Dougs951S

OK, so I'm an idiot. Now that that's out of the way, here is what is going on.
I have the new motor in the car, I installed it with the pressure plate bolted on but I had to remove it to get the bellhousing on because I forgot to put it on first. With the TT pulled all the way back there wasn't even close to enough clearance. I bolted on the tranny coupler and used that a prying point and pulled the shaft back inside the tube far enough that the rear ledge of the coupler is almost flush with the end of the TT where it starts to flare out to the tranny bellhousing. I've got a jack under the oil pan the get the engine sitting level and even with the TT supported, still not enough room so I had to unbolt the pressure plate...


Now I can't get the damn thing back on, again because the clearance is so tight and I'm trying to fight to keep the clutch aligned with the pressure plate and flywheel. I DO have the clutch alignment tool but can't use it because there is not enough room. How do you guys get everything aligned so you can bolt the pressure plate on, without dropping the whole thing on your face while you are working on your back under the car?

Dougs951S

To clarify, my issue is that with the clutch alignment tool holding the disc against the flywheel, there is not enough clearance between the disc and the bell housing for me to slip the pressure plate into the bellhousing and over the clutch alignment tool so that I can bolt it up. Any pointers?

V2Rocket

Isn't the order of operations:

1) place disc
2) hang PP by bolts with TOB installed already
3) install alignment tool to center disc in pilot bearing
4) tighten PP bolts to lock it in place
5) install BH

Dougs951S

Yes but I can't get the BH in place with the PP locked in place. Now I finally the PP torqued down with the BH on but I can't get the clutch fork in or the alignment tool out. There is just not enough clearance and the TT is as far back as it will go. Never had this problem before. Been working on this literally all day, very frustrated.

You can see how far back the TT is, I have 4 other images showing how little clearance there is between the block and BH but my phone is being a bitch and im not getting my own email for some reason.

Dougs951S

Dougs951S

I need more room to drop the bellhousing off and properly torque up the PP in the proper star sequence and install the fork, but as you can see by the position of the TT shaft there is absolutely no way that is happening. From the pics of the TT and tranny bellhousing I provided, would you agree the TT can't come back any farther? I've shoved and heaved and pounded on it and that is as far as I can get it to go. Sorry for the multiple posts my phone is really acting up.

odonnell

The torque tube shaft is waaay too far forward. See how the allen bolt (that locks the coupler to the shaft) can't be accessed via the inspection hole? Use the pry bar to move it back.

Van

First off, the driveshaft coupler should always be moved back to the tranny side - not the torque tube side.

Second, you'll have to undo your muffler clamps and then you'll be able to lift the back of the torque tube up and rotate it (about 90 degrees one way or the other) and get the metal collision tabs over the torsion bar tube. Then the torque tube will move all the way back so it's nested under the gas tank, and you'll have plenty of room to remove the bell housing and access the pressure plate bolts.

To line the clutch up, you need to use some sort of clutch alignment tool (a little plastic rod with splines and a tip to go into the pilot bearing). Even with the tool, it doesn't always line up perfectly, so what I do it just bolt it together, put the bell housing on, but the clutch slave cylinder on, then get the drive shaft into the clutch disk. Have someone step on the clutch pedal in the car, that will open the pressure plate up, and will allow you to move the disk around until the tip of the driveshaft goes into the pilot bearing.

Dougs951S

I'm not thinking straight on this car...Thanks for the reminder to remove the exhaust hangers Van. It was keeping me from getting the tube back far enough. Clutch it together and I'm working on putting the trans back in again. Thanks everyone.

Also, I had the tranny coupler on like that (on the torque tube side) because I was using it as leverage to attempt to pry the shaft backward inside the tube to make more clearance (didn't work, I was only able to get an inch or two out of it before it stopped where I showed in my pics). I don't think it's even possible to remove the tranny if you don't slide the coupler toward the tranny side.

Van

Don't ask me how I know that...