What are some opinions on "AFFORDABLE" "street-able" clutches for these cars? My left leg is about smoked, and I think the cable, or clutch pedal bushings, or something is also getting tired after 2 years of standing on the pedal to get through the gears, let alone leave a stop light with traffic.

I did the ADTR manual swap about 2 years ago (HIGHLY suggest anyone thinking about a manual swap to just do it, it's amazing!).

I "knew" the clutch that comes in their kit was serious overkill when I opened the box, but I went with it. It is a beast to use smoothly (and it seems to be getting more difficult with each passing year). Part of the issue is that the pedal kit that comes from ADTR has some very short reach (have to really look under the dash to see the clutch and break pedals), so the leverage just isn't there. I've shoved the clutch pedal pad off the pedal several times just from having to push so hard (this car is my daily driver, so the clutch pedal gives my left leg a workout).

I think that the T45 I bought used from e-bay a few years ago has been whispering some warning signs in my ear (nothing big, just noisy, 1st is can be fickle to get back into when you're at a dead stop, and 3rd gear is in NO MOOD to be speed shifted (sorry GTI guy, didn't mean to grind them gears in your ear)). Overall though, if you're just plugging around in traffic, it's smooth sailing (except for the friggin' clutch pedal - I swear I can FEEL the chords of the cable inside the housing shivering around the bend every-time I have to use controlled pressure on the pedal).

While I've got the transmission out and down to the transmission shop for a rebuild, I thought I'd jerk the beast mode clutch, and put in a more street friendly clutch. My old cars have LUK, or stock Ford in them if I remember right (stuff, those clutches have been in those things for well over 10 years, I don't break my stuff very often).

If you're not pushing serious power I see no reason to go beyond a stock clutch.

What about a Centerforce clutch?
I've never used one, but it's supposed to be the best of both worlds: Smooth engagement, low pedal pressure, but the Centrifugal weights keep it holding at higher RPMs.

Although like cghorr01 said, you'd probably never have any problems with a stock clutch.

I’m running a Valeo King Cobra with my TR3650 that I bought off eBay, feels pretty good to me

I know It's more work, but Ever think about a Hydraulic clutch kit?

The clutch cable routing, cable lubrification, fire wall brace aligment all play a role on the stiffness of the pedal .

Pedals were always a compromise . If the clutch pedal was left alone people were complaining that it looked awkward and out of place because it was too long compare to the brake pedal lenght.
It sure reduced leverage by shortening the clutch pedal but like I said it was a compromise.

I used centerforce dual friction for years and it was alright but I do lots of drag racing . for street application a stock clutch pressure plate will do good .

I have a mcloed rst twin disc on my Boss 302. Its a little noisy at low rpm but is a fantastic clutch. It handles 7500 rpm shifts with no problems unlike the poverty single disc. The pedal is lighter than stock and is fairly easy to drive even with a lightened flywheel.

Yes, the ADTR kit i used comes with a Centerforce clutch (and all the fixin's).

I think I might cut the brake and clutch pedal arms, and weld in a little inch or inch and a half extension (did similar on one of my old trucks when its clutch pedal bent).

Centerforce Installed Image

Hay there :),

I'm running the default ADTR trans swap kit and pedals, so it's Centerforce already.

I remember seeing the original style clutch pedal assemblies and that clutch pedal was hangin' a lot lower than the brake pedal. I think I'll lengthen both so they're not quite so high up under the dash (I'm a tall guy, and sometimes the tips of my shoes get into the stuff under the dash).

I ran the cable far out and curved it back as gently as possible (it's a beefy cable, so it doesn't want to bend at all anyhow). The bracket on the clutch cable "ALMOST" lines up with the most forward valve cover bolt. (It goes out past the front of the motor a little bit, turns back in a big "U", and down to the transmission with out any other bends). I'll look at how much work it'll be to pull the clutch cable out and see if I can get it full of fresh lube (been about 2 years since I put it together).

What kind of spray lube works best in these since you can't pull the cable out of the housing.

The firewall alignment is directly lined up with the cam on the clutch assembly, so I think that part is as smooth as it'll get. There's not really a way to adjust the aluminum adjuster on the firewall once the brake booster is installed, or I'd mess with that a little bit.

Thanks again, awesome fun playing with the manual Vic on the daily.

I hear you, my Centerforce is a rattler when I leave lights at low RPM too.

Running a stronger clutch doesn't make a lot of sense for me at this point (My "67 Comet has a healthy clutch, but it's also got 3x the torque these little 4.6's have).

I'd love a hydro clutch (in ALL of my vehicles - "67 Mercury Comet - 4 speed Top Loader, "68 Mercury Commuter - 3+1 Top Loader, "73 F250 - NP 4 Speed, and the new project "96 MGM).

I have a few acquaintances that converted their classic cars to hydro, but they used a plethora of odds and ends parts and none seem to like their clutch action as much as when it was mechanical (my old stuff uses levers, pivot points, rods, and linkage). I'm too cheap to buy a kit and pray it works (Still paying off my ADTR kit and pedals from 2 years ago ).