The Ford Barn

markdtn · 09-25-2019, 10:18 AM

I found out a few things in general about 8BA flywheels when I was searching for a 10" clutch version. My 8BA had an 11” clutch and my flywheel was notusable (pressure plate hole issues). Be very sure that anyreplacement flywheel you get is for an 8BA with 10” clutch and not an earlier V8. The easiest way to tell is if thepressure-plate bolts are drilled all the way through on 8BA. If they are blind, it is an earlier style andwill not work (even though it will bolt up, I found out the hard way)! Also note that there are 2 different stylesof pressure plate. The “Long” (Ford) stylehas bolts in pairs close together. The“B&B” (Mercury) style has 6 bolts equally spaced. Apparently, the B&B pressure plates aregetting scarce. I looked into redrillinga flywheel, but it was less expensive to find the correct used one. Also, the starter rings are unique to thisflywheel. They cannot be reversed andare not available through normal parts channels. The restoration parts suppliers have them ifyou need one. The clutch disc is the same either way for both Long and B&B styles.

09-25-2019, 10:18 AM	#8
markdtn Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 190	Re: Flywheel / Clutch Tips 8BA I found out a few things in general about 8BA flywheels when I was searching for a 10" clutch version. My 8BA had an 11” clutch and my flywheel was notusable (pressure plate hole issues). Be very sure that anyreplacement flywheel you get is for an 8BA with 10” clutch and not an earlier V8. The easiest way to tell is if thepressure-plate bolts are drilled all the way through on 8BA. If they are blind, it is an earlier style andwill not work (even though it will bolt up, I found out the hard way)! Also note that there are 2 different stylesof pressure plate. The “Long” (Ford) stylehas bolts in pairs close together. The“B&B” (Mercury) style has 6 bolts equally spaced. Apparently, the B&B pressure plates aregetting scarce. I looked into redrillinga flywheel, but it was less expensive to find the correct used one. Also, the starter rings are unique to thisflywheel. They cannot be reversed andare not available through normal parts channels. The restoration parts suppliers have them ifyou need one. The clutch disc is the same either way for both Long and B&B styles.