Alright GMCCAMRO man, I had been in the same situation couple of times one with my 52 AD when I swapped to 235 motor and original 4 speed trans and another time I was with the Jeep. Both the time my solution was if the clutch is aligned in the hole, the last 1/4 in inch you are not able to push because of the weight. The trick I used was to slide in a longer bolt and use impact wrench, it is slide in no time.
My 2 cents.
Ganesh
