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Lightweight Flywheel swap
Clutch replacement time! I got that same sick feeling most of you would when the time comes for it. This job is not easy, but is not impossible either. I decided to tackle it myself, and since I was doing this anyway, I also took the time to document the clutch swap.(and did a fine job of it too)
The whole procedure is posted on the SHO Forums, and the admins picked it up and copied it to the SHO Phoenix Project as well.
Since I was doing this myself, I opted to upgrade the flywheel as well. A lighter piece will improve throttle response, with not much loss in drivability. This works fine with the stock clutch, which is what I selected.
Old and new side by side, the new Fidanza piece is half the weight of the original (10 punds vs. 20).
Some SHO history- The SHO is a special case where a light flywheel actually brings the car to original clutch weight- the early clutches were tiny, and the car soon developed a rep for eating clutches quickly.
So the design was revised, along with the pressure plate. At Ford's request, it had to fit the earlier cars, while being as large as the existing space would allow. Now, instead of a tiny clutch with a stamped steel pressure plate, the car got a slightly larger piece with a CAST IRON pressure plate (oof). The resulting increase in weight hurt the throttle response. So swapping the flywheel for a lighter unit brings the car close to original performance.