With my truck I found that when I pulled the tranny (without the weight of the transmission as a counter balance) the engine tipped forward; not by much but it was enough. I spent two days trying to get the tranny on before I got the brainstorm to stick a little screw jack under the front of the engine and prop it up so that the trans and engine lined up. If they aren't parallel and centered you will never get that transmission on.

Well i got the thing to go all the way up to the motor finally. I got it bolted to the engine and the frame and the rear driveshaft in the tranny but I had to go to work before I could get anything else done. About how long should it take for it to get broken in? Should I drive around my neighborhood a few times and get some startouts on it or should I just make sure it works and everythings tight and just drive it normal?

Well i got it all back together and I dropped the shifters in it to see if it would shift like it should and it didn't. The 4wd lever wont budge and the shift lever will move to reverse but once I pop it out of reverse to what should be neutral it goes into 1st and wont go anywhere else. Its also stuck in 4wd somehow.
I thought maybe I didn't get the front drive assy in right or something so I took it back off and the tranny still won't shift.
All I did was take the tranny out and put it back in. It was in neutral when I took it out.
Anyone got any idea wth is going on?

I got the gear shift to work right and now its stuck in 4lo and the 4wd shift wont move at all.

I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REMOVE THE FRT DRIVE ASSY FROM THE TRANS FER CASE , SOUNDS LIKE YOU MISSED ONE OF THE SHIFT SLEEVES AND THEY ARE JAMMED TOGETHER , WHICH IS EASY TO DO AS THE ONLY THINGS THAT HOLD THEM INPLACE ARE THE SHIFT FORKS, REMOVE THE DRIVE ASSY AND THEN MOVE THE FORKS AS FAR FORWARD AS THEY WILL GO AND DO THE SAME THING WITH THE TWO SHIFT SLEEVES IN THE DRIVE ASSY, ,DONT LOOSE THE SMALL BALL AND SPRING OR IT WONT STAY IN GEAR , NOW SLIDE THE ASSY BACK ONTO THE TRANSFERCASE SIDE VERY GENTLE WHILE WATCHING THAT THE FORKS GO OVER THE SLEEVES AND NOT BEHIND OR IN BETWEEN THEM , NOW USE ONE BOLT TO HOLE IT ON AND GO UP TOP AND LOOK DOWN IN THE HOLE WHERE THE LEVEER GOES AND SEE IF THE NOTCHES IN THE RAILS ARE LINED UP IF NOT USE A LONG SCREWDRIVER TO GENTLY MOVE THEM INTO PLACE AND THEN PUT THE LEVER BACK IN AND TRY SHIFTING THE LEVER , DONT FORGET THE SPRING THAT GOES AROUND THE LEVER OVER TO THE SMALL BRACKET OR IT WILL JUMP OUT OF GEAR AS SOON AS YOU PUT A LOAD ON IT JERRY

Where do the shift forks go exactly. Do the go in the grooves of the sleves or one in front and one behind or what?

THEY MUST GO IN THE GROOVES OF THE SLEEVES ,JERRY

Thats what I was trying to do but I could never get both of the forks in the grooves. I could get the front one or the back one in then the other would just slide. Should I get a 3rd hand and use a screwdriver to hold the forks apart a little to get the forks in the sleves?

PROBABLY WILL HAVE TO HAVE AN EXTRA HAND THEY ARE A PAIN TO GET LINED UPA ND MAKE STAY PUT AS THEY ARE JUST SLIDING ON THE HUBS AND NOTHING TO REALLY HOLD THEM IN PLACE ,, BUT THE FORKS HAVE TO BE ON THE SLEEVES .. JERRY

Well i finally got the dang forks on the sleves and it actually goes. Thanks for all the help and idvice