We replaced the clutch in my Z yesterday. That is a hard damn job! We ended up having to lower the K member and raise the front of the motor to get the tranny to clear the tunnel. It must have taken a good 45 minutes just to get the tranny out once all the bolts were out. And this is with the car on a lift and an experienced mechanic running the show! Installing headers was a snap compared to a clutch install!
I've never heard anyone mention having to go through such difficulty dropping the tranny. Did we miss a trick or is that just what it takes?
Anyway its back together now and working fine. With the SLP flywheel and clutch package it spins 'em easier than ever now! Time to move up to 17s!

 

Shouldnt have been that difficult. I have done about 5 installs and have never had a problem getting the tranny out of the tunnel. Did you take the shifter all the way off or just take the handle?

 

When I did my clutch replacement a few months ago, which was the first time that I had ever done it, I had the whole thing tore down in just under three hours, and same with putting it back together. Thought that it was fairly easy, a lot easier than I had thought actually. You did disconnect the tranny from the bellhousing first, not the bellhousing from the engine, right? This is the easiest/fastest/correct way to remove/install the transmission.

 

Shifter was removed, bellhousing was not. I guess that's how we should have done it...

 

MUCH easier that way. It not only makes the tranny itself easier to remove, but it also makes the top bellhousing bolts easier to get to as well.