You know it Ced! Haha.
So after pulling the M44 it was easy to remove all of the transmission bolts and disconnect the shift linkage. With everything going on I forgot to take detailed pictures of stuff.
We finished up the day by getting the M52 in place and ready to bolt the new flywheel and clutch package on.
Fun note, it started raining and I had the windows down on the ti because it had been in the garage. Of course the entire engine wiring harness was removed at this point but I was able to use the battery and put power to the fuse box and ground to the chassis and roll the windows up.
Since the M52 had been on the engine stand I wasn't able to easily get to the rear main seal to replace it. That was the first thing to do the next morning. I got a Corteco seal and it came with the special installation tool. Before installing the seal I made sure the crank had no raised ridges that could have prevented the new seal from...sealing. lol
The installation tool made changing the seal super easy, remember to use a new crush gasket and RTV where the oil pan and rear seal carrier meet. Also don't forget the big sheet metal plate that sandwiches between the engine and transmission, I almost did!
I took a few minutes to clean all the grime off the transmission and out of the engine bay. It was amazing to see all the built up dirt and sand and how clean it got.
At this point I forgot to take pictures of most of what was going on.
Bolted the gripforce flywheel on using the supplied bolts. No issues there. The only confusion came with installing the clutch disc and it's orientation in the assembly. If you follow the gripforce instructions you will be probably be using some colorful language when you start the car. After much googling it was obvious that the clutch disc needs to be flipped from what the terrible instructions indicate.
I also replaced all the parts inside the transmission bell housing, my throw out bearing literally fell apart when it was removed. (I did not use the throw out bearing that came with the gripforce kit.) 211k on the car and plenty of clutch material left, pretty surprising.
Got everything together and hoisted it up and into the engine bay. With a little maneuvering the motor went right in and sat right on the motor mounts. I put the transmission brace on and it was bolted in!
We put the M44 on the engine stand so that it can be parted out more easily. (I'll make a thread.) Cleaned up the garage and rolled the ti back inside to finish up the plumbing and wiring.