Guys, I am having a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch installed in my 72 Stage 1. The current clutch is fine, no chatter or slipping, but the pedal feel is very heavy and I am after a stock feel. Given the current clutch performance being as good as it is, do I need to resurface the flywheel if it appear to be in good to great shape? Or, is resurfacing just the common practice? Thanks for your help.
If it is not smooth, now is the time. But like brake drums it can only be turned so much before it is too thin to use. Treat it like it is a cross between an explosive and a buzz saw. So if it is smmoth leave it alone.
Mark, not sure. I'll need to see what came out of the car. REALLY heavy pressure. Likely a race set up because pedal was very high off the floor. I'll let you know. Steve
Mechanic could not tell brand. Car had some track time with another motor prior to me owning it. Would have been a great clutch for that purpose. Not so nice around town. Hope all is well. Steve
You should check it for heat spots and checks if the clutch was slipping. My local machine shop charges $45 if it is serviceable.
Thanks. Dropped off to be turned ( or at least considered for turning). Hopefully, plenty there to get that accomplished. Appreciate the input. Steve
Hi Steve, all is good on the Island, thanks. I trust all is good on your end? I hear you about putting around town with a performance clutch and the loss of BUICK drivablity, but, when it is time to hook the 500+HP to the ground, an flog the dog crap out of it, the clutch makes all the difference...that Centerforce is supposed to have lighter pedal pressure and hi perfromance?
Mark, from what I could gleen from the Forum posts here, and what I have heard from others using that set up in other big block cars, it should be adequate. I don't race the car and very rarely flog it ( original motor and all), but there will likely be some trade off. I'll post with my findings as to difference and performance of teh Centerforce so others can evaluate. All that said, woke up to snow covered ground this am ( was in the 70's and 80's last week!), so testing will be suspended!! Talk to you later. Steve
Got the car back on Sunday. Big shout out to Brian Woodworth for great job on the install and paying close attention to details. Really a super guy and exceptional mechanic. Pedal feel is much improved, meaning considerably more user friendly in traffic. Good grip and launches well. So far, really happy but need to drive it some more miles. This leads me to ask - is there a break in protocol for clutches that I should watch out for, especially considering the flywheel was turned? Thanks, Steve
Steve, Try this... http://www.lsxtv.com/tech-stories/d...university-proper-clutch-break-in-procedures/ Good luck, you will love that clutch! Tom
For sure. We use Centerforce also. DOES CENTERFORCE REQUIRE THE FLYWHEEL TO BE RESURFACED BEFORE INSTALLING A NEW CLUTCH? YES! FLYWHEELS ARE SUBJECT TO HEAT, SCORING AND WARPING DURING USE, THEREFORE THE FLYWHEEL SHOULD ALWAYS BE PROPERLY RESURFACED OR REPLACED TO ASSURE GOOD CLUTCH PERFORMANCE. RESURFACING MUST BE PERFORMED ON A QUALIFIED FLYWHEEL GRINDING MACHINE. CENTERFORCE DOES NOT RECOMMEND RESURFACING FLYWHEELS ON A LATHE OR A BLANCHARD GRINDER. ALSO, BE AWARE THAT USING A HAND-HELD ELECTRIC OR PNEUMATIC GRINDER/SANDER OR SCUFFING THE SURFACE WITH SANDPAPER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PROPERLY RESURFACED FLYWHEEL. REFER TO YOUR FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL FOR SPECIFICS ON YOUR VEHICLE REGARDING FLYWHEEL RESURFACING AND SPECIFICATIONS (FLAT, STEP, ETC.).SOME VEHICLES REQUIRE NEW REPLACEMENT FLYWHEELS INSTEAD OF RESURFACING. PLEASE CONSULT THE FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL OR CALL OUR TECH. LINE AT (520) 771-8422 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DO CENTERFORCE CLUTCHES REQUIRE A BREAK IN PERIOD? YES. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO PROPERLY SEAT IN THE NEW PRESSURE PLATE & DISC ASSEMBLY TO ASSURE GOOD CLUTCH PERFORMANCE. CENTERFORCE RECOMMENDS 450-500 MILES OF IN TOWN STOP AND GO TYPE OF EASY DRIVING BEFORE APPLYING FULL POWER. IF YOUR DRIVING CONSISTS OF MAINLY HIGHWAY TYPE USE, THE BREAK IN PERIOD SHOULD BE LONGER THAN THE 450-500 MILES. IF THE BREAK IN PERIOD IS NOT PROPERLY FOLLOWED, CLUTCH LIFE AND PERFORMANCE CAN BE SACRIFICED.
Jim, thanks for that excerpt. Helpful. I'll stck to the secondary roads for a while. Haven't had a chance to really drive the car due to wrk and such, and the weekend may not give me a chance either. Happy to have it out for spring and summer. Really like the pedal feel as compared to previous clutch. Also, it was not at all tough to get the flywheel resurfaced professionally, so I see no reason not to do it in any clutch replacement. Thanks again to all for the links and comments.
Finally a day to get the car out for a ride. Cool still, but great. Only thing I notice is a first gear launch shudder with the new clutch. Will this get better with break in normally? Can be pretty pronounced sometimes. Just don't want to do damage if this is abnormal. Thanks for the help. Steve
I am not a pro with manual trans but my advice is to get things checked out right away. I can not see things getting better with use.
