Derek Baran is a guy who absolutely loves Mustangs, especially blue ones. He isn’t a guy who keeps things stock for long and he spends his time modifying his Mustangs to look good and go fast (like really fast, 700-horsepower fast). And while he is playing with his pony cars he films himself for his YouTube channel Derek Baran Productions. The quality of the videos on his channel is solid and he provides a lot of good to know info for Mustang folks. His recent project was to install a Vengeance twin-disc clutch to try to tame some of the 700-horsepower he has on tap.

Derek Baran hosts his own YouTube channel, Derek Baran Productions, featuring all sorts of adventures with his different modified Ford Mustangs. His most recent modification to his S197 Mustang is the installation of a Vengeance twin-disc clutch.

Derek previously dropped a VMP supercharger on his blue 2013 Ford Mustang 5.0 which he calls “Blucifer.” This supercharger added significant horsepower to the car and he began to have clutch slip at high RPM and some lockout issues. To rectify this problem he opted to install Vengeance’s twin-disc MPC organic clutch (Part #DM1-07-04), which is rated to handle up to 750 wheel torque. This kit comes with a billet flywheel that is finned to dissipate heat, and two 240mm discs to connect power.

Vengeance is a subsidiary of the well-known Competition Clutch company, which made a name for itself in the tuner community. Vengeance is their label for products for the muscle car crowd.

Vengeance prides itself in creating quality products that provide higher clamping force, stronger disc designs, and uncompromised satisfaction, all at the most competitive pricing in the industry. According to Chris Siebert from Competition Clutch, “We have installed these in dozens of hard working Mustangs and pushed them to the absolute limits. We have had all of the drivers come back ranting and raving about how well it engages and drives while under a load and while cruising.”

The 1045 Billet flywheel from Vengeance is a beautiful piece of art. While installing this product the order of the stack (right photo) is immensely important.

What I loved about this install video is it shows what average people go through when doing car projects. Derek Baran doesn’t have a fancy shop with a lift in it. He has a modest single car garage with a floor jack, some jack stands and not enough lights to really see under the car. We get to see Derek and his friend, Alex, jack the Mustang up, climb underneath it and start busting knuckles to get the clutch swapped out. The best part of the video is when Alex makes a grand claim that he doesn’t need the instructions from Vengeance to get the twin-disc stack together correctly. Later in the video you will see Alex pouring over the instructions he dug out of the trash to ensure the job is done right the first time (smart plan).

This the sexy part of car mods, laying under a car, getting stuff in your eyes and bloodying your knuckles.

Derek said that he was excited about the Vengeance twin-disc clutch install because he was having a lot of problems with the stock clutch. “At 7,500 RPM the clutch pedal was sticking to the floor, the clutch was not engaging.” The video shows the S197 MT82 transmission comes out pretty easy. They removed the 02 sensors from the exhaust to be able to rock the engine. They drained the transmission fluid, removed the driveshaft, removed the starter, removed the shift linkage, removed the lower cross brace and then unscrewed all of the 13mm bolts from the bellhousing. A few grunts, groans, some mild hammering and the transmission was out.

Once the transmission was out it was time to disassemble the Vengeance clutch, use some Brakleen to clean packing oil off the flywheel and slap it in the Mustang.

Derek and Alex installed the Vengeance twin-disc clutch using a star pattern to bolt and torque it in and used red Loctite on the flywheel bolts. Then it was time to get “Blucifer” off the jack stands and see if they followed the instructions correctly while installing the clutch. This is what we all know is “the moment of truth.”

Once the new clutch was in, it was time to get the Mustang back on the floor and give it a test drive and some break in period. The project was a success.

Derek was smart about this clutch install. Instead of leaving his garage and immediately beating the hell out of the new clutch, he chose to follow the break-in instructions and put 1,000 miles in the city with plenty of clutch engagements. The video below shows him cruising around town in “Blucifer” patiently waiting to use all 700-horsepower after his new Vengeance clutch is broken in correctly.

Derek’s initial review of the Vengeance clutch is, “it is definitely different than the stock clutch!” He can feel the twin-discs working as he lets the clutch pedal out. “The clutch is easy to actuate!” While Derek cruises around town breaking in his new clutch, we get to see his lady riding shotgun who often holds the video camera while he creates content for his channel.

Derek runs errands and cruises his girl around town while breaking in his Vengeance clutch.

The result of the clutch swap? Success. Derek is extremely happy with the swap from his stock clutch to the Vengeance twin-disc setup. The new clutch holds the immense power his first-gen Coyote is producing and puts it to the ground where it really counts.