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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
ROAD-STIR
For the most part, street rodding is viewed as part of our American heritage, every bit as much as the blues and jazz, hot dogs and apple pie. It incorporates many of the traits we Yanks are known for,
combining ingenuity and individuality, plus a large dose of style gleaned from the numerous vehicles of our past. If you have any doubts, just look at the enthusiasts throughout Europe, Australia and other rodding hotbeds around the globe. They love American rodding.
HISTORY RECOVERED
Having already gathered a number of special Fords in his collection, Tennessee’s Kayo Erwin was more than pleased when he first located a ’63 Ford Galaxie lightweight. It was in relatively good condition and certainly ready for a complete restoration, although not all was as it seemed. What Erwin didn’t realize was that beneath the numerous layers of paint were the remnants of true history, and if not for the vision of Erwin’s wife, Brenda, the dramatic finding could have been wiped away forever. Ready to chemically strip the body of its outer layers, Brenda’s concern over what might be hidden beneath led Erwin’s restoration team to take a more involved path that would eventually uncover a truly amazing discovery. Slowly but surely, with each pass of the dual-action sander, a little more evidence came to light, first with one word, then another, and then three words that would prove to be very informative: “South Bend, Indiana.”
Two-Hour Tech
Improving your S197 Mustang doesn’t have to be an arduous affair. You’re supposed to enjoy working on your car, RATHER than dreading getting off work because you “have” to wrench on the Ford. With that attitude in mind, we recently spoke with Al Kamhi, of Control Freak suspensions, to get his advice on what enthusiasts could do to further the concept of upgrading a Mustang in just an hour or two. But there’s a catch: the upgrade had to make a real difference in the car’s performance.
Spotlighter
A Tough Act to Follow
Author
Richard Holdener
Clutches are something enthusiasts can easily take for granted—until one lets go. We all have installed questionable or inexpensive imitation clutches during late-night thrashes. Attention is paid to the power portion of the equation, but power goes nowhere without a clamping force. In fact, the more power you build into that hot street/strip turbo motor, the more likely you are to overpower the stock clutch.
Though clutches rank below power-adders on the desirability scale, they are every bit as important. In fact, you’d be better off not spending the time and money on a trick blower or turbo kit if you do not plan on upgrading the stock clutch assembly. Sure, it is possible on some applications to improve the performance of your motor without a clutch and pressure plate upgrade, but you can only take things so far. Eventually, the engine will let you know by racing to the moon when you least expect it. Your clutch will likely slip under full throttle, and most probably at the highest load. Better hope you have a rev limiter or things can really get ugly.
But have no fear … Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) has come up with a variety of effective combinations to cater to the needs of performance enthusiasts and racers. We went to ACT with a 2000 Civic Si equipped with a turbocharged B18C. Our clutch change coincided with an engine mod from the original B16A to the turbo B18C. ACT recommended a powerful, yet streetable combination consisting of a MaXX Xtreme pressure plate, a Performance Organic Street Disc and an XACT lightweight steel flywheel.
The MaXX Xtreme pressure plate was originally designed to deliver maximum holding power, and testing has shown it to work exceptionally well with the Performance Organic Street Disc. According to ACT, this combination has been used successfully on some of the fastest all-wheel-drive turbo Talons in the country. Credit the special performance linings designed to withstand higher levels of heat and abuse. Like many of the Performance Organic Street Discs, ours was modified for quicker shifting.
But have no fear … Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) has come up with a variety of effective combinations to cater to the needs of performance enthusiasts and racers. We went to ACT with a 2000 Civic Si equipped with a turbocharged B18C. Our clutch change coincided with an engine mod from the original B16A to the turbo B18C. ACT recommended a powerful, yet streetable combination consisting of a MaXX Xtreme pressure plate, a Performance Organic Street Disc and an XACT lightweight steel flywheel.
The MaXX Xtreme pressure plate was originally designed to deliver maximum holding power, and testing has shown it to work exceptionally well with the Performance Organic Street Disc. According to ACT, this combination has been used successfully on some of the fastest all-wheel-drive turbo Talons in the country. Credit the special performance linings designed to withstand higher levels of heat and abuse. Like many of the Performance Organic Street Discs, ours was modified for quicker shifting.
Topping off our clutch upgrade was an XACT lightweight steel flywheel. While aluminum flywheels are the hot setups for road racing, street motors actually benefit from some added inertia offered by the flywheel. ACT offers both Prolite and Streetlite designs. We opted for the Streetlite, which featured forged chrome-moly construction, precision CNC machining and an induction-hardened integral ring gear. We also liked the fact that it was thick enough to withstand resurfacing, should that become necessary in the future.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Advanced Clutch Technology
206 East Avenue K4
Lancaster, CA 93535
(661) 940-7555
