[Sams]

('92 F350CC ZF5 n/a Workhorse)

Hello diesel bro's & sis' -

Heard really good things about the Ft Wayne reman 12.25" with Kevlar disc & pilot bearing, but called them yesterday & Barney said it's no longer cost effectv to reman our clutchs, that they just sell LUK # 07131 kit for around $547 + $60 to add a Kevlar pilot bearing, + shipping.
Also read some detailed postings about turning the DMF into an SMF, drilling, tapping, bolting, Etc, ( sounds like something I'd do ), I haven't had it off the truck to look at it yet, and this would of course limit to using a 11-inch stock setup.
I have a budget like most all of us, but only want to go in there once, & do it right. Like to leave room for Some additional HP, hoping to at least put in a Russ' cam this summer.
Different subject, but for the interest of anyone else keepg track - we are running approximately 1 ounce tcw3 2 cycle per gallon, together with Dsl Kleen, gray bottle, & my best MPG so far hwy, little too fast, 70 +, 27 - 2800 rpm, 15.13

 

[PaWest]

Just went through this a few months ago. I used the LUK kit but it wasn't nearly $500. Maybe check this link and see if this fits your truck.

RockAuto - Just enter the part number - 07131 and click search.

I wound up getting a new dm flywheel as mine was making noises at an idle. I talked to a friend of mine who owns a trans business and he told me that switching to a sm could result in a cracked bell housing so I just bought a new dm so I didn't have to worry about it. He said he had an old Ford come in a few years ago where the guy welded his dm together and he did wind up with a cracked bell housing.

 

[LMJD]

He said he had an old Ford come in a few years ago where the guy welded his dm together and he did wind up with a cracked bell housing.

Not doubting it, but I never heard anyone mention the cracked bell housing problem. There's been a few cracked but it was because the owner had let the bolts come loose. With that said, when I finally need a new clutch ass'y, I'll be going with a dual mass. It added quite a bit to the production line cost per unit, so in my opinion, if Ford's R & D didn't think it was important to have, they wouldn't have included it. This quote is from an ex-member here who's had a number if IDI's in his fleet and has a mechanic shop:

"I probably have at least 6 customers with IDI's and the LUK kit installed. I've seen enough issues with the kits over the years where I am still running DMF systems. Here's my latest finding. A little background first.
The truck is a 1990 F450 flatbed car carrier. It's tare is 11k, max legal is 15k but frequently sees 14-17k and infrequently sees 19-21k gross. 7.3 natural, 5.13 ration Dana 80 rear. It got a rebuilt ZF5 two years ago and the clutch disc was replaced then. The ZF5 required replacement of the input shaft and countershaft due to excessive wear on the gear teeth. The teeth was worn to "knife sharp" points. My suspicion of the cause is the SMF changeover."

 

[Sams]

Thank you much, great info, first time I think I've heard those in favor of returning to the DMF. Most everything I've read so far was always 'switch to SMF' - the 12 or 12.25" provides sufficient Springs to handle the dampening & allows 4 greater HP.

 

[LMJD]

the 12 or 12.25" provides sufficient Springs to handle the dampening & allows 4 greater HP.

The SMF has the normal disc springs that any manual trans disc has had for decades regardless the application. I've done a lot of clutch jobs and never saw a disc without the same springs as the SMF replacement. There's nothing special about them that compensates for a DMF. There's numerous people that feel obligated to pass on the "frequent failure rate" of the DMF that floats around the net and their actual experience with one or how they function is ZERO, but they "heard". Personally, mine has never been touched in 25 years and 247,000 miles, and the majority of that has been towing.

 

[oldrebuiltdodge]

The SMF has the normal disc springs that any manual trans disc has had for decades regardless the application. I've done a lot of clutch jobs and never saw a disc without the same springs as the SMF replacement. There's nothing special about them that compensates for a DMF. There's numerous people that feel obligated to pass on the "frequent failure rate" of the DMF that floats around the net and their actual experience with one or how they function is ZERO, but they "heard". Personally, mine has never been touched in 25 years and 247,000 miles, and the majority of that has been towing.

Same here, not quite as many years, but it ran for 750,000 miles with no troubles, and one clutch plate replacement. No one would resurface the flywheel, so I did it myself. Maybe should have replaced it then, the engine might still be running now, and most likely over a million miles.

 

[ytpjp]

South Bend Clutch Catalog - Ford Clutch Kits