Finally got the Ram 600hp PowerGrip HD T 26 tooth setup in. 350 mi so far.
Changed the input shaft to the Liberty 26 tooth, went to the Ram balanced billet FW w/carbon steel replaceable insert, Tri-Ax, GM Syncromesh, GM friction modifier, Steeda triple hook quad, UPR firewall adjuster, added in the LDC cooling mod, LDC HD clutch slack spring, bolted solid drive shaft loop and diff cover brace to my drivetrain hardening project which thank god is done. Only one scare when I got home Friday night after the first long cruise on a cool, humid night, the just refilled AC decided to do some kind of giant purge. I look under after hearing sizzling when I turned the key off, and see a solid stream, something you would normally see coming out of a horse, shooting all over my headers and made like a 2 foot puddle in my garage. I was so paranoid about leaks from the newly installed cooling mod... well, it just had me going for a bit.
I have to break in this setup in for 500-1000, I only had 3250 on the stocker and unlike some guys I never really smelled it burning. The stock disk looked really good but my flywheel had a strange golden blue coloration on the outer 2-4 inches, but nothing in the middle. I think it was slipping top end with my measly 480hp, but it looked a lot better than I expected after 18 passes, 9 on stickys, 4 11's, couple rev limiter spin outs at the line on F1's and my "test drive" (130 mph, no salesman and wilder than any movie you have seen on the net; I didn't expect to buy it, joke on me!) but it just shows how tough the stock clutch is. It is perfect for around 400hp, except for maybe an overly stiff pedal, but HD enough. My TO sleeve looked fresh, endplay for my T-56 before and after = 0.0"
:worship:
The pedal isn't quite as stiff, you get a shudder start with a pedal that fights back a little, instead of slippage. The drivability isn't bad, it only took a couple of drives for me to get used to, it actually reminded me of the high milage clutches I ran in a towtruck 25+ years ago. I refuse to mess around and screw up this new setup, but even when you try to start off easy, it is violent. I can't wait for those 4500 dumps with 12lbs in the ET's, Yee Haa and peel me off the seat! I also like the more solid feel of the Tri-Ax, kinda like a rock crusher instead of a nut cracker and without the rubber isolators I added with the MGW handle, it is LOUD and HOT. Hey, if you want a Cadillac ride, this setup may not be for you, I don't mind my car driving like a street rod. When the clutch is not depressed, you do hear noise, kinda like a rattle but not loud or bothersome, and I drive around with no tunes, just listening to every note from the headers, but I guess that can vary and also become a chirp, all normal. The Syncromesch+modifer does shift easier, it feels like a lighter oil, even though it looks thicker going in. I shift a lot with no clutch, not power shifts, just blipping the throttle to get the rpm's just right (lazy truckdriver habit), well those shifts are much smoother and easier to grab the syncros. I also absolutely slammed a few into third to see if I could feel the stop, I think it will help me improve my shifts on the strip or at least I won't be so shy. I think I actually like the taller steeda handle, my informal poll of the fastest shifters I know found they all want tall, not short handles, so for now I'm going to see if it gives more leverage on the slam shifts before I switch back to the MGW handle. I am having an issue with the extra spring for the drag clutch, I have my pedal adjusted right in the middle for now, I want it higher, as high as I can go without letting the clutch fingers touch the TO, but this slack spring mod I added starts loading (the spring) as I move the pedal out so when I get near the top, it feels like no freeplay, when I know there should be some. I can go under and measure the freeplay at a couple of points or just move the pedal up at the track and put it back to the middle in between runs or take the spring off, but being able to adjust the pedal at the firewall is cool. I can update my report after a 1000 miles and 1/2 dozen passes, if anyone is interested. I am pointing to Ford day at LVD in a couple of weeks and hoping to get my trap speed up over 120 and 60ft down to 1.6, we shall see.
- 04_snake
Changed the input shaft to the Liberty 26 tooth, went to the Ram balanced billet FW w/carbon steel replaceable insert, Tri-Ax, GM Syncromesh, GM friction modifier, Steeda triple hook quad, UPR firewall adjuster, added in the LDC cooling mod, LDC HD clutch slack spring, bolted solid drive shaft loop and diff cover brace to my drivetrain hardening project which thank god is done. Only one scare when I got home Friday night after the first long cruise on a cool, humid night, the just refilled AC decided to do some kind of giant purge. I look under after hearing sizzling when I turned the key off, and see a solid stream, something you would normally see coming out of a horse, shooting all over my headers and made like a 2 foot puddle in my garage. I was so paranoid about leaks from the newly installed cooling mod... well, it just had me going for a bit.
I have to break in this setup in for 500-1000, I only had 3250 on the stocker and unlike some guys I never really smelled it burning. The stock disk looked really good but my flywheel had a strange golden blue coloration on the outer 2-4 inches, but nothing in the middle. I think it was slipping top end with my measly 480hp, but it looked a lot better than I expected after 18 passes, 9 on stickys, 4 11's, couple rev limiter spin outs at the line on F1's and my "test drive" (130 mph, no salesman and wilder than any movie you have seen on the net; I didn't expect to buy it, joke on me!) but it just shows how tough the stock clutch is. It is perfect for around 400hp, except for maybe an overly stiff pedal, but HD enough. My TO sleeve looked fresh, endplay for my T-56 before and after = 0.0"
:worship:
The pedal isn't quite as stiff, you get a shudder start with a pedal that fights back a little, instead of slippage. The drivability isn't bad, it only took a couple of drives for me to get used to, it actually reminded me of the high milage clutches I ran in a towtruck 25+ years ago. I refuse to mess around and screw up this new setup, but even when you try to start off easy, it is violent. I can't wait for those 4500 dumps with 12lbs in the ET's, Yee Haa and peel me off the seat! I also like the more solid feel of the Tri-Ax, kinda like a rock crusher instead of a nut cracker and without the rubber isolators I added with the MGW handle, it is LOUD and HOT. Hey, if you want a Cadillac ride, this setup may not be for you, I don't mind my car driving like a street rod. When the clutch is not depressed, you do hear noise, kinda like a rattle but not loud or bothersome, and I drive around with no tunes, just listening to every note from the headers, but I guess that can vary and also become a chirp, all normal. The Syncromesch+modifer does shift easier, it feels like a lighter oil, even though it looks thicker going in. I shift a lot with no clutch, not power shifts, just blipping the throttle to get the rpm's just right (lazy truckdriver habit), well those shifts are much smoother and easier to grab the syncros. I also absolutely slammed a few into third to see if I could feel the stop, I think it will help me improve my shifts on the strip or at least I won't be so shy. I think I actually like the taller steeda handle, my informal poll of the fastest shifters I know found they all want tall, not short handles, so for now I'm going to see if it gives more leverage on the slam shifts before I switch back to the MGW handle. I am having an issue with the extra spring for the drag clutch, I have my pedal adjusted right in the middle for now, I want it higher, as high as I can go without letting the clutch fingers touch the TO, but this slack spring mod I added starts loading (the spring) as I move the pedal out so when I get near the top, it feels like no freeplay, when I know there should be some. I can go under and measure the freeplay at a couple of points or just move the pedal up at the track and put it back to the middle in between runs or take the spring off, but being able to adjust the pedal at the firewall is cool. I can update my report after a 1000 miles and 1/2 dozen passes, if anyone is interested. I am pointing to Ford day at LVD in a couple of weeks and hoping to get my trap speed up over 120 and 60ft down to 1.6, we shall see.
- 04_snake
