I received most of the parts for the Velocity AP twin-disc clutch upgrade the other day. The flywheel is a nice-looking piece of billet steel. The friction disc/pressure plate assembly is the OEM V12S unit. Still waiting for a few small parts before I can schedule the installation. Also haven't yet decided if the installation will be done by an independent shop or the AM dealer. After all the parts are here I'll post a few photos of them.

 

Nice! Looking forward to hearing your impressions of how the car feels with it.

 

Well, looks like my independent shop will be doing the installation, for better or worse. The a**hole dealer said they would install aftermarket parts but now say they won't install any parts that they didn't purchase - at 200% markup and $150/hour!


Now I'm thinking of doing headers and a tune while I'm at it since Velocityap has a good sale going on right now and I already have sport cats and exhaust. Decisions, decisions. And do I want to eat ramen noodles for every meal for a while...

 

..if you get the headers, you can cook the noodles on some fresh stainless steel!

See, there's always a positive side to things!! :-P

 

LOL, true!


So now that it's a necessity to have an independent do this work I'm hoping we can count on you for a little bit of hand-holding if needed

 

Wait.... the dealer wanted you to buy the VAP clutch through them at twice the price, or they wouldn't install it?

I've got a set of Stuart's headers sitting at home right now. They're beautiful. Can't wait to get them installed, although it'll be a bummer that I can't look at them as easily anymore I'm planning to install them between Christmas and New Years. It's probably going to take me two full days... filming, pics, notes, etc, for the DIY is going to be brutal on that job! It's a lengthy, tough job as-is. Stopping every step of the way is going to be hell.

Btw, do ramen hot-pot style. Just throw in some beef, onion, mushroom, etc, and you've got a ton of food for less than $10 (unless you get some nicer steak for it, which you shouldn't be putting in ramen anyway lol). Actually... I might do that tonight!

 

The dealer didn't say the VAP parts specifically, just aftermarket stuff in general. What a rip.


Guess I'll be using some of these ramen noodle recipes. I'm ordering the headers and tune. Hopefully everything will get here in time to be installed after Christmas.

 

Good call on the hotpot idea, now I am going to do that for the holidays

 

Let me show you the ways of my people, Mr Zhang

 

Well... was going to take the car in to the shop to have the clutch and headers installed today but we are having a massive winter storm and the roads are covered in 2 inches of ice and road salt slop.


So far I have learned one lesson. Just gathering up the parts necessary to do this project has taken almost 6 weeks. Most of that is my fault for forgetting to order some of the miscellaneous hardware needed for the clutch installation, and each new order has taken at least 10 days to receive. And then deciding to get the headers, too. But if you started with a complete list of everything required it would still take at least two weeks to get everything. It took FedEx 12 days in transit to get the clutch from VAP in Canada to WI in the USA.

 

Hope all goes well. Could you let us know what extra parts are needed to be ordered?

 

Thanks, I hope it all goes well, too! LOL. Besides the items that come with the VelocityAP twin plate clutch kit I ordered the following other parts:


Flywheel attaching bolts - 8
Half-shaft flange bolts - 12
Manifold-cat gaskets - pair
Manifold-cylinder head gaskets - pair
Pilot bearing
Rear main crankshaft oil seal


plus I ordered a EGR-manifold gasket that's not needed for the clutch job but is needed to install the headers.


Stuart at Velocity has been good to deal with. I've bugged him about 50 times with a lot of stupid questions and he's been patient and helpful.


Now I'm sad because we got about 7 inches of snow today, so it may be a while before the car gets out to the shop.

 

Wait is that why I got 50 emails from Stuart with A.M questions? ;-)

Heads up: if your still snowed in, might be worth it to soak the EGR feed pipe nuts with WD40 at the manifold.. This way by the time your shop gets at them to be removed..less chance of being seized, when seized can take forever to remove

 

Thanks for the heads up. If I can reach the nuts from the top to spray them I will do that.


All my parts and my shop manual (with many sticky notes attached) have been sitting at the shop so they can ponder the wonders that are Aston Martin. I feel confident they will be up to the task. Now just have to get the weather to cooperate.

 

Thank you Jeff, I will be planning this upgrade soon. The wait must be killing you!