Mercruiser bell housing.. Reinstall challenged

[Monterey10]

96 Mercruiser alpha genn II

I installed new bellows into the bell housing. I replaced the cable and shift cable bellow. Now, I'm at the point where I'm hooking up the water and oil hoses. They're fighting me. It's hard to imagine pushing the bell housing/bellows into place with the hoses in back.

When you get a water hose from Mercruiser, is it cut to the right length or does it need to be cut down. ?

Do I disconnect the water hose from the transom mount to make it easier when reinstalling the bell housing

What kind of clamp do you use on the little oil line where it connects to the bell housing? (Tight fit)

Any tricks to getting all the hoses routed correctly before pushing the bell housing/bellow into place?

Note: I've seen countless UTube videos of the bell housing being taken apart, but not one of the bell housing going back together.

Thanks in advance.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Mercruiser bell housing.. Reinstall challenged

Yea, you kinda use the natural curve of the water hose to help it fit. There is a spec for the length and it is a must to be right on on this.
Oil line? Must be a gen II? use some windex or spit on the bell and inside the bellows to keep it from sticking and easier to slide on.
You need 3 or 4 hands to push, hold, align and clamp!