SPF Clutch/Pressure Plate RR

[Tony Ripepi]

Hello All,

I have a ten year old SPF in the garage that needs a new Clutch and pressure plate. Engine is a 392 windsor and a Tremec TKO transmission.

Can the RR be done from under the car?

I have it on the lift and it looks like there is plenty of room to take out the drive shaft, starter, slide the transmission back, disconnect the shifter and boot from the top, remove the bell housing and gain access for the new bits.

The current slave is an internal inline unit, does it need to be rebuilt/replaced ?

Should I convert it to an external slave/fork mechanism?

If I convert which vendor supplies the best unit?

Any and all comments/advice are welcome.

Tony R.

[xlr8or]

Tony you have to take the tunnel out to make room to manuever the trans around.

[CWizard]

Tony-
I don't think you can take the transmission out the bottom, but you definitely can take it out the top. As xlr8or said, remove the tranny tunnel (and seats and steering wheel) and it can be removed pretty easily. In fact, removing the tunnel may be the hardest part. In addition to screws, it's glued on with some really nasty stuff. There's a detailed how-to for this job on the SCOF site. If you're not a member, this might be a good time to join. Superformance Owners Association
Good luck,
Jerry

[blykins]

Originally Posted by Tony Ripepi

Hello All,

I have a ten year old SPF in the garage that needs a new Clutch and pressure plate. Engine is a 392 windsor and a Tremec TKO transmission.

Can the RR be done from under the car?

I have it on the lift and it looks like there is plenty of room to take out the drive shaft, starter, slide the transmission back, disconnect the shifter and boot from the top, remove the bell housing and gain access for the new bits.

The current slave is an internal inline unit, does it need to be rebuilt/replaced ?

Should I convert it to an external slave/fork mechanism?

If I convert which vendor supplies the best unit?

Any and all comments/advice are welcome.

Tony R.

If it's working well for you, I don't see any reason to change to a fork/slave setup. However, I never hear very many positive stories about hydraulic throw out bearings.

How much horsepower are you making with that 392? I'd be happy to make a clutch recommendation for you.

[eschaider]

Not to be pedantic but don't forget to support the engine. When you remove the trans nothing is left to support the rear of the engine. If you have side pipes the fenders are in danger of being damaged.

Best of all would be to remove the side pipes and also support the engine, then take out the trans.

Ed

[GEE TEE]

I have a engine support that bolts to rear of cylinder head and rests on frame. It is adjustable so that you can raise and lower the back of engine as required to remove and install trans. You are welcome to use it, just pay for shipping back and forth.

As for clutch, I'm using a Centerforce dual friction unit behind my Roush 427R and it holds just fine, even at the drag strip. I haven't had to replace a slave cylinder since switching to the Centerforce clutch, and my left leg is much happier too.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by GEE TEE

As for clutch, I'm using a Centerforce dual friction unit behind my Roush 427R and it holds just fine, even at the drag strip. I haven't had to replace a slave cylinder since switching to the Centerforce clutch, and my left leg is much happier too.

Same here; but Blykins never misses a chance to poke fun at me and my Centerforce setup.

[madmaxx]

Triple ditto, been using a centerforce dual friction with 530hp, missed 1st to 2nd and went to fourth more than once, clutch never slipped, i am surprised the transmission didnt come through the floor board.

[blykins]

RAM and McLeod have an excellent track record with me. The others.....not so much. I need to start keeping a log of the phone calls about the other brands.

[Bill E]

RAM and McLeod are all we use now.

[PANAVIA]

You probably should have a shop do this for you unless you have a full height tranny jack lift in your garage.

another option would be to have a custom clutch made with the weight of the car taken into consideration, as well as pedal effort and other factors.
--just an idea. -

[Tony Ripepi]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for all the advice and input. I do have a lift and tranny jack, the transmission does come out the bottom without taking out the seats, carpet, tunnel etc.

You do have to take the drive shaft, transmission mounting hardware and remove the shifter turret from the top of the the TKO to have the room to shove it toward the rear of the car and allow it to swing down. It would help to have a plug where the drive shaft comes out or a drip pan since the Transmission fluid comes out the rear of the Tranny. It also helps if the aluminum webbing at the rear of the TKO are cut out.

The clutch disk was fused to the fly wheel and that was the root of the problem, caused by moisture and not driving this car on a regular basis. I had the pry the clutch disk off of the fly wheel. The throw out bearing had a tiny leak so I shipped it and the clutch disk back to McLeod for a rebuild with their new fittings to replace the banjo fittings and new "O" rings. Talked to Red at McLeod and the parts are there now and should be shipping back to me in a few days.

The fly wheel looks fine, I'll use a razor blade to clean the clutch material off of it and a little fine sanding to allow for a clean surface for the new clutch. All of this was not an issue with the McLeod parts it was simply 4000 miles of driving in the last six years.

It has been a learning experience and a two man job, once you are ready to swing the tranny out. I'll post the result once I get the parts back from McLeod and reinstall.

LOL Thanks Blykins.....edited the male member out.

Best Regards,

Tony R.

[blykins]

The clutch must have been a boy.

[Tony Ripepi]

BTW does anybody have any experience with the Slick shift add on to the top of the TKO? I saw it on the McLeod site for $270 and was wondering if it really does help with the ease of shifting?

[blykins]

Are you talking about the shifter or the actual process to modify the trans inside and make it shift better?

For the shifter, the Steeda Tri-Ax is about the best feeling shifter out there for the TKO.

[blykins]

Are you talking about the shifter or the actual process to modify the trans inside and make it shift better?

For the shifter, the Steeda Tri-Ax is about the best feeling shifter out there for the TKO.

[Tony Ripepi]

Thanks Blykins,

I guess both....where can I get the Steeda unit and does it simply bolt in from the top like the unit shown at McLeod and what is the cost?

McLeod Racing - Slik Stik. Tremec 3550*3550 II*3550 TKO*2057

Thanks,

TR

[blykins]

Yes, it bolts in from the top, just like the McLeod piece.

I sell both the Steeda and the McLeod shifter. In my mind, the Steeda is nicer as it's a little cheaper and has the same features. The only plus about the McLeod shifter is that it can be custom ordered with offset in any direction, just in case a transmission transplant requires a custom shifter position.

The Steeda shifter is $189 + shipping. The McLeod is $250 + shipping.

BTW, those prices are for the newer TKO 500/600's. If you have an older 3550/TKO, the prices may vary a little.

[Tony Ripepi]

Hello All,

It is all back together and I have driven it for about 100 miles to make sure all is well. The clutch was fused to the fly wheel and that was the cause of the problem. Huge thanks to my buddies Peter & Rick and to McLeod Racing. McLeod rebuilt the clutch for $100 and the hydraulic throw out for $125( It was a ten year old unit and they simply shipped me one of their new designed units without the banjo fittings). I did buy their short throw shifter and replaced the Hurst unit that was installed HUGE positive difference. While the transmission was out we drained the GM synchromesh fluid and replaced it with the Redline fluid and it is much smoother in every gear.

The transmission does come out the bottom....without removing the tunnel, seats, carpeting etc. before you start disconnect the ground on the battery.

1) Remove drive shaft and put in a rubber plug in the transmission to keep the fluid from draining out and making a mess, there is also a plug for the speedo when you remove the drive.

2) Disconnect all of the electrical for the neutral switch, remove starter, and take off the shifter, shifter turret from the top of the transmission, boot, chrome ring and the top of the transmission shifter to allow you to push the transmission back far enough to access the pressure plate and clutch.

3) We had to pry the clutch off of the pressure plate and it left some of the organic clutch material on the fly wheel. Once the pressure plate and clutch plate are off of the fly wheel you can unbolt the bell housing remove it and take the transmission to the floor. You need two guys to take it out and a transmission jack really helps.

4) Take some 80 grit sandpaper to the fly wheel to remove the residue from the old clutch and also resurfaced the pressure plate with a hand sander. The engine was very solid when the transmission was out and we did not need to brace it up.

Took less than half the time to reverse the process, reinstall it all, bleed the clutch and it works great. Having a lift made all of this possible in my garage.

Thanks for all the input and McLeod Racing for being a stand up organization even though the parts were ten years old.

Tony R.

[madmaxx]

Thank you!! Just for clarification you had to remove the starter? and you remove the bell housing from the tra ns prior to lowering the transmission?