Seppi72

As I said at the top, I'm a newbie at this.🫢 Thanks, guys.

Yes, the clutch neatly aligns with these dowels. As I said at the start, this flywheel is allegedly specific for an L28 engine (the flywheel has a hand-engraved NIS1-143281part number as well as a similarly-engraved serial number) yet it has three sets of three blind holes at slightly different radii from the center of the flywheel (120 degree spacings) into which the dowels could go. You can see the three different blind holes in the first photo along with the stepped dowel. After some experimentation, I found the hole set that works with my Centerforce II clutch (second photo). I suppose the other two sets might work with other manufacturers' clutches although MSA specifically says to use a Centerforce II clutch. The problem I have now is that with the clutch disc in place, the clutch housing doesn't seat on the flywheel as the third photo shows. I don't know what that's all about so I'll have to ask MSA about it.

The dowels are actually "stepped" in that the part above the flywheel surface is a smaller OD than the part in the blind hole. So, them there dowels are there for the duration once the clutch is bolted on. Fidanza says they're for extra shearing resistance.

That was my thinking as well. The glue simply holds the dowels in place until the clutch gets bolted to the flywheel after which it becomes unnecessary. Like Brylcreem, "A little dab'll do you."

This is the first time I've ever replaced a flywheel so bear with me. I bought a Fidanza 143281 aluminum flywheel some time ago and will be pairing it with a Centerforce II clutch, as per the recommendation of the folks at Motorsport Auto. The flywheel came with three dowels and there are nine blind holes drilled into the flywheel where they might reside. After test fittings, I found the combination where the clutch engages with the dowels. So far, so good. The kit also came with a small tube of an adhesive called Turbo-Fuse Retaining Compound HT, which is a super glue material and is to be used to keep the dowels in place when bolting the clutch to the flywheel once the latter is bolted to the crank and in a vertical position. Fidanza's instruction sheet says to use "a small amount" of adhesive on each dowel (one drop, two drops?). It also says the dowels should be "pressed in with a vise," but the dowels I have fit easily into the holes. Does anyone have an idea of how much of this adhesive I need to use? Normally, a drop in the bottom of a blind hole should be sufficient, but... I've called Fidanza twice this week and each time had to leave a voicemail. No response yet. Have also called the Turbo-Fuse manufacturer (Palm Labs Adhesives) as well. Same response situation.

So, I got a set of "proper" banjo fittings with crush washers from Demon Tweeks. But how do I get them to crush? Is there some particular torque value I need to apply to the hollowed-out bolts or do I just get them finger-tight plus, let's say, a quarter turn??

It's like remodeling a bathroom. Once you put a sledgehammer hole in the drywall, you are IN, brother.

Well, I'll get the car on my QuickJacks this weekend and then lift the tranny into position, bolt it up on its crossmember and see which shaft fits. I'm hoping it's at least one of them.

I found painting my block to be an almost Zen-like experience.

One more question on this topic: Is the 5-speed slightly longer than the 4-speed? I have three driveshafts and two of them are a little bit shorter than the other and I want to get started on reconditioning whichever one will go into my car.

Thanks for digging up those options, @LeonV . I decided to go with the eBay fittings.

@SteveJ , I was just about to post my own photo of my roll of petroleum-rated Teflon tape. I used this stuff extensively both in college and during my chemistry career.

Thanks, @EuroDat . I have most of those items already and will now look for the others.

They are non-magnetic, so probably aluminum but with thicknesses around 0.90 mm how much "crushability" do they have? The grief is that the carbs came with banjos set up for series fuel delivery: two T connectors and one single bent at 90 degrees so I had to get something for the parallel setup.

Ooh, they look nice but quite pricey.