Clutch Type (Material) Best For me?

[JR74CJ5]

Stock CJ5 1974 W/ AMC 304 / T-15 / Dana 20 .

Going to rebuild Tranny soon, figure ill change clutch and resurface flywheel same time.

Wondering the best suited material type for clutch in my case.

I'll be doing Rubicon runs, street driving (to camping and around town), etc.

Grandpa used to talk about winding up and sliding foot off clutch to pull wheelies, but I'm thinking ill need to do quite a bit more before then...

Reading up on Organic, ceramic etc.

Also on clutch kits like centerforce kits etc.

Seen a lot of varrying posts regarding this topic, just wondering what might serve my purpose best...

Any thoughts / Suggestions?

Thanks Guys,
~ JR

 

[BusaDave9]

I am a fan of Centerforce clutches. They are made with a ceramic material. The make several clutches depending on use and the engine they are behind. I would recommend a Centerforce II. It's an excellent HD clutch. It will hold up to many years of abuse behind a AMC 304 .
They also make a Centerforce DualFriction clutch. It's designed more for the strip or off-roaders with high performance engines. Unless you have really built up your AMC 304 it think the DualFriction will be overkill. I just mentioned it as an FYI.

 

[73CJ]

Ditto on the Centerforce II. Mines held under major abuse. Good plan to resurface the flywheel. Lots people skip that part, but really should be done if there's any sign of wear.

 

[83cj7]

I'm also a big fan of Centerforce. I went with a dual friction due to having a mildly built AMC 304 . Only problem with dual friction is the hotter they get they tend to get grabby and harder on the drivetrain. Don't forget to replace the pilot bearing/bushing. Also make sure you have enough free play in your linkage or you will take out your new throw out bearing rather quickly like I did.

 

[JR74CJ5]

Thanks Guys,

My Uncles going to give the dual friction a go... I think Ill see how his does and choose between the II and Dual. Will eventually be fixin' up the AMC 304 but not sure how long from now.

Thanks Again.

 

[JR74CJ5]

I am a fan of Centerforce clutches. They are made with a ceramic material. The make several clutches depending on use and the engine they are behind. I would recommend a Centerforce II. It's an excellent HD clutch. It will hold up to many years of abuse behind a AMC 304 .
They also make a Centerforce DualFriction clutch. It's designed more for the strip or off-roaders with high performance engines. Unless you have really built up your AMC 304 it think the DualFriction will be overkill. I just mentioned it as an FYI.

Looking for the centerforce II kit mentioned. Can't find one with 1-1/8" diam 10 spline 11" diam.

Went on summit and a few others, bt couldn't locate the II series.

Sorry to ask, not trying to be lazy, but anyone have a link saved or something?

 

[BusaDave9]

Are you sure about those measurements? Here's what I found:
Centerforce II Clutch Pressure Plate by Centerforce and Other Jeep Parts and Jeep Accessories by 4 Wheel Drive Hardware-RH3
It shows a 10.4 inch diameter. That's what I remember when I installed a Centerforce II (actually I remember it being 10 & half inch but I guess I'm 0.1 off)

 

[JR74CJ5]

Are you sure about those measurements? Here's what I found:
Centerforce II Clutch Pressure Plate by Centerforce and Other Jeep Parts and Jeep Accessories by 4 Wheel Drive Hardware-RH3
It shows a 10.4 inch diameter. That's what I remember when I installed a Centerforce II (actually I remember it being 10 & half inch but I guess I'm 0.1 off)

That's the correct size i believe.

As far as a kit though i can't find it. Looks like they just sell the pressure plate for Centerforce II... So then do you just buy a separate clutch disc?

I have the throwout bearing: Centerforce N1491 - Centerforce Throwout Bearings - Overview - SummitRacing.com

and the alignment tool (uncle just bought for the centerforce Dual he's installing on his '72

Have the pilot bushing : BCA 146-PB656HD - BCA Bearing Pilot Bearings - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Can find the pressure plate there too : Centerforce CFT361675 - Centerforce II Pressure Plates - Overview - SummitRacing.com although on summits site they do not say compatible with Jeep but same part number as what you gave me above... (and its cheaper from summit )

So then would this be the disc that i should use with that pressure plate? : Centerforce 383271 - Centerforce Performance Clutch Discs - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Or would this be better with ceramic material? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CTF-LM383271/

Thanks again for the help guys... When i start getting this thing looking a little better and am on the trails, I'll load up some good pics! (hopefully with the jeep right-side-up )

Cheers,
~ JR

 

[73jeep]

Regular old 11" diaphragm clutch here... IMHO the AMC motors don't rev high enough to see any advantage from the weights. You want a clutch disk with full friction material for the best life.