There are two key requirements to a daily driver: It has to be reliable and always ready for action. My "low-buck" '69 Dart, originally a 273/automatic, is now running a warmed-over 318 and overdrive four-speed. Unfortunately, it has recently been a case of "once bitten, twice shy" as far as swapping-in junkyard components are concerned. First, the junkyard OD four-speed turned out to be toast, so it had to be removed and rebuilt ("Overdrive Overhaul," Mopar Muscle, Oct. '01). Second, the junkyard clutch cover out of the F-Body donor car and a Cheap-O Autoparts replacement clutch disc were useless. Though the cover looked like new and the disc was replaced, the clutch simply wouldn't hold torque. An off-the-line dump would smoke the clutch, not rubber, and one-two power shifts would break the clutch so loose it wouldn't catch without lifting.
Though the clutch chattered violently on engagement, the Dart would still get down the road, but when handling impromptu street action, it was seriously handicapped. Delicate movement on the clutch and rolling starts were enough to handle the average contender, but crunch time came when confronted by a 2,600-pound Mercury Comet (Maverick style) sporting a hot Ford small-block. It was as fast as it was ugly. The pull in First gear was bumper to bumper, but counting down the revs as the tach neared seven grand, I knew the gig was up. Slamming Second, the clutch was smoked, and so was my Mopar. The time had come to lose the junk.
It was time to step up to...
It was time to step up to performance clutch hardware in the Dart. The junkyard trash went back into the dumpster to make room for a steel flywheel, a Borg and Beck/Long pressure plate, a dual performance clutch disc, and a fresh throw-out bearing, all from McLeod Industries.
We tapped McLeod Industries for the serious hardware. McLeod manufactures the broadest ranges of performance clutches in the industry, with a reputation for quality. We figured with their extensive product line, they would have a clutch component combination well matched to the Dart's requirements.
Moreover, the raw truth is that "routine" 6,800-rpm shifts with the stock flywheel and junkyard OE clutch were attended by nervous thoughts of a metal-and-flesh-sawing clutch explosion waiting to happen. First on the shopping list was a new McLeod SFI-approved steel flywheel. The next decision was the pressure plate style. McLeod offers a full range of covers, including the stock Borg and Beck type, the diaphram style, the Long type, and McLeod's unique Borg and Beck/Long hybrid.
Borg and Beck's come with a 6.0:1 finger ratio and increased holding power comes from a combination of spring-load and centrifugal-assist rollers. The centrifugal assist varies with the number of rollers. Adding rollers increases the centrifugal assist, but the downside is B&B clutches lock up at high rpm. More rollers lock up at a lower rpm, making high-speed shifting difficult or impossible. Hemi cars came with three-roller B&B clutches rather than the six-roller design used in other big-blocks for this reason, and cheap rebuilder's B&B pressure plates often have all of the assist rollers removed.
 Replacing the clutch in an...  Replacing the clutch in an A-Body requires removing the transmission from the bellhousing, taking the bellhousing off the engine, then changing the clutch components. Though a lift would have been nice, we did the job at home with the car up on jackstands. The driveshaft was unbolted and removed first. |  Up inside, the shifter and...  Up inside, the shifter and linkages have to come off. |  Back underneath, the speedo...  Back underneath, the speedo cable, the reverse light wires, the clutch linkage, and the clutch cover plates come off to free the transmission for removal. |
 We rolled a floor jack under...  We rolled a floor jack under the transmission to support it while the crossmember was unbolted and removed. An old A-Body disc brake rotor (minus hub) was bolted on in place of the jack's saddle cup to give the jack a large stable platform for a makeshift transmission jack. |  The transmission is held to...  The transmission is held to the bellhousing by four bolts. Getting to the hard-to-reach top ones is made easy by lowering the jack to get some angle on the drivetrain for access and using a wobble extension on the rachet. |  The bellhousing bolts are...  The bellhousing bolts are kind of tight to the firewall, but are easily accessed from underneath with a wobble extension by lowering the rear of the engine. Make sure a jack underneath supports the engine while the transmission is out. |
 Our tranny also hung up on...  Our tranny also hung up on the exhaust pipes, so we had to remove them to clear. We had been running a set of 340 exhaust manifolds on the 318 since our headers got crushed going through a road construction area. We decided to add headers now anyway while the car was laid up for the clutch job. With the pipes clear, the transmission slid right back and out. |  With everything clear, the...  With everything clear, the clutch, then the flywheel are unbolted and removed. This stuff gets heavy when working in an awkward position under the car, so take care when the last bolts are removed. |  However, we didn't expect...  However, we didn't expect to see the large chunks of clutch facing ripped right off the disc. Gee, I wonder why it chattered so badly? The lining was worn down to the rivets. The question was, with no bite or durability, what material did they use to make the lining on this thing, cardboard? |