Agree that proper support of the engine is essential . I had two floor jacks and the scissor Jack all working together . Sorry I didn't mention that in any of my posts . Not cool to allow the engine to hang from its mounts . Try to get the engine to get close to the firewall since you'll need the angle when pulling the trans off . If I failed to make it clear , I left the bell housing bolt d to the trans and the t-case bolted on as well. It actually worked in my favor . It's entirely possible to mate a trans to a bell housing and successfully engage the clutch hub and line up the input shaft straight into the pilot bushing but I felt that if the bell housing stayed on the trans , there would not be any concern of the throw out bearing and related parts accidentally knocked out of place causing delays and possibly disassembly to correct . Stabbing the input shaft through the clutch hub and into the pilot bushing was practically foolproof as long as the bell housing mated properly with the engine block facing. You want the dowel pins to align and the bell and block facing to be even in terms of space top and bottom , left and right so as the bell is drawn closer to the block , the input shaft will go straight through the clutch hub and into the pilot bushing . As previously posted , it is VERY important to to make certain to obtain the correct clutch pilot tool . The tool MUST fit snug through the clutch hub AND the pilot bushing so that the trans input shaft will fit perfectly. This juggling act of a trans/t-case is a one shot deal. Get it right the first time is your goal . Do not be intimidated , just think it through and I know you can get 'er done. Just think , installation is the reverse of removal . How it sits when bolted together before the removal is how you want to get it back on. The only thing that tests you is the t-case listing to one side . That throws off the bell alignment with the block. That is why I needed a small floor Jack to help out . It was important to me. Hoping you got your hands on a better trans Jack than I had , the harbor freight is perfectly issuable for this job but cannot compensate for the t-case listing . I really hope my explanation helps as I'm trying not to confuse . It's easy for me to explain but I hope I can in a way your able to relate . Never doubting anyone's ability but hoping my explanation makes sense as I word it ? I really feel the bell housing should stay bolted to the trans . It's a little hard working close to the jeeps floor and firewall but perfectly doable. Whatever you do , don't let anyone tell you to keep the clutch linkage connected for the purpose of pressing the clutch pedal to help input shaft alignment through clutch hub and pilot bushing . Maybe the 4-speed box isn't so heavy but with a t-case on it , it's heavy enough . No margin for error . If the clutch disc isn't aligned right , the input shaft won't find the pilot bushing. TLCJ5 and myself do believe you should really inspect the clutch disc , pressure and flywheel at this time . This is a job you want to do once and get it all done right , once . On,y when a clutch is worn and ready for replacement do you want to be on your back again. It's like front end work , it's a dirty thankless job but once done , you can smile . Again , no reason to be intimidated , just think it through , it really isn't hard to do other than all the nuts and bolts . Take it slow , I know you can do it. And yes , jeep work is good work . That kept me going through the job when I did it. Thanks TLCJ5 ! There is nothing more gratifying than the bell housing mating flush against the block and the bolts going into place . The only resistance may be from the dowel pins into the bell housing on removal and rasembly . Try to clean the dowelson the block and the dowel holes on the bell to help out. They are meant to install tight but not a tight tolerance press fit.
