Clutch Disks buffers

[steve_wood]

So my clutch disks are warped. Believe it or not, I found a new set at the dealership.

But.....

They don't have the little buffers. See below for the new and the old side by side.

So do I need these buffers? The old one and the new one both have about the same amount of play in the clutch basket....

[Bigincher]

With a properly adjusted clutch, I don't think you'll even know the difference.
At some point (I don't know when) the MoCo stopped used the 'buffer balls'. My shovelhead has that style steel disks, and as long as I keep the disks clean, there's never a problem.

[caschnd1]

I have always used the plate w/o the buffers on my current panhead. The float a bit more freely so you might here a little more chatter when you have the clutch disengaged.

-Craig

[Robert Luland]

The buffers are only there to get a hold on the chatter. I personly don't think they really worked for anything. Bob L

[Cotten]

I could definitely hear a dramatic difference,...
back when I had a left ear.

Give me those bizzare, byzantine, and impractical to reproduce little gems on every other one of the slots on my plates!
Un-finished plates were for noise-dampening aluminum primaries.

Nevermind, I probably wouldn't notice either way.

....Cotten

[Bosheff]

The "Factory" removed the buffers in ther early 80's. With aluminum primaries you don't hear them, but with tin primaries they rattle like hell but they still get the job done....bosheff

[jdpan]

I read or heard something somewhere a long time ago that they only used the balls on the farthest outside position plate, weird, I'm just using one, the rest are without and my clutch works like a clutch with minimal noise in an enclosed tin primary.

[Cotten]

I read or heard something somewhere a long time ago that they only used the balls on the farthest outside position plate, weird, I'm just using one, the rest are without and my clutch works like a clutch with minimal noise in an enclosed tin primary.

Jdpan!

I never heard of such a thing.
But it might make too much sense.
I very much appreciate your perspective!

....Cotten