[2003SV]

I appreciate the suggestions. I found a few videos of the pressure plate measurement showing how it’s done on a hydraulic press. I guess I’ve read about it as I know I’ve run across the numbers for disengagement away from the flywheel in thousandths . What was done to measure was pretty straight forward, I just don’t have a hydraulic press.

Yep, I conjured those long bolts putting them into the scattershield and hanging the tranny on them. I just could NOT get the tranny installed no matter how I pushed, raised, lowered, twisted the tranny. I never thought to rotate the motor a bit and try, rotate and try, ... I’ve probably only done a hand full of clutch placements ever... I know I had to fiddle a bit or twist the tranny a bit but it was a matter of just of a few seconds and shuunk, the tranny slid in Not so here. It was an absolute nightmare. I tried. My good friend tried. My adult son tried.. I was so frustrated I just decided to bolt the darned thing in and wound up destroying the needle pilot bearing, which then was another nightmare to get out... Basically a tragic comedy of errors over a 4 or 5 week period. I was apoplectic ... My son, in a final attempt, took out the align/hanger bolts and just heaved the tranny into place. He twisted it and bam, it sunk in. Probably less than 10 seconds when it worked...Just like I remembered.

In any event, I have several options.
1. Do as suggersted and get this thing measured out by a shop. I think if I removed it and took it to a tranny shop, it wouldn’t cost that much for them to measure it out for me.
2. I found the Ford Performance Parts website and fired an email off to a help line. they also have a chat line, so maybe those supposed experts can tell me how much fork travel I need.
3. Go to a hydraulic throwout bearing. There are apparently several kits for the Tremec T5 that I have. Maybe in the grand scheme that’s a better solution. But you know at this point I’m so gun shy, I’m afraid to try anything. Such a change for me. When I was young I’d tear into anything fearlessly. The thought I couldn’t fix something never entered into my mind ... not so anymore. Kit Cobras humble you.

Thanks again, Dave