Seppi72

Well, that insert is now in the tranny - likely until the sun engulfs the earth in a few billion years - and the starter is now attached. The only issue was that I wanted to use stainless steel bolts to hold on the starter. The problem was that all M10x1.5 SS bolts have 17 mm heads and that size head makes it impossible to get a wrench or socket on the upper bolt (at least with the starter I'm using). So, I used my bench grinder to turn a 17 mm hex head into a 14 mm one and it works beautifully. First photo shows top "14 mm" bolt and second has a 17 mm one alongside for comparison.

Hey, moving off the tranny oil topic an onto another related to the tranny, my thread insert kit arrived yesterday as well and I want to get to that in the next day or so. To recap, one of the M10-1.5 threaded holes for attaching the starter motor onto the tranny bell housing is stripped so an insert is called for. I'm thinking of using red thread locker fluid on the insert for two reasons. One, I don't think I'd ever want the insert to move from where it's initially placed. Two, using thread locker reduces the chances of galling between the steel insert and the aluminum bell housing; although that wouldn't exactly be a disaster in this situation. Thoughts?

The FSM says that both the 4- and 5-speed trannies take 1.5 liters so that's what's going in when the time comes. My hand pump arrived late yesterday. It's sized to fit a 1-gallon jug but I have to RTFM to determine if it has enough stroke-to-stroke repeatability to let me use that metric. Got some experimenting to do...

Hey, @siteunseen, did you get those in the plumbing department of a big box store? That's what they look like to me.

I bought a hand-operated transfer pump so I shouldn't have any trouble putting in the 1.5 L of Redline MT-90 when the engine and tranny assembly is firmly bolted into the chassis. Thanks, all, for the warning about tranny tail leakage as it's not mentioned in the FSM that I have.

OK, I have rubber caps, like those that protect the threaded ends of pipes, that I can clamp onto the tranny tail prior to installation.

Do you mean the hole for the breather tube?

After around 15 years of restomod work, I finally got an engine back into my car. It's a 3.1 L stroker. Oh, that looks so good to me. Next, I added the Findanza flywheel, clutch disc and Centerforce II pressure plate. Woohoo!! Feeling omnipotent, I tried putting in the 5-speed tranny and discovered that there is not enough clearance between the 6-into-1 header and the tranny tunnel to allow this to happen. I'd have to remove (and then reinstall) both the exhaust and intake systems to open up the space, so I reluctantly decided to remove the engine and attach the tranny to it off the car. Because I removed the original engine and 4-speed tranny as a unit when I started this project way back when, I should, with the help of an assistant, be able to put the same size assembly back into the car. Indeed, that's what the FSM says to do. So, a bit of a setback, but it's all good, right? Unfortunately, I then discovered that one of the two M10x1.5 holes in the tranny bell housing where the starter motor attaches is stripped. So now I'm cooling my heels waiting on a threaded insert kit to arrive. At least it gave me time to remember that I needed to put oil in the tranny: Redline MT-90. Better to do that off the car than have a Doh! moment and have to crawl under it to complete that task. Now to blast and refresh the drive shaft.

As I said at the top, I'm a newbie at this.🫢 Thanks, guys.

Yes, the clutch neatly aligns with these dowels. As I said at the start, this flywheel is allegedly specific for an L28 engine (the flywheel has a hand-engraved NIS1-143281part number as well as a similarly-engraved serial number) yet it has three sets of three blind holes at slightly different radii from the center of the flywheel (120 degree spacings) into which the dowels could go. You can see the three different blind holes in the first photo along with the stepped dowel. After some experimentation, I found the hole set that works with my Centerforce II clutch (second photo). I suppose the other two sets might work with other manufacturers' clutches although MSA specifically says to use a Centerforce II clutch. The problem I have now is that with the clutch disc in place, the clutch housing doesn't seat on the flywheel as the third photo shows. I don't know what that's all about so I'll have to ask MSA about it.

The dowels are actually "stepped" in that the part above the flywheel surface is a smaller OD than the part in the blind hole. So, them there dowels are there for the duration once the clutch is bolted on. Fidanza says they're for extra shearing resistance.

That was my thinking as well. The glue simply holds the dowels in place until the clutch gets bolted to the flywheel after which it becomes unnecessary. Like Brylcreem, "A little dab'll do you."

This is the first time I've ever replaced a flywheel so bear with me. I bought a Fidanza 143281 aluminum flywheel some time ago and will be pairing it with a Centerforce II clutch, as per the recommendation of the folks at Motorsport Auto. The flywheel came with three dowels and there are nine blind holes drilled into the flywheel where they might reside. After test fittings, I found the combination where the clutch engages with the dowels. So far, so good. The kit also came with a small tube of an adhesive called Turbo-Fuse Retaining Compound HT, which is a super glue material and is to be used to keep the dowels in place when bolting the clutch to the flywheel once the latter is bolted to the crank and in a vertical position. Fidanza's instruction sheet says to use "a small amount" of adhesive on each dowel (one drop, two drops?). It also says the dowels should be "pressed in with a vise," but the dowels I have fit easily into the holes. Does anyone have an idea of how much of this adhesive I need to use? Normally, a drop in the bottom of a blind hole should be sufficient, but... I've called Fidanza twice this week and each time had to leave a voicemail. No response yet. Have also called the Turbo-Fuse manufacturer (Palm Labs Adhesives) as well. Same response situation.

So, I got a set of "proper" banjo fittings with crush washers from Demon Tweeks. But how do I get them to crush? Is there some particular torque value I need to apply to the hollowed-out bolts or do I just get them finger-tight plus, let's say, a quarter turn??

It's like remodeling a bathroom. Once you put a sledgehammer hole in the drywall, you are IN, brother.