Clutch Brands

I have Luk in my C101 & my CJ3B, they work well and have been very reliable.

 

Luk all the way.

Sachs is also a good high quality clutch.

My preference is to replace everything in there with Luk and never see it again.

Where you can usually save is on the flywheel. If its not heat marked, grooved, or scored you can usually spend 10 minutes with some scotchbrite going back and forth cleaning up the surface (instead of grinding the flywheel).

 

I talked to a tech at LUK today and they don't make one now for the CJ's with the 8 1/2" disc, which is for the L/F134. He agreed that he has heard of numerous Chineese junk issues. His suggestion to me, off the record, is to keep the disc and just get it resurfaced, which I had done today while I waited. In my case, the odometer was at 15,000 when I got it but I have no idea how long it had been stuck. When I had the engine gone thru, the rebuilder said that was probably close based on how clean it was inside, lack of cylinder ridges, bearings, etc. So the LUK guy said, if the springs are not all rusted, that 15,000 is nothing and if it was his, he'd just clean that part and move on. The resurfacer said they used to do a ton of them, but parts availability just got too hard so they stopped a few years back. The guy there was an old timer and he said the same if it was his. Keep the old stuff which is way better, clean it up, resurface the disc which is in good condition and move down the road. So that's the plan.

 

My centerforce has light pedal pressure. Thats why I went with. Its been in about 8 yrs now and no problems. They can be pricey thou.

 

Way back in the late 60's, when the V6 was new to JEEPs, The clutch was a soft spot in the drive train. One of the guys in the JEEP club we ran with was a farm mechanic and had nothing but problems with the stock clutch. He did some looking around and found that Clark Forklift had a bolt in setup that was perfect-A little stiff to use but Mark was a big boy and strong as an ox. Never had clutch problems after that.

 

What is the quality clutch option for the 4cyl guys? Besides omix or crown.

 

From MickeyKelley's post a few back, I'd say having the existing disk relined would be the best option. You can look at the clutch cover and see how much it's worn. Look for blue spots or checking (overheating) on the face, and obvious wear on the pivots. Likely there are rebuilders out there that cater to the classic car market that will reline your disk and rebuild the cover. Check locally, then online or Hemming's Motor News. You pretty much have to have a new throw out bearing. If it's a choice of Crown or Omix, Crown every time. Pilot bushing you can measure and accept or reject.

RockAuto shows a couple of brands (AMS, Brute Power) that claim to be made in the USA. Might be a good option if your budget can't afford the other options. Inspect carefully, measure where you can, and be ready to reject if the new part looks wrong.

 

Keep in mind, the later (mid-'60s up) F134 Jeeps use a 9 1/4" clutch which was much more robust than the 8 1/2" version. Many later (reletively) flywheels were drilled for either pattern/size clutch. Yes, the 9 1/4" clutch requires the larger corresponding pressure plate. Many of these larger clutches are the diaphragm style as opposed to the 3 finger Borg&Beck design. I consider the diaphragm style better than the 3 finger ones.
-Donny

 

I've been running OEM NOS Borg Beck driven disks in all my CJ's be it 8-1/2 , 9-1/4 or 10.5".
If you can't find a genuine Borg Beck find an old rebuilt Borg Beck or an old replacement.
Something old with absbestos still works just fine if you don't snort it.

Example....
Here's a 9-1/4" x 1-1/8" hub version that I'm selling:
Willys Parts

 

That just made me snort!( I mean laugh...)

 

I used Centerforce I disk, plate & TO bearing. I also converted to hydraulic clutch. It’s been great for 2+ years. Cost is secondary for me. I do allot of back country roads alone. Reliability is my #1 concern. This clutch mod is #3 of favorites; BDS suspension is #1 & Saginaw PS is #2.

 

I’m researching clutches at this time as well. I currently have a Centerforce heavy duty. It seems like it takes a ton of leg pressure on the pedal.

do you think this is because of the heavy duty clutch or just heavy spring pressure with centerforce?

any recommendations would be very welcomed!

 

My Luk clutch has an incredible clutch feel. Most importantly it will hold all a CJ5 V6 can throw at it. I just don't see the utility of a super heavy duty clutch in a small Jeep.

 

Used the LUK on the son's TJ. No problems.

 

What some are missing here is Centerforce has several level of clutches depending on use. Street use, towing/hauling, racing, all different. You just have to choose the right one for your use.

Sachs and Luk are good. Both have been used in OEM applications. I'm not sure if they are still but the "Brute Power" clutches used to be made by Borg-Warner and were quite good. I had one in my '59-5 until I burned it up during a race when it got packed with mud (my fault). At that time a replacement was not available for my application.

 

FWIW, I have been making the input shaft bushings myself as a lot of the offshore bushings have too much iron and are not ideal. Check to see if the new input bushing will stick to a magnet, if it does I would consider getting a quality sintered bronze bushing or turning out your own.