Flywheel ?

[shelbysnake]

Hello, I have a UNIQUE 427 with a 66 427 CO that has the 454 kit in it with a 428 crank and a Tremec tr3550 5 sp. My starter cam loose and and broke a few teeth off and now I need a ring gear. I don't want to tear it down without having the new part unless I have to but I am having a hard time figuring out the fly wheel. I think it would be just the 184 tooth FE flywheel but I might be wrong. Do these flywheels bolt to the tremec tranny? Any help would be great thanks,
Tony

[Tim Brewer]

All flywheels bolt to the crank.

[shelbysnake]

Originally Posted by Tim Brewer

All flywheels bolt to the crank.

I know that however, I am sure that there was never a Tremec behind an FE. So, does the pressure plate for the Tremec bolt to the factory FE flywheel?

[blykins]

You need to match:

1. The amount of imbalance, internal or external.
2. Pressure plate bolt pattern. Figure out which clutch you have, 11" or 11.5", Long or diaphragm, then pick a new flywheel to match.

[mdross1]

The pressure plate should be Okay you will need to make sure the disc has the same spline as the Tremec. Ring gears are not hard to find.

[buckdono]

Most flywheel are made to OE spec. So standard 184 tooth ring gear sure work. But Really need to pull out flywheel and measure.

[shelbysnake]

Originally Posted by buckdono

Most flywheel are made to OE spec. So standard 184 tooth ring gear sure work. But Really need to pull out flywheel and measure.

Thanks, that is kind of what I thought.
Tony

[flipscobra]

If it was already working then just replace the ring gear, thats what I would do.

[Large Arbor]

I just replaced a ring gear on mine. 184 tooth variety. It was $28 or so from Summit and a NAPA machine shop charged me $20 to put the new one on.

Phil

[redmt]

Swapping a ring gear is easy. Knock it off with a hammer and punch or chisel. Flip the flywheel upside down on a metal barrel. Heat one side of the new ring gear with a propane torch and drop it on. Tap it down with a brass punch if it didn't drop into place. You can tell when the gear is hot enough when a couple drops of oil go up in smoke next to where your heating it. Same procedure for bearing races.

[bill37341]

Or, put the ring gear in the wife's oven @ 400 and put the flywheel in the freezer for several minutes. Be VERY careful heating with a torch- you must feat it EVENLY, or it will warp. ( don't ask how I know).

[redmt]

If it warped you either used an acetylene torch or heated it in too concentrated an area. I've literally done hundreds of them with never an issue. If you heat it to the point of color change it will also take some of the temper out of it.

[RICK LAKE]

shelbysnake, Tony The guys above are right about installing a ring gear. Have you looked at the surface of the flywheel? Any hot spots or burnt marks? Is this flywheel an steel one or aluminum with an insert? IF you are running a 40# one you may want to swap to a SFI 24 pound one. Motor will rev quicker and no other change needed. Make sure the springs in the disc are tight and you have plenty of meat left. I don't know how many miles or abuse is on this clutch but you are pulling the trans anyway, might be a good time for a new one. Check throw out bearing too. Listen to the little guy on your shoulder, he's a pain but right 99.8% of the time and warns you.. You could check with Brent for a great price on a clutch and flywheel. Rick.

[shelbysnake]

Originally Posted by RICK LAKE

shelbysnake, Tony The guys above are right about installing a ring gear. Have you looked at the surface of the flywheel? Any hot spots or burnt marks? Is this flywheel an steel one or aluminum with an insert? IF you are running a 40# one you may want to swap to a SFI 24 pound one. Motor will rev quicker and no other change needed. Make sure the springs in the disc are tight and you have plenty of meat left. I don't know how many miles or abuse is on this clutch but you are pulling the trans anyway, might be a good time for a new one. Check throw out bearing too. Listen to the little guy on your shoulder, he's a pain but right 99.8% of the time and warns you.. You could check with Brent for a great price on a clutch and flywheel. Rick.

Thanks for the input. I haven't pulled the tranny yet and I am not the one that put it together so I am not sure what flywheel is there. I like your idea about the lighter one. Are there any common problems using the lighter flywheel? I will look at everything once it is out. Thanks again for the input,
Tony

[RICK LAKE]

shelbysnake Tony there are no real problems, it's a swap as long as the flywheel has a "0" balance. You might have to go to a local machine shop and have the one you use in the car checked. If it comes out "0" swap them, If not the machine shop will index the old one and add or remove weight to match the new one. Most motors are now "0" balanced. I don't think you are using a SCJ428 crank shaft in the car. There would be counter weight on the front of the motor. If you goggle this crank shaft, there should be pictures to show you what I mean. This is old school.
The swap is simple. Would replace all bolts with ARP flywheel and pressure plate bolts. Need a 1/2" torque wrench to tighten to spec. Would just need a clutch disc installer to center this to slide in trans. The rest is basic nut and bolt up. Make sure that the pilot bushing or bearing looks ok in the back of the crankshaft. You didn't say how many miles are on the car or motor but would think the alignment of the bellhousing is centered. It wouldnot hurt to check.
Last thing is the starter, Do youknow if we are running a lakewood bell housing?? This is very important. weights about 50 pounds and has a plate that bolts to it. Unless the starter bolt directly to the bellhousing without a block saver plate we are going to need to check the stater engagement. If it's a quicktime unit, I don't have info for this. Problem is the plate on a lakewood doesn't let the starter drive engage the complete teeth to teeth. Maybe 1/2 of the teeth depth are being used and strip out the flywheel gear and starter drive over time. Alot of guys have been through this here. I myself have modified my bellhousing for this problem and replaced a drive in the starter. Can you take a pictures of the 2 drives and send them here. Pictures wil tell use if you have a problem and this is why the failure happened. If you send me a pm with phone and good time to call, I can walk you though this for the fix. We need to check the centering of the bell housing with a caliper and magnetic stand. Can get one cheap that will work at a harbor freight. Rick L. Ps if you have silly money and a good mechanic, take it to a garage and spend the day. You want to see the bellhousing checked. Good luck.

[Large Arbor]

The things learned from mine was that most aftermarket hi torque starters did not engage enough on the flywheel. I did get a Robb MC starter and it is the right one. Did not try Tilton. My Tremec had a spacing plate between it and the bell housing. The bell housing was doweled which helped with the install. I had a brother help me put the transmission back in, but the last 1/2 ' was a bear to get it aligned just right. The one transmission mound bolt on the passenger side of the vehicle is a bear to get at with a wrench. I also got sage advice from others on this site that helped! I also used some small jacks to hold the block in place when the transmission came out. It helped a little. I did a thread on this and there are some pictures there that may help. I also used zip lock bags and a sharpie to label the bolts.

Phil

[shelbysnake]

Well got her done last night (took a while for all the parts!) and took it for a drive tonight. All went very well. Everything engages well and is smooth. Thanks for all the community input,
Tony