The great team at DMCFL tackled the transmission install...
Flywheel and crossover pipe:
image.jpg
Clutch and pressure plate:
image.jpg
Transmission etc.:
image.jpg
They did a cross gate cable adjustment and now it's better than ever.
image.jpg
Done:
image.jpg
The results:
1) It shifts positively in all gears.
2) The clutch action is smooth and strong.
3) The clutch pedal action is fairly light and quiet.
4) The engine revs very smoothly. ( I'm glad I had the balancing done for good measure)
After 2 days of shakedown driving, I'm happy.
I'd like to thank everyone that helped me through this frustrating problem. But in the end, it forced me to refurbish my driveline, and I wound up with a transmission with flaws/weaknesses corrected.
Here's my advice to everyone driving a manual: If you ever start to hear gear whine, (especially in 3rd and 4th gears) on deceleration/ coasting, that's more than likely a sign of the shaft nut beginning to back off. You need to drain the gear oil, take the back cover off the transmission and inspect/ deal with the nut. That's much easier and less expensive to do before the damage inevitably happens.