Throwout bearing and headers..weird combo but it makes sense! in 2 questions

the only thing I personally can comment on from experience is the TO bearing & clutch cable, my mechanic installed the cheaper TO bearing because he "forgot" I had included the FRPP bearing also!. It lasted one month! I highly recommend the Ford Racing bearing...cheap insurance IMO.

Also I tried the Steeda adjustable clutch cable...it lasted two years but for 18 months it was so hard to operate that I would wear my leg out in stop & go traffic! Everyone that drove my car assumed I had a super stiff racing clutch! I did not realize what the problem was & just lived with it until the cable BROKE at a red light! I tried a Maximum Motorsports cable next & still have it 10 years later!!! Is is so easy to depress the clutch ...like snot on a glass door knob! MM cables are made by Ford OEM manufacturers & have a special three layer teflon lined inner casing that doesn't get sticky & progressively harder to use! MM is the only aftermarket supplier to use these superior cables! They modify the end slightly to work with their adjustable firewall fittings and work just so light & easy.

Just my 2 cents worth from the school of hard knocks.

 

I wouldn't buy any TOB besides frpp. I have used the ones supplied in kits before and the results were never good. Even from higher end clutch makers

 

Good choice

 

I have been admiring some JBA ceramic headers myself and might be upgrading from my BBK shorties if you want a used pair.

 

I would get the full kit from MM and send back whatever you got.

Wait to see if ttocs can give you a good deal on headers. You probably won't notice much of a difference in sound at all, but you might pick up a slight amount of midrange power

 

Well I still have the Steeda Clutch Quadrant, 2 hook, & the MM cable & the MM firewall adjuster...it works together just fine. I HAD the Steeda firewall adjuster but was afraid it wouldn't work with the MM cable & neither was MM. So I sold it &mbought the MM firewall adjuster. After looking & handling both brand adjusters I think the Steeda would have worked just fine. They looked identical...So I bet you can keep what you have & just buy a new MM cable...then either sell your Steeda one to recoup some investment or keep it for an emergency?

 

i would just buy a new cable either from mm or ford, i have had the cheapest quadrant and firewall adjuster and the expensive ones. in my opinion they are all the same i noticed no difference.

 

Home :: FAQs & Tech Tips :: Drivetrain Tech :: Why are aftermarket clutch cables so bad, and what are my options?


[h=1]Clutch Cable Tech[/h]MM Universal Ford OEM Clutch Cable!
We have done a lot of research on Mustang clutch cables, buying and testing almost every different cable on the market we could find. We have found after all this investigation, that the OEM Ford Clutch Cables are the best quality cables available. They have a multi-material, layered construction that provides better heat, friction and collapsibility protection than all the aftermarket cables we dissected. With that in mind, we have begun selling all year ranges of OEM Ford Mustang cables, for those customers that demand a cable that will last. We have developed a clutch adjustment package that will work with all OEM Ford cables. Our Quadrant, firewall package will allow the use of all OEM Ford Mustang clutch cables (and adjustable clutch cables, too), however the cables all require some minor modifications.

We also sell a package with the MM Universal Ford OEM clutch cable, which comes with all the parts you need to install a Ford quality clutch cable in your Mustang with an aluminum quadrant and firewall adjuster, that requires no additional cable modifications. This universal clutch cable will provide more header clearance, and therefore even better heat protection, than any other cable we have found, including the 5.0 liter engine OEM Ford Mustang cables!! This cable, quadrant and firewall adjuster can be the answer to all your clutch cable problems! We have also discontinued selling adjustable clutch cables due to the poor quality and repeated returns we have experienced. Based on our research and ongoing testing, OEM Ford cables are the only solution to Mustang clutch cable problems.

The photo below compares the construction of an aftermarket Mustang clutch cable (upper cable) and an OEM Ford Mustang cable (lower cable). Note that Ford utilizes a multi layer construction which helps prevent heat from affecting the sliding action of the inner cable or causing a compression failure of the outer housing, while still allowing the cable to be sufficiently flexible. While we have looked at the construction of many aftermarket cables, none have had a construction that can compare to the quality of the OEM Ford cables.

 

Do yourself a favor and replace the cable now while you're doing the clutch. Better insurance

 

Better off. You'll thank yourself in the long run when you still have the same cable.

 

Well now that the clutch cable issue is solved, back to headers.
I have the BBK chrome unequal shorties. Not bad headers for the price. Not bad to install either.
When new I noticed an excessive amount of weld on the inside of the header tubes at the flange so before I installed them I used a rotery file and removed about 1/16" of excess all the way around. Also the chrome job isn't the best. It looks like the tubes were chromed first then placed in the fixture to be cut and bent.
They've functioned well over the years but a few of the supplied bolts have backed out and I've had to replace a gasket or 2 over the years too.

 

Yes you can use your old cable...just have to do a minor trim on the end to fit the firewall adjuster...really obvious & simple to do