Any time you come across a family run, small business in the midst of its fourth-generation of success, you get the feeling they're doing something right. That company is South Bend Clutch in Mishawaka, Indiana. With more than 1,000 clutches leaving its shop each month, we'd say its products are in high demand. And for good reason: Every unit is checked, then re-checked over and over as it makes its way through an extremely efficient assembly line. A timely, but necessary process ensures each clutch is perfect before being boxed up and shipped off. Offering American-made products that are superior in quality while providing outstanding customer service has helped South Bend Clutch become a leader in the clutch industry. As with any project vehicle we put together here at Diesel Power, we wanted to install some of the best parts money can buy. So we paid South Bend Clutch a visit with our '02 Dodge Ram 3500 24-valve and sought out its expertise in an area that happens to be its bread and butter: diesel pickup clutches. Following our trip over to Scheid Diesel ("Midwest Tour: Stop Three," October '09), where we proceeded to add more than 200 hp and double the truck's factory torque rating, our stock clutch was having a hard time handling the Cummins' newfound power. After a consultation in which the truck's current and future power plans were discussed, South Bend convinced us that its Street Dual-Disc 3250 clutch would be the perfect match. Read on to see how our install went. Tearing into our '02 Dodge, the guys at South Bend Clutch got started in the interior, removing the center console on the floor, 4x4 lever, and finally the shifter. Then they disconnected both positive battery terminals, lifted up the truck, removed the front and rear driveshafts, and pulled the transmission.Tearing into our '02 Dodge, the guys at South Bend Clutch got started in the interior, rem All eight bellhousing bolts were removed, followed by the bellhousing, which exposed the stock, rusted, pressure plate. After that, the eight bolts that secure the flywheel were pulled, and so was the flywheel.All eight bellhousing bolts were removed, followed by the bellhousing, which exposed the s Here you can see that very little (if any) friction material was left—basically, we were on borrowed time. "An old, worn-out stock clutch with a lot of miles on it (143,000)," was what South Bend Clutch's Manseil Washburn had to say about our factory unit. Washburn also told us that the hot spots we noticed on the factory flywheel were normal and that it wouldn't matter since we were upgrading to one of South Bend’s flywheels.Here you can see that very little (if any) friction material was left—basically, we were o 1 | 2 | 3 | » | View Full Article By Mike McGlothlin Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
