Flywheel and clutch choice

After being misled about a flywheel (and clutch for that matter) I bought (not only was it not new, it is not aluminum, it was covered in rust), and wasting a bit of money on garbage, I am looking at what is available, and there are a lot of options. Is there a good balance in weight and cost? The manual says 168 tooth, but the part # on the manual points to a 153 tooth? Also, I can't find the info on the starter I need right now. I think it is a Buick Century starter I need, but I need the year. I would like an AL flywheel, but due to cost concerns, I am probably just going to go with iron for now.

This is one recommended by the manual for $301: 14088646

here is a Jegs equivalent that comes up for only $65, and it only weighs 16 lbs:Jegs

Those are the 153 tooth, however... is that what I should be looking for or 168?

Now, as for the clutch, I know I need a 1"x23 spline disk, 10.5" or 11" will work, I believe.

Here is a Zoom clutch that is only $125... seems suspiciously cheap.

McLoed for $182

RAM for $239

These should work with the flywheels above, no?

Here is a 10" Centerforce... I have had really good luck with them in the past.

I know that nobody else can tell me what will work for my budget, but I just want to make sure I am not missing anything that will prevent physical incompatibility.

EDIT- after double checking, it looks like the Jegs FW only allows up to 10.4" clutches, but that would be perfect with the centerforce kit.

With the LT1 you can use the Jegs flywheel or one from Summit. Are you using the C5 bell housing?
The 153 fly wheel was used in the cars and the 168 tooth fly wheel was usually used in the trucks and a few cars. If you have room in the bell housing I would use the larger one. It'll give you the chance to use the larger clutch assembly.

I do have the C5 bellhousing. I just realized it wasn't the starter I am thinking of from Buick, it was the alternator. I'll see what I can find in the 168 tooth.

Can you get the flywheel you have resurfaced?

I could, but at $65, I'd rather go with the 16lb one from Jegs. The one I got weighs at least 30. I wouldn't be spending much more than having it resurfaced, I'm sure. Those are both 153 tooth, though. I am going to see what I find in a 168.

Anyone know if the LS and LT have different bolt patterns?

Alex,

I used the 153 tooth flywheel from jegs, a 10.5" centerforce pressure plate and a 10.4" clutch disk from mcloud. As for the starter, I bought a high torque mini starter off ebay for around 100$. It's the one without the nose cone. It actually looked really nice and was well built. I was a little worried buying from it from ebay, but it seems to work great. It sounds really cool too! I guess I'll have to see how long it lasts.

This is the starter: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I bolted it up without any shims and it works perfect.

Also, I bought a rebuilt CS130 alternator from ebay for 39$!!

The centerforce pressure plate was from a 1992 3rd. gen IROC. I noticed the link you had said mazda and ford.

Thanks Spence, that is what I'm looking for- first hand "I used it and it works" info.

I haven't actually driven the car yet, but the clutch seems to work fine. I'm using a 1pc. bellhousing; that's why I needed to use that starter (one without a nose cone)... The one with the nose cone interferes with the 1 pc. bellhousing. I'm not sure if that matters when using the 2pc. style

I used the 16 Lb summit flywheel, If you use a Dodge Ramcharger with a 318 for application you will get the proper spline and a pressure plate with the proper bolt pattern. I used a Fenco NU1506 and while Mopar normally comes with a Borg and Beck style pressure plate the Fenco actually came with a diaphragm style pressure plate. Check with aftermarket high performance suppliers to see what kind of pressure plate style this application comes with or if they give options regarding pressure plate styles. Diaphragm will give the lightest pedal. No issues with the Fenco after 7000 miles of hard use on the street this summer however I only have about 400 HP.

Thank you Bill.

I will add with the hydraulic release bearing I used (RAM that was suggested in the manual) would not work with the release bearing support identified in the manual (no clearance between release bearing and clutch fingers, like 1/2" not enough) so I built my own. always something!
It could be the clutch fingers are higher on the Ramcharger clutch assembly, I used 1/4" plate for my support and still only needed 2 or 3 cone spacers to properly shim release bearing to clutch fingers.I ended up using a hydraulic grease hose for my remote bleeder. i know steel braid is nice but..
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What is the RAM part# and how thick is that baseplate?

The hydraulic throw-out is a Ram 78125, the support was the one in the manual and measures .850" while the one I built is .025". Bellhousing wouldn't even come close to the block. Not blaming anyone... I did deviate from the plan!

Good to know, I think that it the release/slave I replaced the broken one (that was, ahem, "brand new") with. At least it doesn't seem like too difficult of a solution.