Clutch Upgrade

Where did you get that idea? To service the rear main seal you need to remove the oil pan. Has very little to do with the clutch.

Al

Just bought a CenterForce II for my '71 Grande' M-code. At $325 for the kit (bearing, disc and clutch kit) it is bit pricey but a big jump from the factory model. Check mustangdepot.com for your car.

I'm about half a do-it-myself-er, and the rear main on the other cars was a job I paid my mechanic to do, so maybe I'm wrong. If you can get to it from the oil pan, I'll do it myself next time. I'm pretty sure the Haynes book and the Ford Service Manual each start with 'remove the transmission'. Also, I thought the seal was on the vertical face of the block, behind the flywheel, where the output shaft comes out of the block. Is this right? My thinking went that they'll have to separate the motor and trans, so the seal would be (very nearly) exposed.

Sounds good - but what does it do for you? That is, how is the car behave differently with the Centerforce as opposed to the OEM clutch?

Probably not much different at this point. But I am considering replacing the Carter AFB with a Barry Grant Demon and possibly a Paxton blower down the road. Just planning ahead. The clutch is worn and needs replacing anyway.

Well if you don't have enough horsepower to SLIP the stock clutch, not much aside from changing your drivability... The Centerforce clutches will grab harder, and not slip.

Less dead weight that the motor needs to put into motion is good for quicker take offs. So yes to aluminum flywheel and drive shaft also. A hi-po clutch will hold better under higher torque strains.

Oh and with the lighter flywheel you need to rev a bit higher to take off because of the lower inertia, Depending on how much lower end torque you have.

Basically none of those items are worth the expense with a stock engine...

The 89 5.0 uses a one-piece seal. You do have to remove the transmission, clutch and flywheel, but not the oil pan. I did mine about eight years ago. I really couldn't remember if I had to remove the oil pan, so I checked the manual. Not counting the time to remove & replace the tranny (mine is an AOD) it took about ten minutes to remove the old seal and install the new one. With the proper installation tool, which I didn't have, it should go even quicker. In other words, don't let the mechanic charge more than a few bucks to change it for you.

While I was working down there, I installed new (solid) motor mounts and transmission mount. You definitely feel a lot more vibration in the car, but the throttle response is unbelievable! You should definitely check the engine and tranny mounts on a car that old.

Arlie

1989 Mustang LX 5.0 1992 Thunderbird LX 5.0

What's the connection between throttle response and solid motor mounts?

Richard

The flex between the engine and "frame" is eliminated, all the energy is going to spinning the driveshaft, not "absorbing vibration"...

I would not do this modification on a street car with a stock motor. It would be silly.

you can misalign the driveshaft to clutch as the solids drop the motor about

1 1/2 to 2 inches. the angle needs to be about 2 degrees or less, else you could get driveshaft vibration at higher speeds somewhere it says to hard mount the tranny to avoid problems when going solid mounts

agreed.

Yeah I take that back too then. Didn't quite get what the OP has planed for the motor.

Richard is exactly right, no energy lost to the rubber mounts. My engine is basically stock, but I did it for autocrossing. It helped a lot when getting back on the gas into a straight after a sharp corner.

I don't remember what brand mine are, but they are the same height as the original mounts. And remember, mine is an automatic, so I have no idea how they may affect a manual tranny/clutch.

Arlie

I have solids in mine now,they are a little shorter, the fan blade is lower about 1/2 inch (shroud is eating tip of blades, but old "aged" stock mounts will do that too) . But you sure can tell the difference, the engine doesn't twist like on stock mounts. But I have a driveshave vibration now around 70 mph, goes away when the clutch is not engaged, 60 and 80 mph are fine, have new tires. 93 5.0.