When I did the clutch on my ol' Triumph GT6, I didn't even bother with an alignment tool (as I didn't have one...).

With the pressure plate bolts done up just over hand-tight so's the friction plate is gripped but can still be moved around with a little effort, all it took was to align it by eye, and then to offer up the gearbox by hand, jiggling the main shaft through the friction plate and into the engine flywheel bearing hole. The friction plate only has to move a teeny amount to fully align and, after mating up the gearbox fully, just remove it again and the friction plate is left in correct alignment. Torque up the plate bolts, and job done.

(Just make sure the pressure plate bolts are tight enough to hold the friction plate from moving accidentally, but can be moved with a little effort.)

You did though, you just used the whole gearbox as an aligning tool. Cunning.

Thought I should update - clutch fitted, engine back in, car started first time and i'm away!!! yippee - huge thanks to my mate Andy (new owner of the Belgian postie van)

whole process to about 8 housr but did include a few annoyances - bonnet catch cable snapping once the front panel was on and that bottom o/s bolt through the bellhousing is a killer...

thanks to all for the advice....

Great job! 8h is nice for the first time!

How did you open the bonnet? On very late ami6 with the heat exchangers you can usually get your hand through the dump tube hole, although when my last 6 did that I had to get my hand up in front of the fan to get to the catch. 8hrs for a first time and including removal and refitting of front panels isn't bad, but it does make you wish you had a 2cv...

Well the bonnet cable story is a funny one, if a little dangerous!! we started it up to get the battery charged a bit, and THEN did the electrics to the lights....the bonnet cable must have hit an earth (or live??? - my physics is poor) as it wasn't attached, next thing I know there a white hot cable frying at my feet - it didn't snap so much as BURN!!! - so the bonnet was thankfully up.....it was the last job to do and we were getting tired, so botched together a replacement out of a bass-guitar string - D string I think - it's holding up well....

45 minutes to remove front
2 hours to fully 'disconnect' engine
30 minutes to jack up gearbox and lift the engine out
20 minutes to fit new clutch
20 minutes to set tappets – exhaust shut one side, inlet too open on the other!!!
45 minutes to fit engine back in and line it up
2 hours to ‘re-connect’ engine
30 minutes to put front back on
1 hour to mess about with the bonnet cable

roughly…..

lessons learnt; prop the car up first, makes lining up engine a lot easier. Connect battery last.

W