Mustang Clutch

I've had this Mustang for the last 8 years or so and
it had finally lost its "get-up and go", which meant
that the clutch began slipping, so it was high
time for a new clutch to be installed.

If you have a weekend with good weather,
and all the tools and parts needed and a friend or
two willing to help, then this project could probably
be completed within a day or two...

Here's a look at a few photos
from our weekend project-

1987 Ford Mustang 5.0 clutch

After the transmission was removed, 

this was the view from underneath the dirty beast.

The tranny had a coating of grime 

that warranted a trip of its own to the car wash. 



1987 Ford Mustang 5.0

Don't let the beautiful weather fool you...

It was breezy, but HOT with 90º+ temps.

Removing the old clutch

Since the old clutch was toast,

and toasted, it was slightly difficult to remove.

A little elbow grease was applied

and it gave way...



Worn Pressure Plate

These two photos show how bad this clutch was...

with the grooves being worn in

from the heat generated. 

Old clutch

If you're starting off on a project like this,

be sure to have the little things that

matter on hand, like....
- penetrating spray, like PB Blaster

- soap, like Fast Orange (for yourself)

- shop towels

- flashlight

- brake cleaner

- engine degreaser

Keep in mind that even though you bought

all the parts, you still may need to

rent some tools from an auto-parts store.

It's a good idea to call ahead to make sure

they have the tools you'll need and to place it on hold.

Once you return the rented tools,

they'll credit you back -

so keep your receipts!

Having these items on hand will save you
the trouble of going back and forth
to the store when you could be
moving on to the next step of your project.

Rear View

This is the view that most people see when we're on the move.

If you're not in a Mustang, just move over and get out of my way.

One view that some people don't see too often is under the car.

Last time a clutch was replaced, it was on the 2002,

this time it's the 2000 Mustang GT.
So, prior to putting the transmission back
on the car, I crawled beneath the car and snapped a few photos.

In the photo above, the pressure plate and the teeth from the fly-wheel can be seen,

 along with the bell-housing.

Really, it was pure coincidence that the clutch was the same
color as the Mustang.

The output shaft of the transmission and the splines
for the driveshaft can be seen in this photo above.

Installing a clutch isn't a walk in the park.
You gotta have the right equipment - tools and parts -
but most of all you'll need time and some assistance wouldn't hurt.
Lucky for us, all the above were available to complete this project.

What's your next project?

Clutch, Shift, Go....

After 8 years, it was time to replace the clutch on the 2002 Ford Mustang GT.

It originally started as a project to replace just the throw-out bearing...

The exhaust, starter, shifter and transmission were all removed.

Since the car was in pieces, we went ahead and replaced the clutch too.

The clutch was ordered and we had to wait a few days for its arrival.

Once it came in, we found that it was the wrong

one...sized for a V6 and not the V8.

Lesson: Always check the ordered parts against the originals

before leaving the store!

It was during this waiting period that photos were taken.

Have you ever seen the inside of the tranny?

This is under the car, at night, looking up at where

the transmission would have been.

You can see there were connections that needed to be disconnected too.

Underneath the car, looking toward the back of the car.

Here you can see the disconnected exhaust pipes.