Unfortunatly, Cheap and Cluthes can not be used in the same context. Believe me, I found out the expensive way.
Yes you can do it yourself but plan on the following....
1. New clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and pilot bearing. Used, means used....and in most cases, used up.
2. Have the flywheel re-surfaced.....its pay now, or more later. It should only be about $30.
3. You will need help....the transfer case and tranny are heavy. I don't recomend a plain floor jack....its too easy for it to slip off. About the only special tool you will need is the alignment tool for the clutch and pressure plate...plastic ones are about $4.
4. Its also worthwhile to have the flywheel and pressure plate re-balanced.
Now you know why they charge so much for a clutch job.
I have a friend that just pulls the motor to change a clutch .I'm starting to
thank He has the right idea. unless you have some good help.
I would not go to all that work and use a used clutch and pressure plate.
How to make your own pilot bushing removal tool: 1. Take a 1/2" or so bolt and wrap tape around it until it fits snug in the pilot bushing. 2. Fill pilot hole almost to top with grease, making sure there are no large air bubbles behind the bushing. 3. Insert bolt and smack with a hammer. Voila! The bushing will pop right out! Just clean up all of the grease with a good solvent, especially the flywheel surface and make sure you get down inside the pilot hole in the crank. The heat from the clutch can melt a small amount of grease and cover a large friction surface with it! Tap in the new bushing and finish the clutch.
I agree with the used clutch opinions here--don't do it. I bought a brand new LuK clutch disc, pressure plate, t/o bearing and pilot bushing for about $130 delivered. The kit came with an algnment tool--which you *will* need.
I also rented a transmission jack for $20/day for the job. I rented it for the removal, placed the tranny on blocks and returnd the jack. Next weekend when I put the tranny back in I tried to do it without the t-jack. I got it in but not without the help of an *incredibly* strong neighbor of mine. I *don't* recommend doing it this way. It took about 20 mins of grunting and groaning to get that sucker aligned--and that was with the help of a standard floor jack.
As far as using a hammer and grease to get a pilot bushing out: There is *no way* mine would have come out that way. It was practically fused into the crank bore. I had to use a small, inside type puller with a slide-hammer to get it out. I also had to wedge an allen wrench in between the prongs of the puller in the bore to keep the prongs from compressing and releasing as I hammered away. Once I had the prongs in there good, it took about 100 wacks to get that pilot bushing out.
Been a long time since I did clutches, and it was in my old '50 Ford 1/2 ton with the 302 in it.
But a clutch is a clutch is a clutch and I did that one a couple times.
The advice about using solid, good, new parts is wise.
Check the throwout bearing and the throwout return spring while you've got stuff torn down and replace both if there's any doubt.
The advice about a trannie jack and a pilot tool for lining everything up is also very wise: I wrecked a disc in my back doing the job single handed with a floor jack and a bottle jack and it's a wonder I didn't get really wracked up.
It's damned hard when you're short on cash and need to just get back on the road, and I've taken lots of shade-tree short cuts myself when time was more plentiful than money.
But put as much quality into the job as you can afford and you won't regret it.
Good luck to you.
Bone stock '81 CJ7,'96 ZJ.
"Will Rogers never met Bill Clinton."
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