What to replace when doing my transmission swap

[MADMarc]

I am the happy new owner of one of Cherry Hill's brand spankin' new W5MG1 25 splines and have a few questions before ripping out the Kormex rebuild that's in my car now. I will be replacing the clutch and understand that I should go with an OEM TOB, I know I will need to resurface the flywheel but what other parts should I expect to order before doing this swap? Are there any common parts that the manual recommends replacing? At the moment I am looking at a new clutch, trans, reusing my transfer case as it does not seem to leak like the transmission, OEM TOB, fresh fluids (of course) and I will finally be tossing on my tcase bracket. Also in the list of goodies are new thermostat housing gaskets, oil drain line gaskets and cam seal gaskets (hopefully those are the only leaks I have :shake2:). I figure I will do all of that at the same time that I have the goodies out of the way when I pull the trans. Any recommendations or am I sounding good as is?

Biggest problem right now is the clutch. It seems that everyone one a favorite and everyone has hatred for one. Right now it's between the Spec Stage 2+, Southbend Stage 3 OFE and XTD stage 3. Thus far I am leaning towards the SB one because vr3.9 had his cryo treated and is going on a strong 15k miles with just under 500 hp. The LAST thing I want is to replace a clutch as often as some copper plugs! Does anybody have first hand experiences of how long these clutches last? Hell, has anyone HEARD of how long these different clutches last? Driving habits are a HUGE factor, I understand, but my light foot (most of the time :)) and very occasional track day tend to stretch a clutch out to it's max....any ideas?


OH! And if you're in the market or know someone who is in the market for a 5-speed 25 spline that will need to be gone through but doesn't grind at all please drop me a line. The one in my car will be up for grabs as soon as I pull it...less than 25k miles on it, too.

[x2percentmilk]

Southbend makes a good clutch (running the TZ now), no clue on xtd, if you buy a spec sprung hub clutch it will break, and I loved my ACT street disc. Generally puck discs will last a year on a DD and full face discs will last longer.

As for your first question, I'm a big follower of "if it aint broke dont fix it" You seem to have a good list for things to replace, id check your rear main seal while the flywheel is off, but if its not leaking just leave it as people have replaced a perfectly sealed one incorrectly and it leaked afterwards. Also might be a good time to check motor mounts (look for cracks, have someone start the engine and watch how much it moves in the bay) and clutch hydraulics.

[MADMarc]

Thanks for the input! I will be sure to keep an eye out for any additional leaks that my crappy gaskets may have left me with so that I can swap them out while I'm in there. I've already swapped all the mounts out w/maximal's solids and am in the same boat with you on the whole "if it ain't broke dont fix it" thing unless it is preventative maintenance. Am I missing any of that? Since none of the retailers will send me a flippin response regarding the clutches I am interested in I will be giving the manufacturers some calls. If that SBC will last longer than the spec 2+ w/the solid hub I will be heading that way. As for XTD, I REALLY want to save the bucks but since the last thing I want to do is replace the clutch in < 20k miles it looks like I will be avoiding them unless I can hear of some instances where they have held up longer. The ACT one in my car (at least, I believe it is ACT) went 20k w/the previous owner, I got one launch out of it and the last 20k miles the car has gone I have been unable to get a good launch without it slipping...grrr.

[n2nsanity]

how much was the new one?

can't think of anything internal, but i'd recommend the solid shifter bushings and the braided ss clutch slave cylinder line

[MADMarc]

just under 2500 shipped from Cherry Hill to my residence in Southern California. Pretty good if you ask me :) It's going to be amazing knowing what these were like to shift off the lot - well, minus the beefier clutch. I have mismatched solid bushings lol one is solid and one is rubber. I put both in as solids but had some issues with the cable binding up and not wanting to shift easily so I replaced the one that was binding and now it's great. I will be sure to check out the slave cylinder to make sure it's not leaking. Thanks for the input :)

[Oyyci]

I'm in the same boat. Mine should be here very soon from IPS. I'm gonna subscribe to this to see what clutch you decide on. I have had SPEC stage 2 in the car for 30kish miles with no issue; but it is a stock car and alot of my miles were highway. I think I am gonna get some fancy DR turbos to go back on this time though, so i think now's a good time to change the clutch for something more beefy.

[MADMarc]

Very cool! A new transmission is going to amaaaaazing! Do you have just the stage 2 or the 2+? I will be sure to update this thread as I go along :)

[Oyyci]

It is just a stage 2 I believe. It's been awhile honestly and I was still in high school when I had it put in. Probably 4 or 5 years. It always held well though, I was very particular during the break in and only really launched it a handful of times. No sense on during a hard launch every time you give someone a ride, they are just as impressed if you get rolling at like 5mph then romp on it.

[MADMarc]

Thanks for the input. I need to give spec and south bend a call to ask for a ballpark of miles I might be able to get out of the clutches. Whichever will give me more is proooobably going to be the one I go with. Just wish 3sx or IPS would reply to my emails or messages so I can just go through them. hummmmmm

[Oyyci]

Surprised Jeff(IPS) didnt answer you, I know he gets the sales@IPS emails on his cell and usually replies quickly or forwards it to someone who can.

[MADMarc]

Not a big deal, maybe it was because I went through their website contact form? Ended up calling IPS today to ask a couple questions but will leave asking about the mileage for when I call south bend directly. Getting close! :D