sallyII

Does any one know of any reputable shops in Calgary that does pressure plate and flywheel balancing? I just ordered new clutch kit and want to make sure the pressure plate is balanced to the flywheel before starting the install. I found a few places but I figured I'd check to see if anyone in the mustang community has a good recommendation first.

TURBOSTANG

Are you planning on having the whole rotating assembly balanced as well? Kinda hard to just balance the pressure plate without the flywheel, which would require the crank to be balanced.

sallyII

No won't be doing the rotating assembly. I've got a new Mcleod flywheel and clutch kit. The flywheel should be at zero balance out of the box (haven't heard of one that hasn't been) but I've heard that some of the Mcleod pressure plates are not. I just want to make sure that the pressure plate is balanced to the flywheel to avoid any unwanted vibration or clutch chatter. I'll have to assume the motor's internal balance is still neutral.
I found a rotary engine shop that offers that service and a few others.
REC Services | Balancing Services | Clutch & Flywheel Balancing
I don't know how reputable these shops are so I just wanted to see if anyone on the forum has any recommendations from personal experience.

07procharger

These cars have been at a 0 balance for years...no need to balance the rotating assembly anymore. That was back when fords were internally balanced and you had to make sure the harmonic balancer and flywheel matched.

I'm running the Mcleod RST with their flywheel with zero issues. All I would do if I was reusing an old flywheel is to get it resurfaced.

I would call Mcleod but I'm pretty sure their stuff comes balanced out of the box. Im on my second Mcleod set up with no balancing issues.

sallyII

That was my understanding about the rotating assembly. Honestly, I wasn't going bother with the fw & pp balance but someone recommended it for peace of mind. I tend to be overly thorough with these types of things. I'll be doing the clutch swap on jackstands and don't want to have to tear it all apart again if there are any issues. Most people don't do the balance before the install and I haven't heard of many people having issues with the Mcleods. I'm still on the fence about the necessity of it, but if I can't find a reputable shop I won't bother - if they don't know what they're doing I could end up with a lot bigger issues as a result.
Mcleod does claim that they are both balanced out of the box, but some have not found this to be the case with the pressure plates. Apparently if you order the fw & clutch directly from Mcleod they can balance and mark them together before shipping them. Would've went that route if their price was a little better.
I've got the Mcleod steel fw and RXT on order. I haven't heard anything bad about the RXT yet.

07procharger

you will love it. What you will hate is having to drive normally for 750 km while you break it in.

I did both of my installs on jack stands so I feel your pain.


As far as a good shop, in our area...no clue.

Maybe ask the guys at 0 to 60?

sallyII

Did the stock flywheel dowels work with your Mcleod flywheel?
I've heard that the stock dowel pins are to short or small for some 11" flywheels, though I think that was with a Ram flywheel & clutch kit. I believe they had to use the flywheel dowels from the 5.0L fox bodies or something for proper fitment.

07procharger

Honestly I don't know as I have always used an aftermarket flywheel.

But the first RST I instaled I never used the dowel pins and had no issues.

sallyII

Yah that seems to be the typical solution if they don't fit and I've never heard of anyone having issues without them. Seems like they're just there to keep the plate from falling off when unbolting it.
I'm leaning towards leaving them out whether they fit or not.
Thanks for the info

07procharger

they also center the pressure plate on the flywheel.