Zoom brand clutches

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volaredon

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Who knows what about them?
I found (judging by pix of the packaging) quite an old zoom clutch, appears to be stock replacement, it's a 3 fingers type not a diaphragm.
Of what I know of them, they and "perfection" are the same. Was this always the case?
The last 2 "perfection" brand clutches I installed were quite far from their name, besides being made in China which I want to avoid in any case.
About 8-10 years ago I converted a club cab 318 Dakota to a stick, using an NV3500.
I went to the parts store and got a clutch kit and it was a "perfection". Within a few thousand miles I was pulling it out again as the throw out bearing went bad. I exchanged it, I had to exchange the whole clutch kit just for a bad throw out bearing.
Another couple thousand miles goes by lather rinse repeat. I went back to the parts store and begged them to get me some other brand because I wasn't going thru this again with that truck. They refused me, saying that was "all they could get" they their sources. So I got my money back and the 3rd clutch I installed was a Luk. I drove that truck another 70k til I wrecked it and never had a minutes problem with the Luk clutch.
The problem with both "perfection" clutches was to do with the throw out bearing, the sleeve that hooked to the fork was plastic/ something I thought I'd never see. Both screeched like a scalded cat after very few thousand miles.
It seems that zoom clutch (in name anyway) is one that has been around forever, much like Hays, McLeod etc. Does anyone here know anything about "old school" zoom clutches?
 
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There's a LOT of stuff "brand" that you cannot judge/ compare "then and now". Many MANY companies that were anywhere from fair to excellent "then" may have "gone China" now and some of these are very well known brands.
 
If it's an old enough set, it's made in USA. All Zoom stuff used to be. Now I don't know......but probably not.
 
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They weren't that good but that was back in the 70's. We sold them and Hays. Hays for the win! Read through Brewer's site and see what they sell. They don't sell junk.
 
Recently installed a 3 finger Zoom. Didn't last one hard pull through 4 gears in a customers car. We installed a McLoud diapragm. Its been in for 2 years . The car just came back for Quarters and trunk floor. Clutch still works great and second set of tires .

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Oldmanmopar said:
Recently installed a 3 finger Zoom. Didn't last one hard pull through 4 gears in a customers car. We installed a McLoud diapragm. Its been in for 2 years . The car just came back for Quarters and trunk floor. Clutch still works great and second set of tires .

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The diaphragm style pressure plates have come a LONG way from way back when. Used to be, the only thing good for a high performance build was the three finger Borg and Beck, but a good diaphragm style is right on par with them now.
 
This one I'm looking at is a 3 finger style.
If I get it it's going into a /6 in a D150, not racing that. But if it's " new enough" so as to be after they outsourced to China then no can do. That's why I'm asking about "old" zoom product and when they got together with "perfection" and when they moved production over there. I have a used perfection clutch and PP here that came with the trans and somehow THE PP don't look that good// yet I don't think it had a whole lotta run time in there. I can get a LUK for not a lot more from rockauto like I ended up doing with the Dakota that I last tried a "perfection" clutch in, I'll probably just do that again this time.
 
RustyRatRod said:
three finger Borg and Beck,
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Zoom was well know back in the day and allot of guys used them.I used a McLeod,they made a 11'' clutch kit that bolted to the 10 1/2'' flywheel.The pressure plate was a Borg&Beck with Long style fingers.
But that was back in the 70's and I ran it in a 340 Duster. Mopar fans of that generation would never use a diaphragm pressure plate (Least the guys I hung out with) because they would over center above 6,000 rpm.
Now I'm talking that was 50 years ago. As stated allot has changed over the years.
Thanks for the memories of days gong past !
 
Oldmanmopar said:
The car just came back for Quarters and trunk floor.
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What were we talking about here? I forgot, because that's a seriously nice demon... Is it a factory gold car and do you have a link to more pics?
 
Install a zoom in my 72 340 Duster in 75 after a factory replacement failed twice in a short time.
Had the Zoom for several years. Had it rebuilt once, after it started to slip.
It was also purple.
 
Darter6 said:
Zoom was well know back in the day and allot of guys used them.I used a McLeod,they made a 11'' clutch kit that bolted to the 10 1/2'' flywheel.The pressure plate was a Borg&Beck with Long style fingers.
But that was back in the 70's and I ran it in a 340 Duster. Mopar fans of that generation would never use a diaphragm pressure plate (Least the guys I hung out with) because they would over center above 6,000 rpm.
Now I'm talking that was 50 years ago. As stated allot has changed over the years.
Thanks for the memories of days gong past !
Click to expand...

I got it for city traffic. Creeping up Greentree Hill during rush hour sucked.
 
Got me a Zoom in the early 70s. Still got it. That PP has been thru several cars. IIRC it was a model 3800.
I switched to CF II in the Early 2000s; it's still in the car allbeit I swapped that nasty dual-friction disc out (too aggressive for me, for street). My Barracuda has something like 115,000 on that PP, but the combo eats factory 340 discs pretty regularly. So far two spring carriers and one exploded friction.
As for the TO bearings, I just replace the bearing part and keep re-using the factory carrier. But the TObs I get, go for an easy 80,000 miles. The trick is to stay on top of the Freeplay Adjustment, and to not ride the clutch. And no, I haven't seen any plastic parts in them. I lightly lube the retainer nose before I slide the TOb on with a Moly-Paste.
BTW
it's official; I like and prefer the diaphragm to that hard on my left leg, Zoom.
I shift at 7000/7200
 
i took my old zoom to bay city down here, he sets the clutch and pressure plate up awesome, have never been able to drive through them after he sets them up, no matter what engine. had one he did in my old bracket car, lasted 2 seasons behind 9.80 383,
 
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