When the plastic tool bends as you torque down the pressure plate, it makes it really, really hard to align a dual-disc clutch and install the trans. Next time I'll have a spare input shaft handy.
Just an FYI.
LS1/T56/Ram dual disc street, if anyone cares.
Quick tip on this one.
Using a 3/8" socket extension (6" long works well) get a 3/8" socket that fits in to the pilot bearing hole. Then get a 1/2 " socket that fits the hole in the friction plate. Both sockets should be a close fit but best to error on the side of a hair loose so you can get them out. Now take the 1/2 inch socket and slide it on to the extension and then put the 3/8" socket on the extension and you now have a makeshift clutch alignment tool.
I have done this in a pinch several times with very good results.
I have an old clutch alignment tool with metal rods and attachments. Hopefully it will fit for my next clutch replacement. The last one I had to hook up the clutch cable and have someone press it while I wiggled the transmission in. The plastic alignment tool failed.
We pulled a AC VW trans at a campground once and replaced a TOB and pilot bushing. I aligned the clutch with a tree branch. I did hack on it some with my hatchet first, you know, to get it round. Trans stabbed right in.
I have somewhere one of those nifty universal clutch line up tools made by Snap On. The one with all the different size ends for the pilot bearing and a sliding cone to line up the plate with. I bought it from a pawn shop years ago. I have only had to use it a few times but it does a great job.
The plastic tools generally have too much tolerance to to a good job of lining up the clutch unless you are anal retentive about eyeballing it. My favorite "tool" is a 3/8" or 1/2" drive extension that is built up with rounds of electrical tape.
Another observation is that you should not tighten up one side. You should sneak up on it, easing the pressure plate down, keeping the stack flat.
Even if you had a steel pilot tool cranking down one side is going to skew the stack and wedge the tool.
I'd have thought that most people that have been doing their own wrenching for a few years would have a spare input shaft out of a thrashed gearbox - there is really nothing better than that as a pilot shaft.
In reply to wspohn:
I've never killed a transmission before, so I didn't have one handy, and T56 input shafts are kind of pricy. The only clutch I installed previous to this went in fine with the plastic tool, so I never considered it wouldn't this time around.
If you bent the tool, you were doing something wrong, I think. You must have applied too much torque on one side or the other as you tightened it down.
A steel shaft is a wonderful thing, though its hard to collect enough for all applications. I still have both old redblock Volvo input shafts in my box somewhere.
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