Diaphragm style pressure plate

[Bullerman]

Who sells a diaphragm style pressure plate for my 50 Ford.
I am thinking it will work with my stock throw out bearing. Tires of fooling with this three finger set up. What companies sell these that will fit? Thanks

[Bored&Stroked]

You might contact CenterForce . . . I believe they make what you're looking for.

[alchemy]

Just curious, did you ever replace the engine and transmission mounts?

[32phil]

In the process of pulling the 50 Merc out of my 32 5W
The diaphragm pressure plate is just rubbing on the edge of the throw out bearing carrier.
Installing a B&B clutch cover, plate and flywheel.
I have no words I can type here. just @^&%$!! rotten ^%$@!&*)*$ !!
I feel a little better.

[paul2748]

I used a Centerforce clutch setup (pressure plate and disc) in two of my cars (a 54 Ford with a 312 and a 64 Fairlane 302). Both worked very well with stock throwout bearings. Sold the 64, still got the 54 with the Centerforce setup and it still works excellent.

[KiWinUS]

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The 3 finger B&B is about as basic and reliable as can be. Possibly you have other issues and the diaphragm clutch may also be a problem.

[Gene1949]

I ordered a complete [diaphragm style] package (flywheel, pressure plate and disc) from Centerforce years ago. Replaced the pilot bushing and throwout bearing as well. Great setup I couldn’t be happier. Call their tech line, they will set you up with the right package for your installation.

It won’t be cheap, but I like to spend my time driving the car instead of changing clutches. Search this page, lots of info on guys that love to wear out their wrenches changing 3 finger setups one after another.

As far as the 3 finger setups, you have 2 choices. Unreliable onshore rebuilders who can’t seem to figure out how to set the forks OR offshore repops being sold by companies we used to trust.

[Bored&Stroked]

What Gene said . . . . just do this!

[Bullerman]

I haven't but taking the car next week to a friend. Going with motor mounts, transmission mount and spring bushings. Still don't think that's what my problem is but at least I will know if I change those things.
Still believe it's in the clutch but not sure. It has started a shudder when I shift from 1st to second and 2nd to third. If I slow shift it doesn't do do it. Wasn't doing that.
I will get this stuff changed and then post.

[tubman]

Have you checked the alignment of the engine, bell housing, transmission, etc.? I've been watching this from the start and there has to be some other factor to be causing this many problems. Years ago, I had a '50 Buick that went through stick transmissions at the rate of one every 6 months. I sold it cheap to an old local guy. Long story short, he found a serious misalignment between the transmission and bell housing that was cocking the transmission input shaft and wiping out the front bearing. After correcting this, he never had a problem. After he got it fixed, he would merrily blow the horn every time he drove by my house.

I am starting to think there is something bent, a wrong part installed. or just a bad component messing this up.

[Bullerman]

I am in agreement Tubman. My friend that worked on it last said the input shaft and the front bearing was good. Just going by what he said. I had the flywheel surfaced. I wonder also if if could be warped. I am going to show shim your post. He did say something about alignment. I don't think there are any mismatched parts but not sure.
I talked to a old guy at a car show today that had a 50 model pickup. Talked to him about it and he said the flywheel may be warped so I don't know. Thank you for the suggestions. Almost wish this dam thing had a automatic in it.

[tubman]

The main reason I posted is that I've had my '51 since '87 and know what a pleasure they can be when everything is working right.

Keep at it; you'll get it.

[cas3]

We're not so fussy on our cars, but big trucks dial in all the flywheel and bell housing surfaces with a dial indicator. They use offset dowel pins to correct minor issues.

Again, not usually done with our cars, but I tend to agree with Tubman...there may be sumthin funny goin on there. Check it all out to eliminate sources of trouble

[Flathead Fever]

I always double check the flywheel with a dial indicator. Those drivers were so hard on parts especially clutches, it didn't do much good to make everything perfect on fleet vehicles. I put a clutch in a Chevy aerial boom truck C-50, "new everything" and it came back a week later with no lining on the clutch disc. We heard the driver was swinging the boom around back and then popping wheelies with it. We took away his boom truck and gave him a ladder. Only on the really-really heavy trucks did we machine the flywheel and install a "new clutch", not a rebuild. They were pain in the butt to do, remove the PTO to get the trans out, we wanted to make sure we did everything we could to make those jobs perfect. I worked as a phone company mechanic when we had about 400 vehicles, all with clutches. If the flywheel checked out and wasn't burnt up too bad, we scuffed them up a little to get rid of the polished surface and installed a used rebuilt clutch from a rebuilder we trusted. We stocked spare flywheels already turned in case we needed to replace one. We always replaced the pilot bearing and T/O bearing. Three finger and diagram clutches, whatever it ordinally came with is what went back in. Usually, we had the clutche jobs back in their stalls in four-hours. The advantage of having hoists to work on them. I installed them by the hundreds over the years; they went through clutches fast. I keep waiting for my asbestos lung cancer to pop up. That was in the 1980s when we had a clutch rebuild company we trusted. Every once in a while, we'd find a clutch that was boxed wrong. Never give the parts supplier your old clutch until you know the new one works. If it was my personal vehicle, I'd keep the old clutch forever as a future sample to compare the height of the machine surface and the fingers. Make sure the fingers are sticking up exactly the same height when the clutch is tightened down. We had real trans input shafts to use for lining up the discs. Make sure the clutch disc fits on the trans splines, sucks to find out they don't after you've spent an hour trying to figure out why the trans won't slide in. That happened every once in awhile.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by paul2748

I used a Centerforce clutch setup (pressure plate and disc) in two of my cars (a 54 Ford with a 312 and a 64 Fairlane 302). Both worked very well with stock throwout bearings. Sold the 64, still got the 54 with the Centerforce setup and it still works excellent.

I also use the Centerforce clutch and pressure plate. Highly recommend it. You need to call them for the correct parts. Their website is horrible, but their customer service/tech guys are great.