Last night, I finally got the holes cut for the intercooler routing around the radiator, got the BNR turbo hooked up (had to modify it.... we'll see) and dumped the motor in the car.

NOW then... when i built the motor, i used the clutch alignment tool like a good little boy and it looked good after tightening the bolts. I had always just "eyeballed" it before cause the kits i got didn't have the tool and i was too cheap to buy one and never had a problem.

WELL,,,, the dam tranny would NOT go the freak in.

After three tries, a drooling of residual gear oil on my crotch from the speedo plug (no oral for me for a while i guess), a cut on my hand, a ruied pilot bearing seal and a lump on my head from the tranny falling on it as i took it out, I somehome managed to get all 6'3" 230 Lbs of myself sitting indian style in front of the clutch in the tranny tunnel.

Eyeballing the clutch hub in relation to the pilot bearing and chamfer at the end of the eccentric shaft... i noted that the clutch was about 1mm to the ten olcock position. I noted this by eyeballing down each spline around the clutch hub and noting the relative position of the camfer on the eccentric shaft to the top edge of the spline (kinda like sighting down a shotgun rail).

I loosed the pressure plate, took the clutch tool and used it to move the clutch over 1mm and resighted doen each spline, it took about 10 minutes of nudging the clutch and re-sighting to get it perfect.

Result.... tranny popped right in without even a bump.

therefore, it is MY conclusion, that the plastic clutch alignment tool provided with the ACT kits is NOT the be all end all of clutch centering and the old "eyeball" method that i have been using for 20 years is still #1!

Anybody ever tried using an old tranny input shaft as an alignment tool?? Its gotta be better....

 

word...the tranny input shaft is the ****..let us know how the bnr works for you.. I am getting one this winter(stage II)

 

I got the RB alignment tool it works pretty good.

 

is the RB tool metal??????????

As to the BNR....... its good workmanship, but bryan used a garret T3 center section on my stageIII, and it didn't fit with he stock components... Bryan said he's not going to use them anymore, but it is a better unit that stock, it just took some fabricationthat not everyone is going to be willing/ able to do.

 

I say save your money. It seems your eyeball tool works just fine. Been there.....done it both ways myself. EVen after using the plastic alighment tool I can't but help taking a look with the eyeball. The eyeball does not lie.

 

I have used the ACT one for several clutch installs (including my own) and transmission swaps. Never have had a problem yet. Guess I am just lucky.

 

mostly it is just that the teeth wont line up..the clutch center and the tranny shaft ones..i move the part that comes out the other end of the tranny left and right till it goes in..you know....the part that connects to the drive shaft

 

The transmission would need to be in gear if you wanted to turn the input shaft via turning the "part that connects to the driveshaft". I had to explain that several times to my dad who helped me put the transmission back in.

Other than that, I had no issue with the plastic tool provided by ACT, it was a perfect fit for me.

 

The plastic tool just has too much play.
You have to wobble it to find center as you tighten the pressure plate.

I made a NA alignment tool from a broom stick, using a bench grinder and a C clamp on the tool rest as a guide. - Works perfect - no play.