Pulled the engine

Keith,

If frugal is the key word....

Find a local shop that will rebuild clutch disks and pressure plates. Think truck repair shops if you don't know of a shop off hand. A good shop will take one look at the Pantera units and make a comment like - "Hmmm. Haven't seen one of these before. What is it from?" A REAL good shop will say - "Hey, is this from a Pantera?"

I am running a rebuilt original Disk and PP in 2511, 300 RWHP, with no problems.

As for electronic ignition, put together a Ford Duraspark system. Ford 460 engines can be the donor for the dizzy, and you want (IIRC) the blue-plug control box. Some of the vendors sell this - Pantera Parts Connection IIRC. Or start hitting eBay after determining exactly what you want.

ANY dizzy - stock or aftermarket - MUST have the gear held on with two - inner and outer - pins to prevent braking, and you need to shell out about $20 for a high strength oil pump drive shaft.

Inside the dizzy unit may be the Pertronix unit. Varying reports on its durability.

Nice thing about staying with Duraspark, you can get parts at Pep Boys anywhere, anytime. Not so with the aftermarket units.

Larry

Last night I remembered that I had had the Packard clutch disc and pressure plate rebuilt by a local company. I took the pieces there this morning and they said "no problem". The parts will be rebuilt and the flywheel resurfaced for a total of about $ 150.00. That is much cheaper than the $ 650.00 price I saw the vendors offering. The rebuilder said the flywheel, pressure plate and clutch disc were stock Ford.

I'm no expert but I think a lot of Pantera owners have had to pull their ZF a second time after installing an off-the-shelf Mustang clutch (which sounds a awful lot like "stock Ford").
I'm not sure what is different or why, but it seems to me that the clutch plate is thinner, or the pressure plate is thinner or is recessed in the housing slightly.
There are a lot of "experts" in the automotive field that couldn't care less what hell they put you through as long as they get your money. "Oh yeah...we see these all the time...no problem."
I removed and replaced my ZF myself and believe me, the peace of mind and aggravation are worth the difference in price. Besides, if you get it wrong, you're still going to have to pay for that second clutch.
Anyway, I'd do a little more research before I jumped into the cheap fix.
Why don't a few of you guys pipe in with your experiences?
Mooso.

Here's a link to an old discussion on the clutch subject and explanation of the difference.

If you already have a stock Ford 10.5" clutch then it sounds like someone has already swapped the flywheel to fit it to as well.

Clutch Difference

I just went through the same decision making process on the clutch and ended up with the clutch set up from PI Motorsports for around 380.00.I could not find a suitable replacement that was the right thickness from any local vendor. I opted not to do a reman unit from a durability standpoint. one of the springs on the disk (not the pressure plate) came out and i had never seen that before so i went with the new one. To be fair i have had the car for only a few months and have no history on how old the clutch that failed was , but the one thing i knew was that i did not want to have that happen again. When it failed it gave me no warning.

While at the shop which will rebuild my original clutch disc and pressure plate the man said it looked like a Ford pickup (not Mustang)pressure plate. He went to the back room and came out with one. We could tell no physical difference between the two pressure plates, other than the shape of the counterbalances on the three actuating fingers, which should make no difference in the operation of the clutch. However, they are going to rebuild my original pressure plate and reline the clutch disc so there will be no problems show up.

quote:

shape of the counterbalances on the three actuating fingers,

Yup, it is said by some that the normal counter balances will sometimes have clearance problems when installed in the ZF bell housing.

Larry

...Here is what You want!! McLoud disk and Plate. The best Single Disk clutch money can buy! And will bolt right up to your existing Flywheel. Be sure you buy the Heavy Duty 'Street' disk (it has the Marcel spring and Damper springs). DO NOT Purchase the Drag Racing or Road Racing disk; which 'Grabs' instantly, and makes smooth engagement impossible. This system is sold by P.I. Motorsports and can be found elsewhere. The counterweights (Pressure goes up with rise in RPM. But NO DISengagement Problems at High RPM. And there are NO interference problems of the weights to the Bellhousing, on My '74L. Smooth silent operation, Stop searching and buy best!! And when You want a 'Oilite' Bronze Pilot Bearing; contact Me...

quote:

MARLIN

quote:

...Here is what You want!! McLoud disk and Plate. The best Single Disk clutch money can buy! And will bolt right up to your existing Flywheel. Be sure you buy the Heavy Duty 'Street' disk (it has the Marcel spring and Damper springs).

Do you have a Mcloud part number?

I just went through the same thing. It is painful to pay the vendors money, but everything is not stock ford. The clutch disc is thinner with the center part is squished and compressed. the pressure plate have special counterweight mods, and the t-bearing is a one of a kind. Pulling your ZF twice won't be any fun. I also used Pantera performance needle bearing pilot bushing. I'd wait for another paycheck and spend the $600.00.

quote:

I also used Pantera performance needle bearing pilot bushing

There is some question about this pilot bearing. It lives in a very hot, dusty area. It is not serviced or able to receive regular grease such as a u-joint. IF it fails and binds or breaks apart, the bearing pieces may be of harder material than the ZF input shaft. If so, then the risk of damaging that shaft is very real. You don't want to know what the cost of replacing that shaft is...

The safest solution is probably buying the custom machined non-magnetic oilite pilot bearing made and sold by Marlin. There is not a real question of it failing, it is made of the proper old-school oilite - not the iron-rich cheap imported crap now used for pilot bearings - and Marlin's piece is overly stout.

I think he gets $30-$40 for it to members of the PIBB.

You MAY be able to find an NOS oilite bearing at an old-time parts store or a clutch/tranny rebuilder. Take a magnet - it it sticks, reject it.

Larry