Ford Racing Performance Products
For years, the Ford Motorsport (now Ford Racing Performance Products) clutch has been a staple of the 5.0 Mustang community, and for good reason. It was relatively inexpen-sive and could handle a lot of abuse. It's not unheard of to see an FRPP clutch propel a 5.0 into the 10s in the quarter-mile, but that clamping ability came at the cost of a heavy pedal effort. Sitting in traffic with one is equivalent to a few hours on the leg press at the gym. There's no denying its handling power, and the pedal effort was addressed with the release of the King Cobra clutch, which uses a dual-friction disc to get the job done with lighter pedal effort.
More recently, however, FRPP released its '07 Shelby GT500 twin-disc clutch setup for 5.4 engines with an eight-bolt crankshaft. The company carries numerous clutch assemblies for everything from 5.0 Mustangs to '96 Cobras, and opening the FRPP catalog will show you numerous bellhousings, fly-wheels, and clutch cables and quadrants that are also available.
Hays Performance and Racing Clutches
Hays offers high-performance street/strip clutches for '86-'04 Mustangs, with greater clamping force over the stock factory units for positive clutch engagement. Diaphragm springs are used to assure light pedal pressure and quick release for precise gear changes. The clutch discs feature a heavy-duty organic lining to withstand heat and higher rpm, while the Marcel-style spring allows smooth engagement and steady torque transfer without chatter.
Hays also offers its Tork Loc 5.0 race clutch kit, which is a complete bolt-in setup that eliminates the problem of installing the desirable, long-style, adjustable pressure-plate assembly into a '79-'95 Mustang using an S.F.I.-approved aftermarket bellhousing and factory-style clutch cable and quadrant.
Designed for higher-horsepower vehicles using a turbo, blower, or nitrous system, this kit features an 11-inch, lightweight, fully adjustable, three-lever, long-style pressure plate with aluminum pressure ring to compensate for various track conditions and reduced tire slippage. A sintered-iron clutch disc provides a greater coefficient of friction for greater holding power and clutch longevity. The kit includes a 164-tooth, lightweight, billet-aluminum flywheel; a custom clutch-release fork; an adjustable fork pivot ball; and a high-performance throwout bearing. The assembly meets S.F.I. specifications for all racing sanctioning bodies.
Sharp eyes will have caught that Hays offers billet-steel or billet-aluminum flywheels as well. The aluminum pieces feature a replaceable steel heat-shield friction surface, and all flywheels are precision balanced to factory specifications and certified under S.F.I. specification 1.1.
Lakewood Industries
While Lakewood Industries doesn't offer clutches, it does carry the all-important safety bellhousings for racing applications, which are mandatory in cars running 11.99 or quicker. Manufactured using a hydro-forming process to maintain proper material thickness and minimize thinning in critical areas, these bellhousing are made from 1/4-inch steel and are heat-treated. Engineered to contain a clutch or flywheel explosion, they're certified to meet or exceed S.F.I. Spec 6.1 when used with the supplied block plate and fasteners. For your convenience, we have included part numbers at the end of this article for most of the Mustang applications.
Since the safety bellhousings are an aftermarket application intended for a racing environment, Lakewood also offers its custom-fabricated Clutch Release Fork. It's designed to allow adequate clearance between the fork and cover, which is necessary when installing a long-style clutch assembly into a '79-'95 5.0 Mustang. The clutch fork is constructed of heavy-duty steel to eliminate flex, and the zinc-dichromate plating helps prevent corrosion.