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a very brief look at clutches

grumpyvette

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2001
Messages
841
Location
Loxahatchee, FL, Palm Beach co
look thru this
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm

your local area is sure to have a decent clutch shop that can sell you a nice heavy duty clutch and pressure plate assembly at a reasonable price, especially if you know exactly what to ask for, get friendly with the guys, youll be seeing them more than once
standard diaphram replacement clutch
673diaphragm.jpg

Diaphragm pressure plates work well for street/strip applications, featuring maximum clamp load with minimum pedal effort, but have a bad habit of sticking to the floor in the cheaper designs if shifted at high rpms
GM Diphragm Pressure Plates
If you need a clutch for your everyday driver, this is the clutch for you. RAM clutch sets are the first choice of professional installers because each set contains the correct, top quality replacement parts to ensure proper fit and operation in your vehicle. Every RAM premium clutch set is backed by our five year/50,000 mile limited warranty.
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product2_10001_10002_752681_-1
borg and beck style
673borgbeck.jpg

This type of clutch will increase the pedal effort in order to achieve the extra holding power, and may require strengthening of your clutch linkage components for proper operation. Roller, or centrifugal assist models are available for non-shifting applications such as clutchless transmissions, or where shifting is done below 6000 RPM.

long style
798436.jpg

The Long Style is the preferred pressure plate for true competition clutch systems. These units provide a combination of static and centrifugal pressure. This characteristic allows setting up the clutch to suit the car and track conditions. Static pressure is provided by coil springs and remains constant throughout the RPM range of the motor. Additional pressure is provided by centrifugal force acting on the levers which impart this force to the pressure ring of the clutch. Centrifugal pressure is RPM sensitive, meaning the force increases as the engine RPM increases. Long Style clutches are available with fixed static and centrifugal pressure or with adjustable pressures to allow precise clutch tuning. Long Style clutches feature explosion resistant pressure rings, chrome vanadium springs for long life without loss of pressure, welded spring guide cups in a heavy duty cover, and all new heavy duty hardware. RAM can build Long Style clutches in any pressure range and with or without counterweight levers for non-shifting applications such as Lenco or other clutchless transmissions.

Ive generally sellected one of the two lower designs in a 3000lb-3600 lb design for a serious BBC, and had them custom assembled by a good local shop
once your over about 600 ft lbs of torque you may want a dual disk design
673streettwinpush.jpg


BTW the upper clutch of the four in the thread above is easy to push in,smooth and quiet, but not nearly as strong as the lower designs,( its stock) the lower clutches are noticable harder to depress, and can be noisy because theres moveable weights and they tend too grab hard and faster , making the clutch engagement harsher but they tend too hold noticably better also:thumbsup:
 

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