transmission EXPERTS, need help with swap!!

[peanotation]

i'm am currently (this moment) swapping out my auto tranny for a manual one, and i'm 95% done, and now i'm stumped. i got the new manual tranny up on all its mounts (3) and the bell housing is about 1/2" from the block. i dont want to go ahead and close it up, because i'm really scared the drive-shaft (the axle inside the bellhousing that the clutch connects to) isn't fully engaged to the clutch. my question is, how can i be sure the drive-shaft is connected? -- i got underneath and went to the inspection cover, where the lower quarter of the flywheel is visible, and i tried to turn the flywheel with a rod, and it couldn't turn. i didn't try too hard, but does this mean they're connected? i dont want the teeth between the clutch and the drive-shaft to be off, that can mean disaster when i go to close up the tranny/engine.

different quick question: with the tranny, off the car, all by itself (the 5spd one) and in neutral, i could only turn the drive-shaft one revolution by hand before it just stopped, and i couldn't turn it anymore. even in a gear, same story. i know an engine has a lot more power than i do, but shouldn't i be able to spin it all day by hand?

 

[ACKERSON]

The driveshaft inside the bellhousing? I assume you are reffering to the input shaft of the transmission. Try to get it closer to the block and if it doesn't move then it is probably hitting something. Is it 1/2" all the way around the bellhousing? Does the bellhousing touch the block anywhere? I've never had an engine just sit 1/2" away form the block and not go on all the way. Are all of the tranny mounts connected? If they are that is probably your problem. If they are connected then there is no way for the tranny to move close enough to the block.

 

[peanotation]

the input shaft, that's it. it's 1/2" away all the way around. i could get it to go in all the way, but i'm worried the input shaft isn't "synced" up with the clutch right, and i'm worried it'll just push the clutch in and break it. while maneuvering everything around before the tranny was mounted, we had it touching the block at moments. i know i can get them to mate by having the bolts that bolt them together just slowly bring them closer while tightening

 

[TimG]

The female splines of the clutch disk should mate up to the splines of the input shaft very easily. No force necessary. Did you use a clutch alignment tool? If you did, try moving the clutch disk by turning the crank pully bolt with a 1/2 inch rachet. Maybe it's just not lined up well.

 

[peanotation]

The female splines of the clutch disk should mate up to the splines of the input shaft very easily. No force necessary. Did you use a clutch alignment tool? If you did, try moving the clutch disk by turning the crank pully bolt with a 1/2 inch rachet. Maybe it's just not lined up well.

that makes sense, i'm gonna go try that. i did use a clutch alignment tool, thx for the input.