Well, I pulled the trigger and ordered the "modified" kit from Dial-A-Clutch
https://www.dial-a-clutch.com/Produc...ode=07-172DUAL

Its based on a new LUK 07-172 kit. They then remove the ceramic friction material from one side of the disc and replace it with an organic lining; making the clutch more street friendly/drive-able while still maintaining a higher torque/load capability. I was told to expect a stock/slightly heavier pedal feel.

Ouch! $800. That hurt. Especially for something I'll only be able to look at once, never to be actually seen a again.
Plus, I still need to buy the Fits-All input repair kit, a rear main seal, and the fork pivot "ball"/plastic thingy.
Not to mention the numerous quarts of expensive Redline D4 ATF fluid, and of course the labor! Ugh. This thing better practically shift for me!

OH, and I'm looking at 2 new tires ( The shop is going to warranty/eat the other 2), as well as a new windshield. :-( I'm bleeding green.

 

I can start a new thread if needed, but thought I would just ask here about the clutch repair. So far, I gather I should get the input shaft repair kit and I will be using a stock LUK Kit off of Rockauto just due to budget restrictions.

So, doing this myself, is it possible to get the trans out without a lift? How did you guys do it? I am guessing the replacement is pretty straightforward? Anything I need to know? What were your experiences doing this job? Thanks.

 

Done it 4x, 3 of which, were on the ground. 2 with jacks, 1 with trans jack found on clist for 30.00... Made the job alot easier then the balancing act with dual jacks....

It's straitforward, remove the shifter and its components, swing the slave outta the way, dump the driveshaft and carrier and swing outta way, lift truck to desired height to move about underneath
• remove starter but disconnect battery/s
•position jack/s accordingly
• remove 6 bolts securing trans to engine
• prior to the bolts removal, remove crossmember

••• what I found, and made alot easier on 4th install was the fact, that the motor rocks backwards, resulting in a caddywumpiss attack to re install the trans. So, I hammered on the "lip" of the floorboard for the top of the trans to clear it for was install. You'll see what I'm talking about

••• for FITZALL kit, just make sure to hammer the sleeve on straight and you won't have any issues. The pilot bearing I installed with orange lip OUT

good luck!

 

I would highly discourage you from using a cheap/stock level clutch kit. If you have ANY plans for greater then stock power in the future. This is not a job you want to have do again. You can get the same clutch kit I ended up using for $595 + shipping ( comes with the flywheel) and you will be "future proofed" for most common mild power upgrades.
I never got around to fully completing this thread, but it has lot of the basic info you will need including sources and part#'s.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-and-tips.html

You should also carefully inspect/evaluate your shifter for wear. Its very common, whether people are aware of it or not. Midwest Trans can give you some more specifics. If you don't want the short throw, they do also have stock shifter replacements available for less.

This is a BIG job. Don't skimp or cheap out on anything. You'll regret it later. You REALLY don't want to have to do this again, because you cut corners the first time.
Spend the extra money on the South Bend cast iron throw out bearing. Its tempting to use the "free" one that comes with the clutch, but its plastic and simply won't hold up as well as the SouthBend one.

With your truck being a '99, there is a good chance you have the old, "weak" design clutch fork. You can search/google for more info. The thread I linked has a link/part# for the new updated design.

If you use the Fitz-All kit ( which you should), it has a "lip" seal. While this is great for retaining grease in the needle pilot bearing, it can cause an issue. Ask me how I know...... Be very careful not to push the clutch alignment tool in too far. The issue is the plastic bushing that goes on the end of the alignment tool, to re-size for the larger bearing. If you push the tool in too far, the edge of the bushing will get stuck on the lip seal on the pilot bearing. Then, when you try to pull the tool out, the bushing will come off and stay behind in the bearing. Then you have to pull your clutch, and maybe flywheel, off again to remove it. I would a.) taper the edge of the plastic bushing, and b.) use some very strong epoxy to glue the plastic bushing to the alignment tool, to make sure it doesn't come off.

Don't forget to blow out/flush the trans cooler lines/cooler while its disconnected. I got a decent amount of nasty looking sludge out of mine.

Due to the size/weight, this would be very difficult to do with out a lift. I would not even dream about doing it on dirt,gravel,etc... In theory, if you have some good, level, solid concrete, and a very heavy duty trans jack (harbor freight junk isn't going to cut it), you could probably do it that way but it would suck. The trans/t-case combo is very heavy, bulky, and difficult to maneuver. You really need the height of the lift to let the trans/t-case be tilted down quite a bit to wiggle it in/out.

I had it done at a shop, with a lift. However, I insisted on helping, and having everything done MY way. I had say/control over how every nut was turned. Most shops won't do that. In fact, this guy will probably never let me do that again, but I got it done the way I wanted. Basically, even though I did a good portion of the work, I paid him his usual hourly rate, and essentially rented the shop and the mechanic. I think I spent about $650 on the labor, and it took us around 7 hours, which is book time. I mechanic working alone, and in a hurry could beat that, but they would end up cutting corners. For instance, most wouldn't bother torquing the bell housing or flywheel bolts to "spec" . Several, including the guy I used, said they usually just hit them with the impact gun. As far as I was concerned that was totally unacceptable. That's a good way to crack and aluminum bellhousing or warp a flywheel. When I did i, everything was cleaned, lubed/greased to my satisfaction, and either anti-siezed or locktited as I saw fit, and torqued to spec.

The job is not technically complicated, but its physically tough, due to the size of the components involved. A lift is definitely a good idea, as is a second person, even if they are just a "dumb" set of hands to assist physically. A good quality, heavy duty trans jack is also pretty much a necessity. The shop I used also had a nice custom made "frame" that he made to support long trans/t-case combos. Without it, the trans would have been much less "stable" on the jack. Also, make sure you strap it down securely. Again, there is a LOT of weight there. If it falls, best case you break your trans/t-case. Worst case, you shatter your foot into a million pieces.:'(

 

Well, sounds like I have some thinking to do. I would DEFINITELY do a more complete job than a shop. I am pretty OCD and a decent hand with a wrench. I have access to a shop with a smooth concrete floor, but no lift. Soooooo, that leaves me wondering if I should do this myself or not. If I can't get the trans out on the ground, I may be looking at paying a shop. Bummer...

As far as stock kits, it's all I have ever used and never had an issue. I'm not pushing big power either though. Decisions, decisions.

 

While not ideal, that's probably good enough to make it work. If I had had access to that, I might have tackled it myself. I also could not have ANY downtime, as the truck is my only vehicle currently.( and at the time this was done) It simply HAD to be done in one day. I drive in in the morning, and drive home at the end of the day. Now, if you have something else to drive, and can afford to take your time and have it down for a few days, then I would lean towards doing it yourself. Maybe spend the money on better parts instead of paying a shop?

With the lift, and the modified/extended trans jack, it saved us time to leave the trans/t-case together, but in your case, if you do it on the ground, it will probably be easier to separate them. A.) Less weight to deal with at one time and B.) with it being shorter, you won't need as much height to be able to angle the trans.

Also, I left my downpipe in, just because I didn't want to have something else to deal with removing/re-installing, but again, if you can take your time, pulling the downpipe will probably make it easier to get the trans in/out.