forgot to post up the outcome. the center part of the friction disc separated from the rest of the disc. not sure how in the hell that happened, but that is what it was. it now has a marlin clutch kit in it, new flywheel, and my original tranny back in it. i just picked up a dd so the truck will not be driven much anymore (average about 30k a year on it) except for the snowy commutes and for trail runs, so hopefully this clutch will last 5 or 6 years.