An important decision, if you decide to replace a transverse engine's clutch, is what engine support to buy, since they are not readily available to rent. I recently used an Astro Pneumatic 5820 Engine Support, which was a huge mistake. The person should have bought Harbor Freight's #96524. The base of the AP5820 was slightly rounded and spiral-wrapped with cheesy nylon, to keep it from slipping. All of this made it somewhat unstable. New rubber feet had to be fashioned. Additionally, the cables provided were way too long to be useful. They had to be considerably shortened and re-looped, using a Fastenal 43383, 1/8" x 5/8", Aluminum Hour Glass Swage Sleeve. It takes a swage tool to properly crimp the sleeve—such a pain. A chain would have been so much better. To make matters worse, the middle support arm was shaky and had to be reinforced. Needless to say, this is not a professional piece of equipment; instead, it is a lawsuit waiting to happen, in my opinion. I realize not many people change their own clutches--this may help someone, however, avoid making a mistake.

For some reason, I've been into replacing clutches recently. Soon, I may even replace the clutch on my Civic, since I got an incredible deal on a new Perfection Clutch Set ($54.00 versus $330 from Honda), which includes the pressure plate, clutch disk, release bearing, pilot bearing, alignment tool, and a packet of grease. I've always liked Perfection clutches, which are made by Berkshire Hathaway's Marmon Industries. If you do the labor yourself, it takes very little money to keep these cars going. Honda charges around $1,400 to replace the clutch.