right clutch kit???

I have the entire drivetrain out of my truck and upon inspecting the DM FW, the springs have quite a bit of wear and there is wear against the FW inside the spring housings. Also, some of the rubber bushings holding the springs seem to be wore more than others. The face of the FW cleaned up superb with a little emery cloth and there are no blueing or cracks. I am scared to use it again (141K) only to have it go bad soon again.

I already have the damper ordered b/c the transmission guy advised it also helps with the 5th gear problem (see my other post concerning this problem, main shaft nut doesn't even have threads as it was rolling around in there for who knows how long.)

http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/t...ad.php?t=34271

I am seriously considering going to SM now and see some kits (Valeo) on ebay. What are the other experiences with SM Conversions and which brands?

Here is a thread from last year where 6.5DD and I replaced our clutches.

I went with a South Bend SM kit and 6.5DD went with DynaPak.

I held off on getting the dampener and really don't notice any difference without it.

After reading everything, I think next time I will go with South Bend. Service and quality seem to be a little better than Dynapak. The price seems to be about the same.

Thanks guys! i appreciate the input. I think I am going to SM for sure. No complaints with the DM, there's just not alot of options for the DIYer besides replacing it every time.

Anyone ever try the LUK systems? How about them

If you can get a Kevlar disc for one of these it would be sweet.

I switched the big rig over to the Kev clutch back about 4 years ago.

OMG what a difference. The Kev disc does not eat the flywheel and the plate all up like the ceramics do.

Now a Light duty rig is certainly not going to trash a clutch like something with 2000 lbs of torque trying to rip it in half.

The low wear on the parts is a real plus though. The kev clutch is sooooooooooo smooth upon engagement too. No grabbing or chatter upon takeoff either.

The need to readjust is far less also. The first adjustment was the day following the install and then in about a month. After the initial break in the need to adjust went to about once a year if that.

Not sure if this stuff is available for the 6.5 but I would ask.


Best

Robyn

The kit I used from South Bend was kevlar - MU 1931 TZ - Heavy duty w/Kevlar clutch disc

And I can vouch for SB's support. Peter answered a number of my questions personally before and after the sale.

Luk is OEM and they have a reputation for tearing apart the center of the disc hub. Supposedly they improved over the years. Most find the pilot bearing (needle bearing) kaput upon tear down. I think they are related. BUT that is my opinion from reading several others stories.

Dodge had problems with thier input bearing too. With a good pilot bearing the NV4500 seems to have better clutch life.

LUK is the cheapest and seems to do well with a good pilot bearing. South Bend comes highly recommended. Zoom was another that looked good to the eye. Centerforce has hi performance disc material but the pressure plate is the same as an OEM and not thier proprietary weighted fingers???

Thanks for all the info!

As Hubert says, the pilot bearing is problematic. South Bend shipped me a kevlar pilot bearing - we'll see how that holds up.

I get alot of contradicting info on the Kevlar usage. There is an article on Quad 4x4 about them as well.

I called SB and they were very helpful, prices comparable to others. There is some other good products out there I think but with the DP and other diesel forums, I have heard too many satisfied customers and can't afford not to go with a product with good reviews. It will ship immediately and if I get my transmission kit, I might have it on the road in a week. Went ahead and got one of the crossovers from ebay as well.

When I get this project done, it is time to hit the front of the motor. I have the 97 cooling mods and a phazer kit ready to go in.

hope it comes together nicely for you. i know the frustration that is felt when your truck is in pieces.

i am guessing by the phazer kit you mean gears? where did you get them from?

I got the dual idler (phazer) kit from JK years ago and have put off installation b/c the truck was running so good.

I got the SB kit and SM FW. However, Upon inspection, there are no balance marks on the FW, the clutch has a paint mark and the plate has three paint marks. How does this go together????

any pictures?

these are not of the actual items. These are pics to illustrate what I am describing. Look at the Pressure plate pic. The two arrows point to the small pins/studs holding the retension springs in the assembly. There are three of them on the PP and each has a paint mark (like you would expect for the normal marks.).

The arrow on the disk pic points to the approximate location of a similar green paint mark. iT is not a "dot" like the marks on the pp but more of a "smear" accross the section of the center b/n the inner and outer rings.

Also, there are NO marks on the FW (front, back,outer). Is it because it is balanced by itself?

I read on a different forum that the Pp is factory balanced and should "just bolt on" as the disk is always moving. IF this is the case, why do all the manuals stress "aligning the X" and the PP mark....etc. Is that just for the dM?

Called SB and they confirmed every item is balanced itself so you can just put it together!

That's something like what i was thinking. SB has a pretty good name, so i didn't think they would have screwed up. ;) Bolt it up the same way you took everything out, and get that handshaker back on the road! :D

I would like to get it back on the road but the clutch kit did not come with any bolts for the PP and of course the old ones won't work!#@$#%@$%%#@$%@$%&$%&$ One thing after another. When you work during the day and tinker on the truck at night, it costs even an extra day more because now I have to wait until tomorrow to even call them!!!!