i just bought a brand new oem clutch kit and an aluminum spec flywheel for my lt1 and theres a gap between the pressure plate and the flywheel is this normal? or do i need to make spacers or washers?

here are some pictures :

 

They make a special piece just for your situation, it doesnt happen very often, but im sure I can help you.
















There are these round things with hex ends, they have little grooves cut into them they are called "bolts" , when installed they keep the pressure plate attached to the flywheel, allowing the clutch to actually function.

 

OMG YOURE RIGHT! You must have gone to MIT or something !?

so once its bolted down ill be all good?

 

Yes the plate will be snug up against the flywheel once you bolt it down. Just make sure when you install everything you put loctite on the bolt that holds the fork pivot on.

 

thanks for the help.. rep for you

oh and by the fork pivot bolt do you mean on the bellhousing? or one of the six bolts that hold the pressure plate to the flywheel. There is one bolt hole marked yellow... could that be it?

 

When you go to remove the trans you'll have to slip the fork off the throwout bearing, as the fork on a LT1's T56 is actually bolted to the transmission front plate, instead of to the bellhousing like a T5, before removing the transmission to bellhousing bolts, remove the slave cylinder, then you'll have to slide the fork away from the input shaft, you'll notice when it jumps off, then you'll be safe to remove the transmission.

Once the trans is out you'll see the fork has a T stud that it pivots on, its held to the transmission by a bolt, remove it, grease the T stud, clean the bolt and put some loctite on it then reinstall.

 

i have a T5.. not a t56. so the pivot bolt is on the bellhousing?

 

Before I post anything else...

1. You have a T5
2. You have clutch pictured above ?

3. You are trying to use them together ?

4. Or you are removing a T5 and then installing a T56 with the above clutch ?

If 1, 2, and 3 above are true, you've wasted some money.
If 1,2, and 4 above are true, pulling the T5 is a bit easier, and you wont have to mess with the fork, you dont even need to remove the slave to remove the trans.

 

i have a t5 tramission that i thought i was going to use this clutch/ pressure plate with. did i buy the wrong one?

 

That disc / plate / flywheel will only work with an LT1 specific T56.

*most* clutches (read T5, T10, SR's, hondas, etc) use a push type setup, the fork will push the throwout bearing against the fingers on the pressure plate, this releasing the pressure and allowing the slip or no grab at all.

The LT1's T56, and im not sure of anything else off hand uses a pull type setup, you'll see the throwout bearing is clipped onto the pressure plate, the fork is mounted different on the T56, so that it actually pulls the bearing towards the rear for the disengagement of the clutch.

There is no way that i've ever seen to be able to use an LT1's T56 clutch with a T5.

Yes you'll either need to sell it and get a T5 clutch and flywheel, or sell the T5 and get a T56 from a 93-97 F body.