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I am in the process of replacing the clutch on my 1973 Pantera GTS.  It is a twin turbo approximatelly 600 horse power stroked 351 Cleveland.  The prior owner had told me that he ran a dual friction clutch in the car back in the 1990's and didn't like it because it made a lot of rattle noise that bothered him, so he went back to the standard single clutch plate.  I also read that the dual friction type clutch is not very friendly for normal street driving.  I am seeking advice from those who may have opinions as to what clutch I should install, single or dual. And if I should go with an aluminum or steel flywheel.  I don't plan on racing the car, mostly street driving and getting into the throttle every once and a while.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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Original Post

The Centerforce dual friction is fine for the street. It is really hard on one side (flywheel side) and as a result takes around 500 miles to get it right.

It will seat faster with an iron flywheel and take just a "little longer" with a forged steel or billet flywheel.



To me, a dual disc in a Pantera with a ZF is questionable. There is limited space available in the bell and the original Ford clutch pressure plate had to be modified (finagled) to fit it in and often it takes some doing to get the slave cylinder to get enough travel to release the clutch completely.

You NEED complete release of the clutch otherwise you will prematurely wear the synchros in the ZF. You DO NOT want that to happen.

You CAN NOT power shift or force a ZF into gear without dire consequences.



The original disc diameter in the Pantera was 10-1/2". Same as the corresponding Mustang 351 Q code Mustang or Torino. The Centerforce Pantera "kit" will be for that.

That is fine for probably 600 hp but you may want to consider using a Mustang 11" kit instead if you intend to make a lot of power. I would think that is what you will NEED for the turbo's. Centerforce says the 11" is good for about 800hp.



I have the 10-1/2" in with no issues and it still shows indications of a slip occasionally. It is a strange creature compared to other clutches.



Should you choose to go with a Mustang 11" Long style, remember that you need to remove the exterior counter weights from the three arms or else they will jamb up against the inside of the ZF's bell. Nah. You don't want that to happen.





You posted the subject of this thread as DUAL FRICTION CLUTCH. I just want to mention that is very different from a dual disc clutch since that has been noted in another thread you posted on this forum. I presumed that you understand the difference?

Last edited by panteradoug

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