How to install an ACT Chromoly Flywheel and anything in between.

If there is anything you need to install within your drivetrain this should cover it. The reason behind this madness, was the fact that when I originally installed my transmission I didn't know you had to have the flywheel stepped for an ACT 2600 clutch. I had a brand new ACT chromoly flywheel laying around and I had a bad front passenger side axle so I figured it was time to do this right.
First off remove the battery cables, battery, and battery tray.
Start by blocking the rear wheels with some blocks of wood and loosening your lug nuts, if they're stock like mine they will be 21mm

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Jack your car up and support it securely on jack stands, remember the higher you go the easier it is to work on the car, but make sure you only go as high as your jack stands securely allow.
Climb under the car and start draining the transmission fluid by removing the drain plug, place bucket under the trans to catch the fluid so it doesn't end up all over your floor.

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Remove anything and everything attached to the transmission (if you plan on removing the trans, for just replacing an axle skip this step) Speedometer cable, shifter cables, slave cylinder, etc...

Great, now remove your wheels and grab a buddy (or your wife) to hold the brakes for you while you remove the axle nut (I used a rather large breaker bar and a 1 1/2 inch socket on both sides

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For the passenger side axle, remove the brake calipers and support them off to the side, then unbolt the strut assembly and turn whats left all the way towards the back of the vehicle. Use a large screwdriver to pry the axle out of the transmission then pull it out of the hub assembly. I did it backwards by tapping it out of the hub assembly first then pulling it out of the trans, either way works

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Alright so we've removed the passenger side axle, if thats all your replacing great, put the new one in bolt everything back up and go, for the rest of us, lets carry on. The drivers side is a little trickier, you must remove the halfshafts support from the block by removing the two bolts holding it in place, here is a picture for reference.

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Basically from there remove the axle the same way as you removed the passenger side, just pull it out of the transmission and remove from the hub.
If your going to remove the transmission you'll have to start by removing the passenger side crossmember that runs under the trans, there should be 3 17mm bolts up front and two 14mm bolts in the rear. Push it off to the side along with its bolts.

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EDIT: Since I already had mine out I forgot to add this part, you will want to unbolt your downpipe/exhaust and push it off to the side as it will be in your way. You may have to take it off a couple of its hangers in order to do this.
Remove the transfer case (your fluid should be drained by now, remove your bucket and replace the drain plug) There are five bolts holding the transfer case in place, they are all 17mm ends. If your fluid is good in the transfer case there is no need to replace it, simply find some method to hang the rear of the T-case up so the fluid will not drain out, otherwise open the drain plug and catch the fluid with your bucket again. Then remove the bolts.
before

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after

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Then remove the flywheel inspection cover, I believe there are three 10mm bolts, but I only have one since my cover is in pretty bad shape.
Now support the engine by placing a jack with a piece of wood on top under the oil pan.

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[SBstar]

If you have a transmission jack place that under the trans, otherwise you can be like me.

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You can now remove the transmission mount, and start removing the transmission to block bolts. Leave the two top ones ifor last (you may loosen them but leave them threaded in), This is also a great time to remove the starter and push it up out of the way. There is one 10mm bolt that is hard to spot by the front motor mount, make sure you remove it! No need to put it back in at the end of your day though as it has been proven not to cause any harm if left out. You can now pull the transmission slightly away from the block (make sure you didn't leave any bolts connected) then lower it down slowly and pull it out from under the car. This is also a great time to clean your transmission up a little.

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Make sure to inspect the throwout bearing, pivot ball, and clutch fork for wear. Probably a good idea to replace the throwout bearing at least, make sure to use an OEM Mitsubishi one and not one from the local parts store. You may also want to shim the pivot ball with one lock washer as it has been proven to aid in clutch disengagement.

Alright now back to the car, start by removing the clutch pressure plate, there should be six 12mm bolts holding it on to the flywheel. Be sure to loosen them in a star pattern so you don't warp the pressure plate if you plan on reusing it.

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After removing the clutch you'll need to find a way to hold the flywheel steady to remove the flywheel bolts. I used a bracket I had laying around from the Power steering pump, you can also create a tool with a strong piece of metal by drilling two holes in it, you may need to bend the piece to make it work correctly. Also don't use bolts you plan on using again as you may bend them.

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The flywheel bolts are 19mm and will take some effort to remove, I used my torque wrench and set it at a hefty 200 ft. lbs. I also soaked them in liquid wrench first and let them sit for a while before removing them. When the flywheel is off inspect the crankshaft end seal for leakage, and to see if it is dried out and stiff. If it is stiff, you might want to change it, though that will require removing the oilpan. Better to change it now than maybe have it leak all over your new clutch and/or flywheel.

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Now if your like me freak out when you realize you left that ACT chromoly flywheel in your old bedroom at your mom's house which has now become a storage room for all your brothers stuff while he's in the Conservation academy. Sort through this!

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Then compare your old flywheel to the new ACT one, if you aren't replacing the flywheel with a new one, take your old one out and have it resurfaced and stepped to 0.610", +/- 0.002".

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Using NEW flywheel bolts with RED Locktite, and a star pattern tighten your new or newly resurfaced flywheel to spec (94-101 lbs.), Then using that cheap plastic clutch pilot tool put your clutch up against the flywheel and press it onto the dowels carefully. Torque the pressure plate bolts in a star pattern to 16 lbs.

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Now for the fun part, putting your transmission back into the car. It would be good to enlist some help for this part or at least use a transmission jack. Took me a long time to get mine back up and lined up correctly. From there reconnect all bolts, axles, T-case etc... making sure to torque all to spec. Fill your trans up with some good fluid (BG syncroshift, mix of BG syncroshift and Redline Shockproof gear lube, or Penzoil syncromesh) and completely bleed your clutch system. A few words of warning! If you installed a heavy duty clutch for the first time expect to have to adjust your clutch pedal at the very least. YOu may realize you have a worn pedal assembly (which you can either replace or use the weld fix) you may also find you have a bad clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder and have to replace those. Either way be happy because you've tackled a pretty tough job. Now take her out for a spin, but be careful, you'll want to make sure you break it all in properly.