[Jimi G]

Alright guys here is the official answer on the alignment of the third gears, this is the answer I personally received from Tremec. The reason the third gear on the cluster is over a little bit is to allow for the machine that cuts the teeth into the gears. The original 3550's had a two piece cluster which allowed the gears to butt up to one another, but since it was a weaker design than the new one piece cluster they changed it. He also informed me that even though the gear is shifted a bit it did not compromise the contact surfaces between the upper and lower gears. I tried to load a picture of the two shafts but it was to large so I put it into my photos for all to see. I hope this clears things up a little.jimig@standardtransmission.com