[DeTomaso] Aluminum flywheel

[Barry Seib]

Hi Thomas

Did you use a Centerforce clutch? What pp bolts did you use?

My own Fidanza experience with fitting an 11" Centerforce clutch:

You can fit a CF clutch on the Fidanza or stock flywheel, but you must use
the 11" Ford CF clutch assy and NOT the special 10.5" Pantera clutch that CF
makes. Not sure if there may be minor throwout issues to resolve, but it is
possible to use. Others have done it.

Fidanza does not seem to sell ANY pressure plate bolt that is satisfactory
for their aluminum flywheel. In fact, no one does! I can't find any that I'd
consider for the application.

If you use the stock Ford pp bolts, you need to countersink for the
unthreaded shank or use a bunch of washers under the head of each bolt.
Then, the thread length is very short for aluminum. It's OK in the stock
cast iron or in a steel flywheel, which are countersunk. In the Fidanza
flywheel the depth of thread looks inadequate for a countersink.On the other
hand the method with the washers under bolt heads looks like a very short
thread left to engage. It also lacks the strength in the original Ford
design provided by countersinking.

If you use longer bolts without an unthreaded shank, I think you are headed
for trouble for sure. The pressure plate will move back and forth until big
trouble comes because the holes in the pp are sized for the shank to locate
it and there are no dowells to keep the pp from moving. I looked at ARP and
every other place and never found pp bolts or equal that I was satisfied
with. I know Will K. used the Chevy bolts. If you do that, make sure you end
up with the unthreaded shank in the hole of the pp at each bolt. It will be
very tricky to get the bolts torqued without bottomming out first and if you
drill too deep, you are losing what little thread there is on the bolt to
start with. You shouldn't use any bolts in this application unless you are
sure they are suitable as pressure plate bolts.

The Fidanza is a nicely made product and obviously it will survive with the
"gomer" bolt solution, but has to be marginal at best and I just couldn't
feel confident in it.

Although I haven't had one in my hands to examine, I believe the more
expensive Centerforce and McLeod aluminum flywheels do not have this issue
to deal with. If I were doing it again, I would call CF or McLeod and ask
what pp bolts they supply/recommend and how that compares to the above issue
before purchase.

Barry

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Thomas Tornblom Thomas.Tornblom at Hax.SE
Wed Nov 26 16:22:10 CST 2008


I have been using a Fidanza since 2006 and love it.

There is one on Ebay right now.

Thomas

26 nov 2008 kl. 23.12 skrev mark skwarek <ehpantera at yahoo.com>:

> Have any of the buyers of the Fidanza aluminum flywheel had a chance
> to use them? What is your experience?
> Thanks
> Mark
>
>