Flywheel Question

[Golfball]

I am working on my 75 and pulled the motor to replace distributor, intake, etc and decided that since the clutch needed replacing, engine removal was easier. I had ordered a Luk 07-027 clutch kit which is a diaphragm style, my current clutch is a 3-finger style so the flywheel won't take the diaphragm clutch. Can you have a flywheel machined and drilled/tapped for the diaphragm style clutch bolt pattern? versus buying a new one? I know they aren't that expensive but trying to eliminate leftover parts laying around my shop.

Another question, I see several "matches" on sites like rockauto and other auto parts stores that show the flywheel for early Bronco's being 157 tooth, aren't these 164 tooth? Just want to confirm if I do just buy a new flywheel, prefer to pickup one local so avoid shipping.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yes, it can be done. If you're really clever about such things, you could do it yourself. But I would only want a qualified machinist to do it myself. Not because I can't drill and tap just about anything, but because the centering location is so critical, I would not want to take a chance with it. Too much trouble to pull it back apart!
Depending on where you are, a new flywheel might actually be less expensive than a quick trip to the local machine shop.

No question, if you have a V8 of any year, you want the 164t flywheel. But since we've been running into the odd discrepancy with Broncos for 50 years now, just count the number of teeth on yours, and match it.
Might be their description is wrong, rather than the part being wrong. But if you have multiple options, I would go for one that actually says it's 164t.
This came up just last week when I asked about some of the six-cylinder engines being equipped with the smaller 157t version. I thought I'd heard of that being the case, but was answered with a pretty positive answer that all Broncos got the larger flywheel.
Maybe the rumor of the small ones came from someone pulling their clutch out and not knowing a PO had installed the wrong bell-housing when swapping.
No way to know for sure I don't think. But it's a better bet that you need the 164 and don't trust the internet part descriptions.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Just to be sure here though, wait for others to talk about the relative merits of re-drilling your own. For all I know there is a difference that makes them incompatible from more than just the clutch cover bolt pattern.

Paul

 

[Golfball]

I talked with a local parts store/machine shop and he quickly told me "we don't do that, you cant get the balance right. Just buy a new flywheel". But I have seen several good machine shop videos that go through the math and ensure that the holes are centered and accurate. So I will call another machine shop next week that I think is more competent. Part of me would rather keep the Ford part in the Bronco than a new piece from China.

 

[DirtDonk]

Seems like somebody could create a template out of metal. Drill the holes for both, then bolt it to your flywheel to drill the new holes for the new diaphragm cover.
Of course, you still have to verify that it’s centered, when drilling the initial template holes. But once that’s done, the rest should be easy.
Seems like there should be some relatively simple way to ensure that the template is centered on the three finger clutch cover.

 

[jamesroney]

I talked with a local parts store/machine shop and he quickly told me "we don't do that, you cant get the balance right. Just buy a new flywheel". But I have seen several good machine shop videos that go through the math and ensure that the holes are centered and accurate. So I will call another machine shop next week that I think is more competent. Part of me would rather keep the Ford part in the Bronco than a new piece from China.

Post of pic of the flywheel with a tape measure on it, or tell me the bolt pattern. I already KNOW it's a 164 tooth, so I know it's 14.25 OD. But there are 3 possible clutch bolt patterns. If you have a Bronco Flywheel, then the LUK 07-027 is ALMOST never the right clutch. The listings are wrong in every parts book I've ever seen.

No v8 Bronco ever left the factory with a 157 tooth flywheel.

Buy the right LUK from WildHorses4x4 and be done with it. (they might call it a Centerforce.) If you don't like the price, just find the correct pressure plate, reverse part number search it back to an application,. and then figure out the LUK kit number.

This has been solved countless times by the guys who sell Bronco parts. Take advantage of their homework. @DirtDonk is being polite. But there is a solution that does not require drilling.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Post of pic of the flywheel with a tape measure on it, or tell me the bolt pattern. I already KNOW it's a 164 tooth, so I know it's 14.25 OD. But there are 3 possible clutch bolt patterns. If you have a Bronco Flywheel, then the LUK 07-027 is never the right clutch. The listings are wrong in every parts book I've ever seen.

No v8 Bronco ever left the factory with a 157 tooth flywheel.

Buy the right LUK from WildHorses4x4 and be done with it. (they might call it a Centerforce.) If you don't like the price, just find the correct pressure plate, reverse part number search it back to an application,. and then figure out the LUK kit number.

This has been solved countless times by the guys who sell Bronco parts. Take advantage of their homework. @DirtDonk is being polite. But there is a solution that does not require drilling.

Does that include the '66 with the 10" clutch? I know that was a one year (or part of a year) item. Didn't know they had a 10" clutch for a 164 tooth flywheel.

 

[jamesroney]

Does that include the '66 with the 10" clutch? I know that was a one year (or part of a year) item. Didn't know they had a 10" clutch for a 164 tooth flywheel.

It does NOT, and I should have been more specific in my post, but the OP said it was a 1975. That 164 tooth passenger car flywheel is one of the three patterns that I'm looking for. But I don't know the pattern of the LUK 07-027 and their literature doesn't tell me.

So the three patterns I know of are the 6 on 12-5/8, the 6 on 12-3/8 Long pattern, and the 6 on 11-3/8 Long pattern in the one-year only 66 Bronco. (...but also the 65-68 passenger car with the C5AA-6494-B Bell.) I still can't figure out which CARS got the big bell. I used to think it was high performance and 4V cars, then I though it was heavy cars, then I thought it was cars with 302's and then I gave up.

But you are right, The 66 Bronco 289 did have the 10 inch long clutch against the 164 tooth flywheel. But the 07-027 is an 11 inch clutch...

 

[jamesroney]

Does that include the '66 with the 10" clutch? I know that was a one year (or part of a year) item. Didn't know they had a 10" clutch for a 164 tooth flywheel.

If a V8 Bronco left the factory with a clutch that functioned, it had to be bolted to a bell housing with a clutch pivot provision. The only bell housing available in 1966 with a clutch pivot boss was the C5TA-6394-A, and they are always for a 14.25 diameter, 164 tooth ring gear.

So yes...every Bronco with a V8 left the factory with a 164 tooth ring gear.

The PROBLEM is that the Bronco community often names parts from a backwards looking perspective. In hindsight, the 164 tooth, 11 inch clutch is always associated with the "truck" clutch, and the 164 tooth, 10 inch clutch is associated with the "car" clutch.el wi

The 164 tooth flywheel with the 10 inch disc, and 11-3/8 Long pattern is cast with engineering number C5AE-6380-E and updated in 1967 to the C7AE-A engineering number, but kept the old casting number.

So if you want the right clutch for your 164 tooth 10 inch Long clutch in your 1966 Bronco...you need to order the clutch for the 157 tooth passenger car.

 

[Golfball]

Its a 164 tooth flywheel (I counted to be sure), and its the original Ford C5AE flywheel. I went with the Luk 07-027 based on several threads here and several parts interchange lists.

James, thanks for the insight, looks like you solved a couple of questions on this one thread.