all thought I was going to ask you what kind of clutch to get.

I know its overkill. A buddy of mine put the same setup in his boosted 98 Cobra. It has a good pedal feel and sustains his 500 rwhp pretty good. He's still running his stock T45. I'm hoping that it will last a good long time by never being run at its limits.

What do you mean about not being able to reuse any of it for a rebuild?

I'm doing it myself. Thinking about renting a slide hammer with a pilot bearing removal tool for getting the old pilot bearing out. That's how I did my friends fox body.

@superstang. I see and you're correct about the splines. If that ever becomes the case, I'll look into replacing the friction plate. Keep your fingers crossed my pilot bearing doesn't fight as hard as yours did.

@flstang65. In my searches, I came across many of your posts about Spec. I talked to a shop here in town that does nothing but Spec 3+. The guy won't use any other Spec clutch except the 3+. A friend of mine has one in his 98 Cobra and has done pretty well with it. Hopefully you are wrong about it but I'll let you know if something goes awry. You can give me a big "I told you so" if it fails. I'm kinda lucky with the third starter bolt because of my tubular K member. I can get right at the starter bolts without much issue. I'll look into the clutch fork.

Thanks to both for the input.

I like that pilot bearing tool from Summit. If it grips as well as should, that would be much more convenient than the large slide hammer and fitting.

That last one looks like the one they rent out at Autozone. My plan was that and a slide hammer. I may look into the prior one you posted though. Seems like a good thing to have around. I know a lot of people with hobby cars and many have clutches. Might be a good investment.