any thoughts on clutch? if im replacing the flywheel ring gear i might as well as replace the clutch while i have it open [severe vibration at take off, we suspect the clutch is nearly original.]

on a budget, whats the best way to go about this? any horror stories, any special recommendations.

im not looking forward to this.

i was also thinking about switching to hydraulic while im at it.

 

What kind of performance level are you looking at? Centerforce makes good clutches, with varying levels of performance.

 

Centerforce, Spec, Zoom...they are all decent low to mid range performance clutches. What kills clutches is torque. If you are running more than about 300-350ft*lbs, you will need a better than average clutch. If you are in the 450-500ft*lbs of torque, you may need to start thinking high end clutch like McLeod or Ram. Keep in mind that just as important as what the clutch disc is made of is what type of pressure plate you are clamping it with and how much clamping force it has. A great clutch cannot work if the pressure plate does not have enough clamping force to keep the clutch engaged.

 

thanks, yeah im running a stock 71 302, so no worries on high performance. ultimately i want to get teh car to the 300ish arena both HP and Tq numbers. but thats not really a big deal.

so really just shop around for a decent deal on a centerforce and i should be alright?

 

I think so. I would consider their Centerforce II with pressure plate package. It is a good clutch for stock stuff plus a little. Their dual friction packages would also work well, but it is going to be a little more aggressive and handle a little more power and might be overkill for what you have and want to do.

 

On his engine even the Centerforce I would be fine, but the II gives a bit more room to grow.

 

nm...Get a CF2 and you should be happy for a while.

 

yeah, i dont have big power plans, but eventually i would like a solid running car. sounds good thanks guys.