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Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? #588378
01/20/10 01:10 PM
01/20/10 01:10 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
dustergirl340 Offline OP
Chicken Little
dustergirl340  Offline OP
Chicken Little

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Chicken coop
I don't know anything about Zoom clutches but would like to hear experiences with them. This would be for a street car ('76 Dart) with a stout 360.

How do they compare to say, Centerforce, or any other quality clutch?

Thanks

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588379
01/20/10 03:45 PM
01/20/10 03:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,221
Branson, Mo.
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joedust451 Offline
super gas
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Branson, Mo.
Quote:

I don't know anything about Zoom clutches but would like to hear experiences with them. This would be for a street car ('76 Dart) with a stout 360.

How do they compare to say, Centerforce, or any other quality clutch?

Thanks




Not that i've ran one, but they have come along way with there clutches, i ran the Centerforce in my Camaro & it worked great, but i know of others that run the Zoom's & like them too.


75 Duster, 451 10.87 @ 123.58 NA 97 Z28 6sp., 12.01 @ 115 on a 100 shot 71 Swinger. 360 magnum. 12.58 @ 105 78 cutlass, 469 BBC. 12.70 @ 108 on street tires. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2kqNmMfheU
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588380
01/20/10 05:54 PM
01/20/10 05:54 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,708
S. Il. U.S.A.
5spdcuda Offline
top fuel
5spdcuda  Offline
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S. Il. U.S.A.
Hopefully they've made really significant improvements. I had a Zoom in my old 426 street hemi a long time ago [ 1970 ]. It didn't last long and pulling the tranny in a '66 was a PITA. I've heard good things about Centerforce, but I've never used one. McLeod seems to be OK although I did break a spring in a McLeod disc in the 'Cuda. I am using a Sachs now and so far so good.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588381
01/20/10 08:01 PM
01/20/10 08:01 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 66
New York
DartS Offline
member
DartS  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 66
New York
I will never run a Zoom clutch again. I bought one for my 340 Dart. Resurfaced the flywheel and installed the clutch. Took it easy for the first few miles. Then when I brought the rpm's up I couldn't push the clutch pedal in. It was like something was preventing it from releasing. Called Summit and they were great. Sent another one right out without me sending back this one first. Well I put the other one in and guess what. Same thing. This time I bent the Z-bar ball lever on the bell-housing. Called Zoom. They have no clue. Told Summit I don't want another Zoom. I got a Ram setup. This works great. I will buy another Ram. Very happy with this setup. These were all Borg & Beck clutches. Zoom wanted me to try there diaphragm clutch but I wanted to stay with the Borg & Beck to keep my left leg muscular. What are the chances of getting two bad clutches in a row. I'm happy with the Ram setup. I don't know if this was a fluke or what. But no Zoom clutches for me.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: DartS] #588382
01/20/10 08:11 PM
01/20/10 08:11 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo Offline
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Manitoba, Canada
I've heard from someone else on here the zoom clutches aren't up to handling much above stock hp.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588383
01/20/10 08:32 PM
01/20/10 08:32 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
dustergirl340 Offline OP
Chicken Little
dustergirl340  Offline OP
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Chicken coop
Looks like I'm gonna shy away from Zoom. I'll be researching Centerforce, Sachs, McLeod, and Ram.

Thanks guys!

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588384
01/20/10 09:41 PM
01/20/10 09:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,149
Park Forest, IL
slantzilla Offline
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slantzilla  Offline
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Park Forest, IL
When I was in high school we had a saying: "Zoom is junk". Not even the Chevy guys would run them.


"Everybody funny, now you funny too."
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: slantzilla] #588385
01/20/10 09:49 PM
01/20/10 09:49 PM
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 711
Montana
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Posest Offline
super stock
Posest  Offline
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Montana
I have a centerforce in my demon. Remember to remove the spring from under the dash or you need to learn to drive all over again. DAMHIK

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588386
01/20/10 09:53 PM
01/20/10 09:53 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,531
Jacksonville, FL
Chris2581 Offline
master
Chris2581  Offline
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Posts: 6,531
Jacksonville, FL
We ran Zoom for years when racing the 4-speed.Never had any problems with them.Last clutch I bought was a Ram,but only because Zoom wasn't avalable thru the parts house I dealt with.


Nautilus Racing-
We use Superformance gaskets and Turbo Action converters/products.
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: 5spdcuda] #588387
01/20/10 11:01 PM
01/20/10 11:01 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,153
Mass
DAYCLONA Offline
I Live Here
DAYCLONA  Offline
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Mass
I am using a Sachs now and so far so good.






you can't go wrong with the Sachs,...they can really take abuse, I run the Sachs 3 finger BorgBeck style 2800 lb diaphram and the Sachs Kevar disc behind the Keisler TKO 600


Mike

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: Chris2581] #588388
01/20/10 11:33 PM
01/20/10 11:33 PM

A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A



Quote:

We ran Zoom for years when racing the 4-speed.Never had any problems with them.




nothing but zoom for me. for ANY application.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? #588389
01/21/10 12:29 AM
01/21/10 12:29 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 21,345
Marysville, O-H-I-O
70Cuda383 Offline
Too Many Posts
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Marysville, O-H-I-O
no experience with zoom, but I did roast my hayes street/strip clutch with a 3500 rpm clutch drop in 2nd gear on the TKO-600 with 3.21 gears and 28" tall tires.

oops.

put in a CF DF and I've been happy with it so far.


**Photobucket sucks**
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: 70Cuda383] #588390
01/21/10 03:13 AM
01/21/10 03:13 AM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,221
Branson, Mo.
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joedust451 Offline
super gas
joedust451  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,221
Branson, Mo.
Thats what i thought, you'll hear good & bad, even on other brands, i've heard horror stories from the chevy crowd about Centerforce, but also great things, i installed one, it was just the lower line disc., no ceramic, i broke it in & let it rip on the bottle at the track with Hoosiers, worked great.


75 Duster, 451 10.87 @ 123.58 NA 97 Z28 6sp., 12.01 @ 115 on a 100 shot 71 Swinger. 360 magnum. 12.58 @ 105 78 cutlass, 469 BBC. 12.70 @ 108 on street tires. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2kqNmMfheU
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: joedust451] #588391
01/21/10 08:05 AM
01/21/10 08:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,050
Niles , Ohio
T
therocks Offline
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
therocks  Offline
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
T

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,050
Niles , Ohio
The Zoom in my 65 lasted about 5 months and thats when it was almost stock.The McCleod was good but used a lot of leg muscle.It has the CF now and is easy to push and handles 600 horse.Been in 3 years and no problems.Next Im trying the McCleod dual disc.Rocky


Chrysler Firepower
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588392
01/21/10 08:08 AM
01/21/10 08:08 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
dustergirl340 Offline OP
Chicken Little
dustergirl340  Offline OP
Chicken Little

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Chicken coop
This is my first experience with high performance clutches and a 4-speed in an old Mopar so I need all the input I can get.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588393
01/21/10 10:31 AM
01/21/10 10:31 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,573
...gently down the stream
LAR_414 Offline
master
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...gently down the stream
If you want the absolute lightest pedal and able to hold 800+ hp with no chatter, and silky smooth engagement,....do what I did. Go with a Dual disk McLeod RST. Sure, they cost a bunch more, but I couldn't be happier. It's a TRUE street strip clutch. It's like driving a late model car around on the street, but can handle a TON of power. Never slips!!!! I've dropped the clutch at 5000rpm at the strip and it never slips, with my low 11 second Dart.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: LAR_414] #588394
01/21/10 10:40 AM
01/21/10 10:40 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 21,345
Marysville, O-H-I-O
70Cuda383 Offline
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Marysville, O-H-I-O
Quote:

If you want the absolute lightest pedal and able to hold 800+ hp with no chatter, and silky smooth engagement,....do what I did. Go with a Dual disk McLeod RST. Sure, they cost a bunch more, but I couldn't be happier. It's a TRUE street strip clutch. It's like driving a late model car around on the street, but can handle a TON of power. Never slips!!!! I've dropped the clutch at 5000rpm at the strip and it never slips, with my low 11 second Dart.





but your dad uses the CF DF! when I picked up that old 440 block he had in the shed out back, I was asking him about what clutch he uses in that 600 horse? 3800 lb B-body of his, and when he told me about the Dual Friction, I decided to give it a shot when my hayes went out.


**Photobucket sucks**
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: 70Cuda383] #588395
01/21/10 11:03 AM
01/21/10 11:03 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,573
...gently down the stream
LAR_414 Offline
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...gently down the stream
Yes, He uses the CF DF and it's a fantastic clutch. He has had very good luck with it. One time it started to fall apart (lining material) and he sent it back to CF. They replaced the disc for free. He still uses it to this day. Very nice clutch.

I never really liked the ON/OFF feature of the clutch when driving around town. It has a very very narrow area where you can slip it for pulling out at low rpms and such. As with anything, I'm sure the more you drive it, the better you get at it. So it's not a bad thing at all. I just didn't care for that.

SO I upgraded (after a ton of research) to this McLeod setup. The engagement window is much more broad and it is very smooth. Makes it very easy driving around town. I am very happy with it. I don't know of any other mopar guys running this clutch, but a ton of mustang and ls1 guys run it,...for a reason. It holds up to their big power and the do indeed run these cars on the street all the time.

For $700, vs $350 for a CF,.... I'd do it again.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: LAR_414] #588396
01/21/10 11:14 AM
01/21/10 11:14 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
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RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
RapidRobert  Offline
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Lincoln Nebraska
Had a McLeod in our circle burner 360/3 sp. Upon later dissassembly the disc was burned & never missed a beat.


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: therocks] #588397
01/21/10 12:24 PM
01/21/10 12:24 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,842
Witness Protection Program
Kudakidd Offline
master
Kudakidd  Offline
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Witness Protection Program
With a name like 'Zoom' what do you expect? I use McLeod in all my big blocks. And yes I race them.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588398
01/21/10 09:30 PM
01/21/10 09:30 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
dustergirl340 Offline OP
Chicken Little
dustergirl340  Offline OP
Chicken Little

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Chicken coop
Which Centerforce do you guys run? There are several different series.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588399
01/21/10 10:58 PM
01/21/10 10:58 PM
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 711
Montana
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Posest Offline
super stock
Posest  Offline
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Montana
I have the dual friction.

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: Posest] #588400
01/22/10 01:51 AM
01/22/10 01:51 AM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,238
Nevada
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dezduster Offline
pro stock
dezduster  Offline
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Nevada
I have had three, only 2 now. The first lasted for 10 years. This is not behind a 600 hp engine, its worse than that. A measly 350 to 400 HP 440 in a 4x4 truck that I forced to pull 3rd gear when I needed that wheel speed to climb X hill. When blasting dunes I would slip it like you would a dirt bike to gain RPMs. Truck pulled every year at least! twice. Generally abused it every time I drove the truck. So what finally did it in .018 dish in flywheel hot spots on flywheel the size of golf balls. NO! It pull started fully loaded 18 wheeler,RVs and tree stumps.n It gave up one day just a normal day like every other day. It was a daily driver to boot. SO I bought another, thought 10 years was good service. I have one in my duster it only makes 400ish HP its 422 ci. Ive dropped the clutch at 5000+ in 2nd it just boils the 28 inch bfg drags through the 3.23 gears and TKO 550 trans. I WILL NOT ENDORSE things that perform poorly.. The CF DF is one of the best products I have ever used.
I had tried stock NAPAs one pull toast. I got serious I called Hayes, they said street truck and pulls got just what you need a ceramic disk used there F/W & T/O bearing. It chattered violently P.O.S.. I called them to return it they told me NO and nothing was going to do what I wanted with out some issues. Called C/F they guaranteed me I could return if it chattered,if it wouldn't hold they would make it RIGHT. I don't know if they would have? because its every thing they gave there word it would be. This was back when C/F was just starting out not many dealers. Thats why I am a repeat customer.
There are some set up issues though. You must have enough free play for the centrifugal weights to travel after engagement. Free play at 3500+ rpm. The fingers reach out towards the T/O bearing if they dont have room to continue out you do not get full benefit from the weights. Oh I went with the corvette sized clutch and aluminum flywheel in the Duster for quicker shifts and revs. Very satisfied.
Good clutch and happy hide boiling.

Last edited by dezduster; 01/22/10 01:55 AM.
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dezduster] #588401
01/22/10 08:07 AM
01/22/10 08:07 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,050
Niles , Ohio
T
therocks Offline
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
therocks  Offline
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
T

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,050
Niles , Ohio
I use the dual friction also.Rocky


Chrysler Firepower
Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: Posest] #588402
01/22/10 08:30 AM
01/22/10 08:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
dustergirl340 Offline OP
Chicken Little
dustergirl340  Offline OP
Chicken Little

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Posts: 22,873
Chicken coop
Very good...thanks again guys!

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: dustergirl340] #588403
01/22/10 01:23 PM
01/22/10 01:23 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,445
Missouri
68KillerBee Offline
master
68KillerBee  Offline
master

Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,445
Missouri
I hear Mcleod is the way to go. Call Passon Performance or Brewer's Transmission and they'll give you an honest answer. Wanna say that passon said mcleod is made in the US also (could be wrong though)

Re: Zoom clutch.....the good, the bad, the ugly? [Re: 68KillerBee] #588404
01/22/10 02:46 PM
01/22/10 02:46 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,285
Ohio
6
64dodge572 Offline
master
64dodge572  Offline
master
6

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,285
Ohio
Give us a call, we can fix you up with a good Mcleod clutch!

Wayne


Brewers Performance Inc.
4-speed transmission and parts specialists
PH 937-947-4416 or 937-698-4259
FAX 937-947-4419
www.brewersperformance.com
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