Hey everyone
I already posted that I need to get my clutch fixed and some people told me what I should get to upgrade. I called a mechanic shop and they said that the dual flywheel assembly had to be changed to a single flywheel setup. Is that right? If so, is that a good thing? Someone on here said that it's alot easier to push in the clutch when you convert to the single flywheel. I can't do it myself because I work too much plus I'd have no idea how to do it so if anyone can help me out on the flywheel thing. It's going to cost around $1600. Thanks

 

i went with the luk upgraded clutch and a single mass flywheel, and its great and all, because a dual mass flywheel can cost as much as a single mass wheel and the clutch assembly by itself. as for do i like it, to be honest NO. it louder because you hear ALL the gear rolllover from the tranny, and yes, there is a lot of sound coming from that tranny. the truck vibrates more at idle (the most annoying thing out of all them), and it just does not shift as smooth as it did before. the truck is jumpy when letting out the clutch more, and its hard to get a smooth shift inbetween gears as well. thats just my 2 cents, but its the "better" solution suposidly.

Callen

 

well i went with a solid flywheel and clutch from Zoom from advanced auto, cost me 500 bucks but was in dear need of a clutch at that time so got what i could for the time being and it shifts better, easier to push in on the clutch, it does idle alittle rougher but as for likin or dislikin it im glad i did do this conversion though but if i was u id go with a Southbend clutch if u ever want to add more hp though i just did this clutch to get me by for now and as of today my truck is paid for and jumped off the deep end last nite for a 97 F350 4wd cab and chassy just got to put another cab on it and injectors so ill have two trucks for now but as soon as i get the f350 up and runnin im sellin my other one though but id go with the conversion if i was u , Lance

 

i went with the best imho

south bend con ofe. $900.00 and bulletproof. especially if you plan to modify your truck

 

if you have the shop do it for that price you are basically paying them $1000 bucks for 6 hours of labor. 6 hours is about what it took me to do mine, granted i had already replaced one dual mass flywheel so i knew what i would be needing. but if you don't have access to a smooth surface to work off of and a good transmission jack i would not attempt doing it yourself.

 

Thanks for the info everybody. 1997-F250, so you can't see any drawbacks with your south bend? I just want a easy/smooth shifting, durable clutch but I plan on adding mods. The dealer's conversion kit is around $1,000 for single so if I can pay that or less on a better system then I will. So is there a website or a phone number for south bend and if so do you remember what the kit is called or will they know if i call them? One more question, if I get one of these kits myself will a shop install it? Sorry for all the questions, it's quite a bit of money for me so I want to be happy with whatever I end up with. I'm going to cancel my appointment for now to check out my other options so thanks again for the feedback!

 

i wish i was gonna be home long enough. i would put it in for you. yes any shop should install it for you. it might be worth it for you to just buy/rent a tranny jack.


call bdp or any other major diesel place they all sell em.

if you dont plan to get crazy with mods a con o would work also. i wouldnt recommend the fe for daily driving.

the con ofe is probably the best suit for our needs

 

Looks like I'm just going to stay with the dual mass setup, just get it replaced. I don't really have the money to upgrade right now. Seems like everyone has their own opinions on whether to convert or stay with the dual. Does anybody have any positive feedback on the dual mass? Thanks guys

 

I've never met, or talked to anyone that made the switch to the SMF that wished they stayed with the DMFW.

The basic LUK single mass conversion clutch for your truck can be had from several of our sites sponsors for about $600 and is vastly superior to any dual mass set up.

Here's just a couple of examples: http://carolinaclutch.com/cart/show/item/110408 and http://www.puredieselpower.com/catal...rade-p-81.html

There are several others avaiable if you care to browse our sponsor index for a few minutes to look for the best deal.

 

You might check into pricing. If you need to replace the flywheel and the clutch pack (90% of the time the dual mass flywheels cannot be turned so they need replaced) you would save big dollars to convert. The flywheel alone from Ford is over $1100 plus the clutch disc and pressure plate. I replaced my clutch a few weeks ago with a LUK conversion that I got from Dale Isley at TYMAR PERFORMANCE - best price by about $60. The clutch starts to catch with the pedal 2-3 inches off the floor instead of pushed into the floor mat, pedal effort is less than half and I am VERY happy. When I first bought my truck in 2000 I had the clutch replaced (I did not have a garage or even a hard surface to work on) with a factory style setup. Even with aftermarket parts the part price was just over $1050 for the flywheel and clutch kit. I bought the LUK a month ago for a few dollars more than HALF that.

Dave / Believer45

 

Sorry, I just noticed you asked for feedback on the dual mass.

I bought my truck in September 2000 with 137,000 miles on it and had the clutch replaced with a factory style (but aftermarket) dual mass flywheel and regular clutch pack. The clutch released right at the floor (both the original factory clutch and the first replacement) and actually was not releasing quite all the way. I drove it like that for 102,000 miles not knowing what it should have felt like which damaged the transmission over the next several years. It was dragging just enough to put strain on the synchronizers. I then replaced it again a few weeks back due to a lot of play in the drive line. Spec is for 3/4" of play between the two pieces of the flywheel (rotating play) and mine was at about 1 1/4" so it was way beyond acceptable. If I had gone with a single mass flywheel conversion in the fall of 2000 I would have saved $650 or so on the original replacement job, I would not have had to replace my transmission a few weeks ago (when I did the clutch) and I would have been way better off money wise. When I got the old clutch out even with 102,000 miles on it the disc still has 75% of its friction surface and the pressure plate and flywheel look like new. The ONLY problem was the dual mass flywheel was worn out.

The LUK replacement is an inch larger in diameter so I could not use the old clutch disc and pressure plate once I got it apart.

There was one good thing from the original mistake - for the last five years nobody has even moved my truck except me. Folks I know are used to me saying that I have tranny problems and will gladly lend them a truck AND driver but cannot lend them the truck so they don't even ask. Lovely Wife drove the truck for the first time in five years the day I did the replacement and was amazed at how easy the truck was to drive and shift.

Sorry for the split reply but I have been where you are twice. The first time I went factory because I had never heard of the single mass conversions. The second time I did what I wish I had done since I found out about the single mass conversion which was two weeks after the first replacement.

Dave / Believer45

 

Check out our South Bend Clutch selection here

 

Man, seems I'm back in forth on what I want to do! Sounds like the majority of you would for sure go with the single mass setup and I've been hearing alot of the LUK upgrade so I want to look into that. The average price through the site sponsors is around $600 for the LUK. Now is that for everything needed to do the job, the whole conversion kit? Should I also buy a new clutch fork? Also, anyone know if I could pick up the kit from the Spokane,Wa area so I don't have to pay shipping costs? Thanks for helping out guys

 

Yes. The kit includes the flywheel, clutch disk, pressure plate, release bearing, pilot bearing, pivot mount, and new mount hardware. The only reason you would need a new fork is if the old one is bent, and you can pick that up at any dealer for about $35.

 

Actually, the clutch forks found in 99 & 2000 model year trucks are inherently weaker and are known to bend.
The fork that we offer in an updated Ford part that is reinforced a bit more.