mx597turbo

Ok, add me to the "I did a C5 clutch" club. This was by far the hardest job I Have ever tackled in my life.

As far as the clutch goes, the new monster stage 2 is full faced Kevlar on both sides. It's not a dual friction anymore. I only drove about 20 miles, but the clutch is great so far. No chatter at all, smooth engagement. Feels stock except for the pedal, which is heavier. I went with the 28lb flywheel. I don't like lightweight flywheels on my drivers.

Things that were (surprisingly) easy during the job:

• Removing the LTs
• Rear cradle stuff
• Pilot bearing
• Separating the line from master to slave

The hard stuff

• Removing and installing the x-pipe (total of about 4 hours, and a huge knot on my head )
• Bruises all over my back and arms.
• Wasting 3 days doing this job in a tight garage

Just a couple of tips not mentioned in Dope's install guide:

• GET A REMOTE BLEEDER!!!
• You will need a flywheel turner. Napa sells them for about $40.
• Autozone loans both a slide hammer (part # 27033) and blind hole puller set (part # 27128). Get them both (or the Advance equivalent). You can put the blind hole attachment on the big slide hammer. 5 whacks, and the bearing will come out. Tighten the blind puller really tight in the bearing first, then thread the hammer in.
• If you get an Fbody slave, you will need to reuse the input line. The easiest way to remove the line (from both the old and new slaves) is to buy some new spring pins from home depot. Just hammer the new pin into the hole halfway and it'll push the old pin out enough to pull it out with a pair of needlenose or dikes. I think the size is 1/8"x1". Note that neither Autozone nor Advance sell these.
• A mightvac works great with the remote bleeder. You won't have to pump the clutch at all. Just get and go!
• Not necessary, but I bled the clutch and confirmed it was working as soon as I got the torque tube reattached to the bellhousing. I only raised the cradle enough to be able to connect the lines. If you're going to have a problem, you may as well know now. Also, once bled, have someone step on the clutch while you visually check its operation under the car.
• Also not necessary, but I checked that I could go into every gear as soon as I got the torque tube high enough to get the shifter in. Again, better to make sure now. (I have read about this problem on these forums).
• Drain the tranny and diff before you start dropping anything. Then fill them up when the cradle is on the ground. I used funnel with some tubing I had lying around. Was very easy.

Just a final note on the job. It isn't easy. Don't fool yourself into thinking it is. I have done plenty of clutches, and pulled a few engines. Nothing ever came close to what's involved in this job. You've been warned...

I will update on how the clutch is working after 500 miles. That's about 2 tanks of gas. Figure about two weeks if you're interested. I'll also (hopefully) be installing my Tick master between now and then.

KorbenDallas

Thanks for posting this. I was weighing whether to pay someone do the install or DIY. I read a few write-ups about it and decided not to, but this post absolutely solidified it for me; I'll pay someone to do it

Smokin Joe

Pics!

racebum

i even use to be a shop tech back in the late 90s - early 2000s, i'm not doing this at home. the part that made me say f'k it i'll give my buddy 500 if i need a clutch done is the re install of the driveline. the trans-rear end are heavy and trying to line that up on a jack already had me feeling a headache and scraped up body parts i'm sure i would receive

dropping the drivetrain isn't that bad, especially if you have a friend, the re install? forget it

neutron82

an atv jack under the rear cradle works much better than a floor jack for lowering and raising the drivetrain... I put a couple boards across mine to help support the cradle then strapped it down so it won't move and it worked perfectly... I just left the trans/diff/cradle/suspension on that jack the whole time and I removed the torque tube to upgrade the couplers... the hardest part was getting the torque tube into the clutch but I was doing it alone... I had a friend give me a hand and it was in within 20 mins and it's a cakewalk from there... another tip, the plastic clutch alignment tools suck, I could not get it lined up perfectly... what I did was leave the pressure plate slightly loose then use the input shaft of the torque tube to line it up and once you have the torque tube bolted down you can tighten the pressure plate bolts... I also numbered my pressure plate so I would know the order to tighten the bolts since you can only see the bottom side of the assembly with the torque tube installed... obviously you don't have to do that if you decide to torque it before the torque tube goes in... it definitely is a hard job but I'm not paying a grand for something I can do myself... plus it will be done to your standards and you will be proud of yourself afterwards... anyone can pay to have their car built but not everyone can say they built it themselves