Orizon

hey all, ive got my 350 in my 84 TA. im trying to install the T5 back into the engine and havent been haveing much luck. car had 305 lg4 originally, bought a rebuilt 350 which is like a 75-77 block. the problem im haveing is i cant get the transmission to go the last inch. i replaced the pilot bearing, had the flywheel resurfaced. used a clutch alignment tool when installing the clutch and pressure plate and i dont think it can possibly get any more centered. any ideas as to what could be holding me up. it seems to me like its just going into the pilot bearing but theres nothing i can think of to make it any easier. i bought the damn trans jack adapter today and it doesnt attatch to my floor jack very well. i have more luck lifting the tranny on my chest and putting it into the engine (with an aid) but like i said the last inch wont go, ive tried on 3 different occasions now. i try moving it every which way and aligning it by eye n what not but that last inch just wont go. i dont know what i can do to make it go. im wondering if maybe the input shaft is too long but from rough measurment i dont think thats the case. i am at a loss. any help is much appreciated. i have a lot of money and time wrapped up in this now and i just cant get the damn tranny in to finish assembly and fire the motor for hte first time.

brutalform

While wiggling the trans in, press the clutch fork. The release bearing is stopping it. It'll go.

Karps TA

iTrader: (2)

You might not be putting it in straight. I had that some problem like 2 years ago. I then got the car up a little higher, was able to more comfortably get under it and it went right in. Just needed a break from it for a nite or 2.

Orizon

ya, today was my third day trying. i have tried pushin the lutch fork while doing it to no avail, but should i be push or pulling it, that is, pushing the throwout bearing toward or away from the engine, ive tried both, i just dont know, cause it seems like it should go, very frustratiing

rsn932

make sure the clutch really is lined up perfectly. when i was attaching my T5 to my 350 (and this was out of the car, not under it), i used one of those clutch alignment tools and it did not work at all. i ended up taking off the bellhousing and having some friends hold the tranny in place to line up the disc while i tightened the pressure plate-to-flywheel bolts.

TKOPerformance

Buy two 3" long bolts the same thread as those that secure the trans to the bellhousing. Cut the heads off the bolts and cut a notch in the end where the head used to be. Install the bolts in the bellhousing and use the to guide the trans into the bellhousing. This will line up the trans, and also take the strain off your arms (to some extent) allowing you to poke around a little and figure out what's hanging you up. When you get it all lined up right install the two other bolts and remove the guide bolts. It they'e tight you can use a flat blade screwdriver on the slot in the end.

Also, put the trans in 1st or 3rd gear and stick a spare yoke in the end. This will allow you to turn the input shaft slightly to line up splines in the disc with the spline on the shaft. This is a lot easier with a 26 splien trans though. The old 10 spline Muncies were a real bear to get lined up.

Whatever you do make sure that the trans seats all the way in the bellhousing BEFORE you try to install the bellhousing bolts and tighten them down. DON'T try to draw the trans into the bellhousing with the bolts. If it won't go in something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Most likely the angle of the trans is wrong, and it won't line up in the pilot bearing, register bore, or as mentioned the TO bearing is causing you grief.

I've never had any luck using a trans jack to install a manual. I've always done the old benchpress routine. The T5 isn't that bad, actually it's fairly light. The T56 is what seperates the men from the boys. "Pumping Aluminum: the sequal to Puming Iron"

"I don't need no girly man gym with the posing and the mirrors and the things of that nature. I work out in the garage slinging engine blocks, rears, and transmissions around. You have to push yourself hard. When you want to give up you have to force yourself to go that extra rep and get that bellhousing bolt in so the trans doesn't crush your sternum."

"Extreeme weight lifting, the hotest extreeme sport. It's been around for years in the dirt floors and dimly lit garages around the world, but just recently it's come into the spotlight of the extreeme sports era. What makes us people risk certain death and disfigurement? Is it the pride from knowing you did it yourself, with no help, using your leg as a third hand, or is it that you just simply we can't afford to pay someone else to do it? Maybe it's a little bit of both."

Okay I got a little carried away at the end. Read it with an Austrian accent though and I swear it's funny...

vernw

iTrader: (2)

You didn't happen to change the pilot bushing/bearing did you?

I wonder if the one you have doesn't fit the new tranny.....

TKOPerformance

GM has used the same pilot bearing/bushing for decades. Unless you got one that isn't a GM sized bearing I think you're okay, but if it's that big of a problem mic the input shaft and the ID of the bearing and double check.

Orizon

thanks for the input all. i will definetly go buy some bolts and do as described above, seems like it will make things easier. as far as the pilot bearing yes i replaced it. the new one i got actually differs from the old one in design but it should be the right one, it was listed for being for V8 and V6 sbc. i dont think i ever put it over the end of the input shaft but just from looks it seems right but i will bust out my clutch alignment tool and check it in comparison to the input shaft. will probably be a week or so before i get the chance to try with the tranny again but i'll report back.

TKOPerformance

Since you used the alignmnet tool the pilot shouldn't be the problem. The end of the tool is sized correctly, so if it fit then your input shaft should definately fit.

Every time I've had this problem the issue has been clutch or throwout bearing related. Use the dowels and move the clutch fork around manually and I'll bet she slides right in.

brutalform

Those homemade dowels are the trick. I have a set I made in my toolbox, but have never used them on a car before. Seems to be used more for pick-up trucks. Anyone has a problem like Orizon is having, but with a truck instead, these dowels ALWAYS work.

TKOPerformance

Yeah, I've just got a set for every car I've got with a manual. Every time I work on a new car I make up a set and keep them in the toolbox. I've got ones for a T5, T56, Muncie, Toploader, and probably a few more I can't remember. They make life oh so much easier.