Transmission won't set against my engine!
 

I'm having a hard time seating my transmission up against my engine. As a quick recap here's what I did leading up to it...
I dropped in the converter and listened for all three "clicks" and think I got them all. :emb: I think the gap between the converter pads and the bellhousing is supposed to be 1.030" and it looks like I got that...
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I did my best to install the tranny after that. I don't have the ceiling clearance to roll the tranny under the truck via a floorjack so I had to slide it in first on a blanket and then lift it up onto a jack afterwards. Needed the help of some friends and it still wasn't the easiest way to go!! Ceiling clearance FTL!! :bang:

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Kinda used everything I could to make this happen with the floor jack that I have but in the end I think I got it in place and somewhat lined up.

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So here's where the dilemma lies... I have the tranny as far forward as I can go as evidence by the tranny mount that's on top of the crossmember...

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You can see the bolt is completely forward in the oval slot so I can't squeeze it forward any further.

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I don't have any dowel pins inbetween the tanny and the engine yet and didn't realize it after talking to a buddy. So I'm gonna go grab some tomorrow if I can before going any furthur. However, when I line up the bellhousing to the block there's a 7/16th inch gap between the two.

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The inner Converter shaft is still outside the flex plate so that's not binding or impeding it from going into the flexplate center section either...

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I've got both the engine and tranny straight up and down so it's not a height or angle position I don't think.


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So anyways, I am gonna take a good long look at it tomorrow to see if anything is catching or binding that I missed and hope that's the case. Couple people have already suggested that I flip the tranny mount around to see if the bolt pattern is actually offset, and it was also mentioned that the engine frame mounts might be on backwards because apparently some aren't reversible. Those are two things I'm gonna start with tomorrow but also wanted to see if anyone else has any idea why it might have this gap and/or what I missed.

Thanks
:)

ya, you need to get some dowel pins in first. But i'm really not sure whats holding it up from sitting flush. The only thing I could think is the converter hub is hitting/binding on the crank.

see if the converter goes in the crank by itself and see if the transmission sits flush to the engine without the transmission. looks like the only thing holding you up in the pictures is the transmission mount bolt. a 4l60e came out of the truck right? dont the 4l80e and 4l60e have different crossmembers? or at least mount in different places on the crossmember?

based on what I can see, it looks like the trans is sitting at an angle compared to the engine block. I would say your problem lies with the crossmember.

While i've never done the swap the crossmember seems to be the culprit.
You said its as far forward as it will go on the crossmember and it still isn't hitting the engine. Take it off the crossmember and I bet it'll go further.

I swear that I've read somewhere that the rubber tranny mount is offset. You might try to unbolt it and flip it 180*. I just don't know if flipping it will hurt you or help you....

+1, this is what I can see too...if the trans is as far forward as possible in the crossmember, but not touching the engine, then the crossmember must be at fault.

Yup yup!! You are all more or less right! I found what I think is the culprit and will post up a picture of it later when I get my camera back from my garage! Thanks for the replies, it actually helped be find the prob...will post up more later.

:usa:

your lucky the problem didn't have teeth and venom

I did the converter to the flexplate prior and it fit in no problem and real snug. No worries there, and this truck had the 80e conversion done to the crossmember a couple years ago by the original owner and he's really good with getting things spot on. So I was pretty sure it wasn't the crossmember itself.

You were absolutely correct!! I guess this was a more complicated way of finding this out but they are actually offset which I don't quite understand but whatever...
Here is the side profile of the mount...kinda wish I would of thought of this alot sooner!! :bang:

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I ordered a polyurethane transmission mount from summit along with some dowel pins since I can't move forward without the dowel pins, figured since I have to pull the mount back out might as well spend $10 on a new one.

You laugh now but I've killed three, count them THREE black widow spiders the size of GOLF balls off the frame of my truck! And I know there is still one inside the engine compartment that I still have to find and kill because it keeps making cobb webbs in the engine bay. When I smoke that one out I think it'll be the last of them. I'm so damn hesitant to work in that particular location but I haven't been able to flush him out just yet:nunchuk1: