A hardly noticeable swath was cut today. I took the P.T.O. housing off the transmission and then swabbed out the bottom of the trans to remove all of the yuccyness. I had to find six short, 3/8" bolts to hold the tin cover on, because the bolts that were fastening the P.T.O. on were quite a bit longer.
I mounted the flywheel, new pilot bearing, friction disc, and pressure plate. Now, before you ardent Chrysler men point out that I should have mounted the bellhousing first, and then fished the flywheel and clutch up through the bottom, like the book says, and timed the flywheel and centered the clutch the hard way, I want to do it the nice way. Oh, for you non Chrysler guys, the pre-196? bellhousings have a front in them so they will not fit over the flywheel from the back and --- the centering dowels, sticking out of the back of the block won't let the bell slide down from the top. [the second picture is showing the front casting on the bellhousing]. Anyhow, you're not dealing with a completely sane, compliant, short sighted individual here. I'm relying on a trick to make the bellhousing slide down over the flywheel from the top and line it up with the bolts snugged, --- and then hammer the dowels in. I have even bored out and tapped the dowel pins so maybe I can pull them out again if needed.