Alex01tib

****Pictures/description of install and clutch/flywheel at end of post****

Ok so yesterday myself and my best friend finished my clutch install which has been anything but simple. I ended up having problems in nearly every aspect you could imagine a problem developing. Most of these problems could have been easily solved if i knew what i know now.

Here are the problems i faced...

The directions that can be found on this site recomend removing the Tie rod to get the axle out, i had great difficulty getting the tie rod out.

---Solution? undo the bolts off the strut housing and dont mess with the tie rod.

The Drivers side axle refused to come off, it had not been greased at the factory and had rusted on

---The only way to get it off was to take a big hammer to the end of the axle and keep pounding until it came off, this damaged the threads on the axle and i had to either try and get it repaired or find a new one. I drove 50 miles to a pick and pull where they said that they had what i needed only to find out somebody had already taken the driver's side. So after being referred to machine shops that could fix it if not for the fact that the place didnt exist, i decided to either cut the damaged threads off or use a file to grind the damaged threads off. I went the fille route and it worked out fine.


Tranny wouldnt come off

---release arm needed to be removed along with a bolt that holds the metal gasket to the bell housing by the front motor mount.

Reinstalling the tranny, wouldnt go

---splines on the tranny needed to be aligned with the clutch disk, I did this by moving the flywheel.

Throwout bearing wouldnt snap on fully

---Pressure plate snap ring housing was moving away from the throwout bearing when pressure was applied to install it.

Release arm wasnt fully retracted after snap ring snapped in to pressure plate

---clutch disk installed backward

Throwout bearing stuck in pressure plate

---insert PP in vise to hold it. Jam a large flathead in between the PP and TOB for tension. Tap the snap ring open with a flat head screwdriver driven by a hammer. The tension assures the snap ring wont return to its compressed position. When snap ring is completely open, hit the throwout bearing from the inside of the pressure plate using a socket driven by a hammer.

And just to rant, all of thes problems caused us to drop the tranny about 7 times and the car was fully assembeled and dissassembled 3 times! Can you say "sick of this install"?

WHEEW, thats 2 and 1/2 weeks of problems!
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Ok now that its done? ive got pictures and ive got details.


First off the clutch/flywheel combo is the gripforce clutch package consisting of the 11lb (weight confirmed) chromoly flywheel and a 6 puck stage 3 clutch.


Here is the very very dirty installers after we dropped the old tranny and the TOB ready to go Me=right


Here is the comparison between the old clutch and flywheel vs the gripforce kit. BTW the chromoly is 11lbs and the stock flywheel weighed in at 17.6lbs


The new flywheel installed



Clutch assembly fully installed

Also anybody used Mobil-1 gear oil before? I have used redline and royal purple (imo rp>redline), and i was pressed for time and didnt have time to special order my royal purple so i purchased the mobil gear oil and it is far more smoother than both of them! the gears glide together in a way i figured wasnt possible lol.

Now we started the car and it died after 3 seconds, but this was mainly because it hadnt ran for 2.5 weeks and we prolly managed to get antifreeze in the intake or something stupid but after a minute of idleing everything was fine (finally)

We lowered the car and i went to back it out of the garage, i move the clutch just barely off fully disengaged and bam, stalled, holy crap this thing is grippy.

I finally get the thing out of the garage and take it for a drive, wow, its nuts. Definatly have to get used to driving this and im sure anyone who sees me start out thinks im new to driving stick lol. But even shifting to second and third you can feel the clutch grip like crazy. if your taching 3grand and the gear your in at your given speed would run 2grand the rpms instantly drops as soon as i let off the clutch. so far im 40 miles into the breakin period and will probably take it on the highway for the first time tomarrow.

Also i can report on the chromoly flywheel and definatly recomend this thing, the engine accelerates so much faster with a blip of the throttle, now that ive done the UD pulley and the flywheel the reaction is very noticable.

I was going to take videos today and post them up but I finished this at 3 yesterday and got to bed at 4, just to get up at 5 and go work 9 hours and come right home and start my buddy's mustang clutch (speaking of which anybody done a RWD clutch?)I didnt have the energy to do this, So ill most likely do it in a couple days, sooner if theres alot of interest.

So june 1st my AEM wideband arrives and after thats installed im raising the boost with the smt-6 extra injector setup. Track and dyno to follow.'

WOW, one install im glad to be over, i just felt so cursed throughout it all.

SwiftTiburon

Thank goodness its over.

I helped him take off the tranny I think for the second or third time and when it didnt work again I just though I was bad luck.

So glad everything worked out..what a process!

tdonnell

Nice! Where did you get the flywheel and the clutch? Prices??

I might have to do this soon too.

Can't wait to see some numbers! smile.gif

Alex01tib

gripforce-clutches or something like that, he sells on ebay... in between $300-400

He is a good seller, i gotta go to work right now or else id look up his username

SwiftTiburon

Yea, the guys ebay name is gripforce-clutches. I just checked hehe fing02.gif

Also, he paid $349 for the kit.

tdonnell

Any updates on clutch feel after break-in?

I ordered the stage 3 clutch (exact one you have) and a fidanza flywheel from gripforce-clutches on ebay.

An absolute awesome seller, stuff shipped out same/next day and I had a tracking number right as it shipped.

The flywheel looks/feels great. My stocker (in my 1.8L totalled tib) weighed in at 15 lbs so I dunno why?? I had it resurfaced once before but I wouldn't think that would take 2.5 lbs off of it. Anyway, I pulled the tranny out of that to try and use the clutchmasters stage 1 clutch but it was pretty worn so went with the stage 3, lol. It's gonna be WAY overkill but what the hell.

Just wondering if the sevarity of the clutch engagement got any better with time?

Thanks a lot.

supercow

^^in my experience even the stock clutch is really touchy for the first couple hundred miles after install. dunno maybe I just got re-used to it after having a crappy old clutch??

btw, I'm using mobil 1, I like it but I don't know how the others are in the winter. During the colder months it shifted horrible till the car was warmed to about normal operation temps. That was just on the coldest days though. It's running GREAT in the summer time though.

tdonnell

I have heard that Mobil 1 contains sulfates that eat away at some of the plastic components inside the transmission. I would do some searching on that man.

Yeah, your probably right about the engagement feel smoothing out a little bit after break-in, I hope it does.

Thanks and be sure to look into the Mobil 1.

hcriddick21

I also have the same clutch set up by gripforce, stage 3. I'm about 200miles in right now and the more miles I drive the better the clutch feels. When I first started driving with the new clutch, my second gear was grinding like a sonofa-b but now 200 miles in and its starting to come around an I can shift a bit higher in the RPMs instead of letting them drop first. Still no powershifting, and still babying it quite a bit till I hit another 300miles. I don't know if thats the proper time, probably a bit longer than needed to baby the thing but better safe than sorry. I also installed my shift light and got it attached to my stock tach(no big huge aftermarket glo tachs for me, mine works just fine). I'm glad I have the shift light in now because its a constant reminder to shift in lower RPMs. I have it set at 3500 at the moment and on a switch. I have pictures and I have to do a write up or DIY here soon for everyone. No problems with the install just not a lot of wire to work with behind the guage cluster.

Anyway if anyone has any questions about the clutch like I said I'm 200miles in, just shoot me some questions and I'll do my best to answer them in timely manner....

tdonnell

Hey everyone,

I don't mean to hi-jack this thread but since I have the same parts (except for the chromoly flywheel) I figured it would be a good place to ask:

I just recieved my stage 3 clutch as well, the same one alex has.

I have a few Q's if you all don't mind helping me out.

I got the fidanza flywheel with this clutch just so you know.

Anyway, the friction material (pucks) is only about .015" above the rivets that hold it to the clutch disc. Is that enough to allow for break in or wear? Will the pads wear out quickly resulting in the rivets hitting the pressure plate and flywheel surfaces?? Was it this thin on yours alex? I only ask because the 20k used clutchmasters disc that I pulled out of my old tib had .030" before the rivets so... But it was only a stage 1 disc.

Also, when I lay the pressure plate onto the flywheel over the clutch disc (with the spring assembly side away from the flywheel - only way it will work), the center of the pressure plate hits the clutch disc before the contact surface does, and I have to pull the pressure plate down to the flywheel with the bolts. BUT, once I use the bolts to pull down the PP, there is room between the center of the PP and the clutch spring area, and the contact surface of the PP is clamping the clutch disc to the flywheel. The clutchmasters assembly and stock 1.8 flywheel all fall together with no bolts so I was wondering what was up? Is it because of the "stage 3" PP? Meaning there is more clamping force on the clutch disc now?

Just wanted to get some opinions here before I do the install next week.

Thanks in advance.