Yup. My SPEC III clutch/pressure plate assembly just exploded. Damage caused...

Exploded windsheild.
Wiper motor/assembly/arms bent to hell. Useless.
Wireing harness severed, unrepairable
LG motorsports headers, totaled. Crushed, smashed beyond repair.
Bell housing, obviuosly non-existent
A/C lines, smashed, needs to replaced.
Engine block EAR where the bell housing bolts to is broken off. Block cracked.
Whole cowl area is shot.
LS6 intake done.
Clutch lines toast.

Thankfully, no damage to my legs...although I do have two chunks of metal on the driver side floorboard.

What an explosion.cause of problem I would have to blame on water damage. Since it was involved in a street flood one month ago.

What an explosion

J

 

Holy crap! Glad to hear you're ok! Stuff like that makes me steer clear of SPEC products.

 

Thanks. Really don't know what to think

 

Holy Sh*t, that is messed up, I have heard this can happen. But never in my life seen or actualy know any this has happened to. WOW. I am glad your okay. Dam sounds like just about everything needs to be replaced, sounds like a total loss to me

 

Holy crap, glad your ok. I have a clutch problem right now and it's nothing like yours, I have heard to stay away from spec III products and now I'm glad I did. I would go after them for some financial recovery.....maybe they will make a better product before someone gets hurt!!!!

 

no **** about it!!! good thing you didn't loss your leg!!!

 

good thing i went w/ the ls7 set up on mine

 

Was it there flywheel?
Was the clutch slipping causing it to heat up?

 

Sure glad you are OK. Man, if that happened to me, I'd have to buy some new underwear! I had a very small piece get loose recently in the clutch in my car and it beat up the pressure plate and poked a hole in the bell housing. What a pain, I'm going back to an OEM clutch. I don't like the short life or the chatter of an aftermarket clutch. I'm putting in an LS7 clutch and flywheel as soon as it gets in. I sure hope it works good for my measly 380 rwhp. I also hope it still works good when I add a 100 shot.

How about posting some photos of the carnage. I'd be interested in what failed on the pressure plate. Did the main plate fracture? I saw a 55 Chevy break a flywheel many years ago, came up through the dash.

 

When I asked Spec about their products compared to the stock clutch they told me that the stock assembly may fall apart under stress. The Spec stuff wouldn't...

I'm glad you're OK!

 

I will post pictures,...I just have to load them on my PC.

I'm really in AWE with this whole thing. Freakin' crazy.

Just can't win.

 

DAMN! Sounds like this is going to set you back a bit.

 

i'd be on the phone with my insurance company all while pulling any nitrous or other "illegal" parts off the car before they come to appraise it and replace all damaged parts.

 

that and $.99 will get you a cup of coffee at Sheetz

how about next time try a blowproof bellhousing or tranny blanket, youre lucky the only thing it damaged was the car how about losing your legs.
they make this stuff for a reason.

i dont care who makes the clutch or any other part you buy for a performance vehicle there is the chance it can fail, and it's up to you to make sure that you protect yourself from such failures, if you dont it's your fault and none others.

i had a clutch explosion last year but it happened inside my mcleod steel bellhousing, the bellhousing did it's job and kept everything inside away from me and the rest of the car.

 

M'm sheetz...miss that place

you're from NEPA...why don't i know you, or your car with that much power? PM me so we don't jack this thread up

 

Man, this is like the 5th or 6th 'Spec Explosion' I have heard about in the past 3-4 years... That is just unbelieveable...

Now, almost anyone product can have this happen, but I don't think many people have heard of such 'failures' like the spec products have had... I know it may be 'taboo' to talk about things on such a board that is so 'vendor-based', but I would think there is enough cause for all the owners of the 'grenade-action' that the Spec clutches are known for could get together and go after them in a class-action suit???

I mean I was all more than willing to try to use a Spec Stage 5 clutch in my setup, but decided to go with a McLoed Street Twin instead as I knew it would hold the power I make (the Spec was a 'it may' or a 'it may not' proposition) and I also knew the Specs were prone to grenading in grand fashion for more than just a freak 1 or 2 people...

I'll be sure my buddy with a Spec stage 3 on his car re-evaluates keeping it in the car when he decides to finally hook the blower up... He already has messed up ankles from a motorcycle accident only a few years back, and he doesn't need to loose them permanently...

 

this is why they invented SFI bell housings or a tranny blanket. its not uncommon for a heavily sprung clutch to come apart from time to time. i know with the 3 fingered clutches, you'd be a moron NOT to have atleast a blanket

 

Yet people keep buying SPEC clutches...

Definitly try to get some money back, however much it takes to fix it and then some.

 

and i'll continue running it

this is why you run a good blanket/bellhousing. when you shoot a slug out the top of your motor at 8,000rpm after a year of racing, do you call the company that made your swinging assembly and look for a refund for your wrist pin or rod bolts for giving out?

 

Same thing happened to one of my friends with a spec V, pressure plate blew up took wiring, some floorboard, a chunk of concrete wall, and almost the dyno operators head. They must be using some cheap alloys in these PP's. It's not cool to mess with people's lives to save money, This is an ISSUE that THEY NEED to ADDRESS.

FWIW I bet you can get them to pay for your clutch and some of the damage, try snapping a few picks and posting them on the web here for all of us and them to see, then call them and tell them you want money for not only the clutch but also for the extra damage it caused.

Sorry bout your luck man and I agree this is BS!!