just wondering what yall thought a decent price for a double disk clutch would be, i dont want to be shafted

 

any one, i just dont want to pay too much

 

I would like to know as well...Will be looking at the double disk before doing any more HP mods too.

 

I bought mine directly from southbend. It was $2500 delivered. Now, keep in mind that this included a new flywheel to work with the bigger-than-stock clutch, a billet oversized input shaft (required for the 5 spd trans with that clutch), and a new slave and master cylinder to reduce pedal effort. The clutch and flywheel was $1700.

 

Call peter at 1-800-988-4345 and tell him what you want and he'll tell ya what ya need. He won't sell ya anything you don't want and he's got customer service that's equal to none. Heck, it's so good that I drive an auto and I want to buy a southbend.

 

My god what makes it cost so much? A 12" clutch for my old 454 Chevy costs under $200 for a really nice one. What's so different between that and these diesel clutches?

Andy

 

It's a diesel.......and it's a dual disk clutch.

 

Ok so why isn't it $400 then?

Andy

 

The diesel part of the equation is the major factor. If you look at the stock clutches from your 454 and the 5.9 cummins you should see a huge difference. On a stock gasser, hp and torque are going to be relatively close, with torque normally exceeding horsepower by 10-20%. On any model cummins, the torque normally is double or more than the horsepower. This torque is what is so demanding on clutches, as well as the low rpm that it happens at.

 

The difference is if you could put your 454 clutch in my dually, I could use it to deliver the gettysburg address with smoke signals. NO COMPARISON at ALL on the torque these things make. Mine is good to like 1400 ft/lbs. That's not hit it, and it lasts for .3 seconds before the crankshaft exits the block in a ball of fire kind of 1400 ft/lbs, that's long term, pull a sled in a contest, or heavy trailers up mountains at 85 mph without failure kind of 1400 ft/lbs.

The model I put in is only rated to 650 hp, but the torque rating (which isn't on their website that I can see) is way way up there. I believe it's Peter that told me it'll take around 1400 ft/lbs reliably. You can go considerably higher than mine for not that much more money. You're pretty much getting into 18 wheeler territory when you start running the really big ones.

 

That doesn't really explain why it costs so much. Do they use special materials? Special processes to build it? What is it? From what I can see it's a blob of steel that's been machined and assembled just like any other clutch, albeit larger. Why is it 10 times the cost of a gasser clutch?

Andy

 

I dunno what else to tell you-it's torque capacity is in multiples of a gasser's clutch. Everything is bigger, heavier, using more materials. On top of that, they probably sell far fewer of them to spread the fixed costs out over. I mean, if you're not gonna run twin turbos or something, get a good single disk from them. They run about $1100, and will still handle around 1000 ft/lbs.

 

If you really want an eye opener, go price some heavy duty truck parts. They're made out of steel and other ordinary materials, too. But, they're priced far higher than the same components for a car or light truck. That's just the way the world works, what else can I say?

 

The cost to build the DD from South Bend is somewhere over the 1000 dollar mark.
He is making money but not a killing or anything.

The Ceramic pucks themselves are probably in the $200-300 area just by themselves (using up to 48 pucks for sledpulling clutches)

The Feramics are almost twice the cost.

Then take into account a custom machined steel 70 lb flywheel with bronze/feramic inserts on the flywheel face.

Then you have a .400" steel floater plate which acts as the 2nd flywheel.

And of course the 2 clutch disks and pressure plate.

Were really lucky that they dont cost more!!
Remember we are also not talking about some sort of centerforce junk here either!!

 

That pretty much sums it up PD!