Recently bought a 57 with the original 312/245hp  engine.  It needs a clutch pressure plate and disk.  Have found listings for 292 pressure plates but none for a 312.  Are they the same?  If not where can I find one for a 312?

I'm pretty sure they are the same.  Given that the car is now 61 years old and parts are very interchangeable, the best course of action, if you want to get one that will work the first time, is to pull it apart and see what it has.


Lawrenceville, GA

Sometimes 312s were equipped with 11" clutches, most 292s had 10".  As Charlie said, take the old one out to see what you have before you go shopping.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Once you have the old clutch out, find out the size (10 or 11 inch) and spline count on the disc, go to the Centerforce web site and look for comparable items.  Get the part numbers.

While I think you can buy direct from Centerforce, go to Jeggs or Summitt and check their prices, which I think will be better.  Get the dual friction setup - I used this set up on two cars and they worked very nice.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Passenger car or a T Bird ?
Clutch replacements in a 57 T Bird are loads of fun.

Oldmics

I agree with Paul. I have the Centerforce dual friction clutch in my 56 Customline. Very nice clutch. Holds very well with NO slip and very light pedal pressure. My installation instructions actually said to remove the big clutch pedal spring under the dash because it's no longer needed with the Centerforce set-up. I am also using the same set-up in my 37 Coupe project.

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

a few years ago i picked up a 312 from a 57 merc along with t85 trans.it had a 10 1/2 in clutch with a chrysler type pressure plate.the bolts were even spaced and were 3/8.it wasnt drilled for a ford pressure plate.anyone ever see this

That pressure plate from your description sounds like a Borg & Beck unit.  Three wide fingers on those versus the three narrow fingers that are found on the “Long” style.  I’ve come across those B&B’s in the past on different Ford engines that were sitting loose from their cars but with the engines removed, the original applications were unknown.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

yes thats the type it was.it was a factory setup.

Thanks for all the responses...but I am looking for essentially a stock pressure plate/disc....once I determine the size...or if the flywheel will work with either a 10 or 11 inch.
  Who is a supplier for this?  Does any one know?