Wingman

[circut]

Hey all. If you've seen my last few threads, I'm going to be installing a new clutch and changing out my spark plugs / wires once the weather gets better. I've changed a clutch on a ford before, but never on the f-body. Are there any little gotchas I should know about before trying to put in a new clutch?

I got the install universities document on changing the plugs, and it seems to be a pain.But I can manage that I'm sure.

Also, if anyone is in the chicagoland area and would be interested in helping me out with some of this stuff, it would be greatly appreciated, and I'd owe you a favor.

Last thing. I've been talking on other forums and it seems that alot of people are having problems with the SPEC clutches. So I dont think I'll be going with one of those. If anyone could give me some recommendations on other clutches (centerforce??) it would be much appreciated.

Later!

-circut

[ConElite]

Hey Man. Yeah The Plugs can be a pain if you dont know how to do it right. The driver side is a breeze. The passanger side is were it starts to become a problem. I recommend you remove the Exhaust pipe that comes straight up. I believe its 2 10mm screws. Then remove the second and third Coil pack to give you a little more room. With that you should be able to do the first 3 plugs and wires. The very back one, do it from under the car. Believe me, you will save alot of frustration and blood this way. Its not hard at all just a tad time consuming.

As for the Clutch. Well Im kinda both ways. At first my clutch was dog SH%# b/c it was chattering real bad and then it began to slip. Later to find out that It was slipping b/c my Slave Cylinder was bad so I changed that and it runs GREAT. Holds real damn hard when I take it to the Track and everything. It still chatters some but someone told me its b/c the flywheel was not lathe cut. So I would recommend SPEC Stage 1 if your not planning on pushing some serious power (i.e. 400+hp). Make sure to replace the Slave and the pilot bearing and TO bearing. The SPEC clutch kit comes with everything needed for a very good price. If you want something better, get an LS6 clutch and flywheel. The only difference its about twice the price of the SPEC one. I dropped my transmission in 45 minutes from point of parking the car. If you take your time its pretty easy. You know, remove the drivershaft then the torque arm and then the Tranny support cross-member. This will tilt the entire engine and tranny back. Then Remove the bolts that hold the Trans to the bell housing. Use some Swivel sockets and long ententions.

P.S. Dont forget to remove the shift lever from inside the cubin. Then from there its all pretty much straight forward. The tricky part is the Slave. You can either pull the transmission back a couple inches to give u enough room to unbolt it from the trans or you can disconnect the house from the slave while its still bolted to the Transmission. Use 2 small flat head screwdrivers to push the white sleeve into the slave and it then disconnects. Its pretty hard to do if the Transmission is still in place. Refer back to InstallUniversity.com
for better details.

[circut]

Thanks for the great reply!

I was originally thinking about the SPEC stage II clutch, but I'm thinking I'm going to go
with the LS6 now. I was searching the net, and it appears the LS6 clutch kit is alot less
expensive than the SPEC kit..

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...t=nal-12570806

But they say in there:

"This clutch assembly requires the replacement of the hydraulic cylinder with GM part number 89059282. The GM part includes the cylinder and release bearing."

So that means I'll need to buy a new slave cylinder?? What kind of cylinder is this? Something from a vette?

I found this:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Also the link i posted above doesn't contain the throwout bearing, would anyone know what part # the throwout bearing I need is?


Thanks!

-circut

[ConElite]

I dont know where your looking at the clutch kits but SPEC clutch kits are less than the LS6 kit. And remember that the LS6 kit from Summit does not come with the T.O. bearing. You will have get a new one. (Dont know the part number) What they are refering to is if you buy the slave from the dealer it comes with the New T.O. bearing for the LS6. Thats going to be somewhere around $120-$170. So right there your looking at over $600.
Look below. See the SPEC clutches are alot cheaper and come with everything needed including the alignment tool, T.O. bearing, pilot bearing and all. The SLave you can get at your local parts store fro under $100.

SPEC Stage 1 clutch $269.99
SPEC Stage 2 clutch $389.99

[circut]

So if I end up going with the SPEC clutch (or any one other than the LS6 0 , would Istill need to change the slave cylinder?

I guess I dont understand why exactly you need to replace it other than they go bad and you would want to change it out while you have the trans dropped.

Thanks for your help dude!

-circut

[ConElite]

I guess I dont understand why exactly you need to replace it other than they go bad and you would want to change it out while you have the trans dropped.

Thats exactly why. If you figure, that thing has engaged and disengaged thousands of times already. Save yourself the headache of having to drop the transmission again only for that b/c its not working right, or sticking. Believe me, I regret That i didnt change it when I dropped my trans, and b/c of that I ended up burning about 50% of my brand new clutch. So much for that. I strongly recommend it.

[circut]

Koo, thanks for clarifying. Will go with a new stock one then

Also, when I see forum posts like this, I second guess getting a SPEC:

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showth...ht=spec+clutch

How many miles do you have on your SPEC?

-Erik