Clutch

Clutch and Transmission Install

The first step is to install the flywheel. Our flywheel has a 28.8 oz-in imbalance which is designed to compensate for the imbalance of the rotating components in the engine. But this also means that the flywheel must go on the right way. When I looked at the bolt holes, they looked completely symmetrical and there wasn't any key to align the flywheel correctly. When I first put the flywheel in place, all the bolt holes lined up perfectly. I checked a couple books, and none of them mentioned alignment. I finally found a book that said something about making sure all the holes were aligned. So I tried rotating the flywheel, and sure enough, the holes no longer aligned. Problem solved.

Scott and I bolted on the flywheel, making sure to use loctite and thread sealer since the flywheel bolts go right through to the crankcase. After getting the flywheel bolted in, I realized that we had forgotten the engine plate which goes between the bellhousing and the engine and is installed BEFORE the flywheel. So, the flywheel came off and back on with the engine plate in its proper position.

The next step was to insert the the clutch alignment pins. I had assumed that these would slip in, but it turns out they have a very snug fit. After trying to gently tap them into their homes, I decided it would be a lot easier to use a vice to squeeze them in. We took the flywheel off again, and two minutes later had the three alignment dowels installed.

After reinstalling the flywheel for the third time, we put on the clutch plate and clutch housing, using our handy-dandy clutch alignment tool we found at etoolcart.

We then adjusted the McLeod hydraulic throwout bearing per the directions and bolted the bell housing to the transmission. The bolts that came with the ARP engine bolt kit were the right diameter and thread pitch, but were way to short to fit either the transmission or engine.

We assembled the transmission on our table saw side table then rolled the engine on its hoist over next to the table. After a little adjusting of the engine height and angle, the transmission slid right in and we bolted them together.

Two bolts through the starter into the bell housing and we were done. Once we got the flywheel on correctly with the alignment pins, the total clutch and transmission install took less than a half hour.