[garage_engineer]

New update!

Before I installed my clutch master cylinder I had to repair this nasty hole cut in the firewall by the previous owner. Looks like they used a drill bit and some cutters or something to make this hole... not pretty! I tried my best to clean it up with a grinder but ended up just making a little block off plate to clean up the area:










Next I custom cut a sheet of DEI heat shielding to put in my transmission tunnel. Before I took the car apart my center console would get very hot after some aggressive driving. I'm hoping this will help cool it down a bit. It was a bit tricky working on my back and trimming the shape piece by piece but I got it done!




Finally,I worked on getting my engine off the stand (for the first time in about 8 months!) so I could work on getting the clutch and transmission installed:


I started with replacing the pilot bearing in the back of the crankshaft. What a battle this turned out to be! I started with using the rental tool from Advanced Auto Parts which didn't work at all and just kept slipping off of the inside edge of the bearing:


I then tried using the "grease method" by filling the cavity with grease and hammering in a socket. This didn't work out either as the grease kept working its way around the socket instead of forcing the bearing out. I even tried stuffing bread in there and that didn't work!


What I finally ended up doing was making a custom tool to get the job done. I grabbed some regular old bar stock at Home Depot and used a lathe at my buddy's shop to get an exact fit inside the bearing. This worked like a charm! Once I packed it tight with grease and gave it a few good shots with the hammer, the bearing moved out about a 1/4inch. I was pumped! After that, I just kept adding more grease and hammering on it until the bearing was out. Success!





Things like this have been setting me back quite a bit on this project but I've been looking at the positive side: I now have a new tool and some new knowledge on how to get these things out! It's all worth it when you enjoy the journey and know the job was done right! New one installed!



Flywheel and clutch install coming up next!