Posted: 1/5/2007 6:11:44 AM EDT
| I have the opportunity to buy a 1973 Ford Highboy. The only thing wrong with it is it needs a new clutch. Is this something I can do in my garage? Is it just parts replacement or are there adjustments to be made? |
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It can be done in your driveway, done it many times You have to drop the transfer case, drop the tranmission, unbolt the clutch, unbolt the flywheel, get it turned at a machine shop, get a new throwout bearing (don't be cheap, all the cost is in the labor, I made this mistake once, get a new bearing), put the new clutch on. You need an alignment tool, they cost about $14 at any auto parts store, just buy one, don't rent it, you'll use it later. I probably have 3 or 4 of them floating around. then put it all back together. Getting the tranny and transfer case to line back up can be difficult. Two people are better than one. You need a good floor jack, trannys and transfer cases are heavy. It will take you all day (actually more because you'll have to get the flywheel turned) Not complex, just a PITA good learning experience. |
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The flywheel gets machined so the clutch has a clean and smooth surface to grab. Think of it like turning the brake rotor when installing new brakes. I know a lot of people just toss new brakes on a vehicle without turning the rotor but getting the rotor turned cleans up the surface. I consider a 4x4 clutch to be a weekend project at least, depends on who is open to turn the flywheel and what else pops up while doing that. Having 2 floor jacks can sometimes be useful if you try and do it yourself, but having help getting the transmission and transfer case back in is easier and quicker in many cases. |
The flywheel surface can wear and get imperfections (cracks, heat scoring, etc.) from the clutch disc, especially on a hard driven vehicle. Resurfacing the flywheel removes this bad stuff, so the new clutch disc will have a fresh surface to run on. Not resurfacing the flywheel when replacing the clutch may cause the clutch to slip and/or chatter. Important note though - there are minimum specifications that a flywheel can be resurfaced to, just like minimum specs for a brake rotor. If the flywheel is machined too far, the throw out bearing may not have enough travel to fully engage the clutch. This can result in excessive clutch wear (slippage) and/or hard shifts/grinding when shifting gears. |