...installed! I finally got out on Saturday and started dropping the tranny for my SPEC clutch and Fidanza light weight flywheel install. I had trouble getting the axle out that day and was 3:00 am so I waited to start again on Sunday. The axle never came out so I said screw it and took the tranny off with the axle still sitting there. I pulled the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel off then put on the new ones. Fixed an oil leak while I was down there and was ready to do the tranny. My arms were a bit weak from doing all of the previous work so it was a bit difficult lifting that tranny back up in there. It kept getting caught on something numerous times (having the axle in there isn't helping one bit along with the turbo stuff which might be getting in the way).

Needless to say, my arms were getting too tired to keep lifting it up so I had to stop and continue on Monday. On Monday my dad and I ended up rigging something up that included two "jack" stands that were made out of pipe and two drum brakes, 4 some odd foot long 1 inch pipe, and some ends that held a 1 inch pipe that ran across the engine bay.
i.e.: (don't mind the dots)
.. ______
..|.........|
_|_......_|_

Hooked some chain and a come along (sp??) to it and then winched the tranny up and finally got it. After lots and lots of hassle getting it in and even more hassle with the passenger side axle yet again we finally got the thing together and I took it out for a spin.... that thing is even more fun to drive now!! The engine just revs and revs as if its not going to stop in first gear and just keeps going in second but by about 5 grand in second gear I'm already going faster than the speed limit so I need to definitely get it to the track.

I highly recommend getting a lightened flywheel. When turboed it seems like it slows the spool time by a little it seems but is definitely made up by how quickly the thing revs... and I mean really quick. Especially when the turbo spools. The clutch feel is a bit stiffer than stock but I think it will soften up a bit (other people have said this happens). I'm having some throttle response problems because it doesn't rev as quick as it should while in neutral but when I step on the gas it just goes. I'm going to take my time this time around and try to break it in properly so I don't have any trouble down the road. I also hear that these things clamp better once they're fully broken in. Only time will tell.

 

Sweet! Glad to hear it was worth the work! I know my clutch definately firmed up after break-in, when I first put it in it felt like mush.

Oh, and a definate on the fidanza!

 

this one doesn't really feel like mush but its definitely not at its full potential yet. i do need to adjust my pedal though. it releases a bit earlier than i'm used to. i like how the shifts feel quicker and everything just feels more solid now. just need to get some urethane mounts and it should feel really good.

 

So, what kind of trouble did you have with your last clutch? :P

MrGone and I had a heck of a time putting the tranny back in. Somehow we managed to smash one of the round things on the engine that guide the tranny on (see pic). Shawn had to cut part of it off. We were out there for probably an hour trying to figure out why the tranny was stopping like 1 cm short.


Now that you're finished it sounds like fun, I wish I could afford some kind of forced induction, but I will have to settle for the stock VE power.

 

Are you just going to do the engine mounts, or the tranny mounts as well?

 

all of them. i want it to be pretty stiff because i can tell its shifting and i hate that feeling. i just want some solid power to the ground without it feeling like its hopping and such.

that bites that piece bent. i would have gone insane trying to figure out what was going on lol.

 

lol, yeah, it was an easy fix but its just a pain when stuff doesn't go smoothly.

I really couldnt tell a difference with my Exedy, it feels the same today as it did the day I installed it. I was driving my Dads 5th gen around abit with a fairly new stock clutch and it has almost no pedal pressure to it, my Exedy feels alittle lighter than some of the other stock 5spds I've driven. Anyway after driving the 5th gen around abit then I drove mine ohhhh man I love my clutch, I wouldn't trade it for the world. If possiable, record your mileage for abit and see how it compares to the car before hand. I swear my car has something wrong with it, its getting good mileage and I'm beating on it, lol.

 

i'm recording my mileage for the break in period. my car is running so rich right now (i believe due to my maf setup) that with lots of city driving i get about 200 or so miles to the tank! i almost don't want to record my gas mileage because of that.

 

I got 200 miles on half a tank before, and I wasnt playing nice either

 

I'd like to get 200 miles on a tank

 

i used to get nearly 400 miles to the tank but now its running so rich it cut it in half

 

I get about 350-400 in a tank. But now i need to go console my ve and tell it that someday i will have the money for forced induction so he can play with the big boys.

 

ahh yes, forgot about this. I ordered the 300zx clutch and the only difference between the 300zx cluch kit and the Maxima clutch kit is the throwout bearing. The 300zx's throwout bearing is a much different design than the Maxima's so you just have to use the Maxima's throwout bearing. So far it seems to be working just fine for me. Hopefully it will stay like that for a long time.