Starter not engaging after transmission R/R

[BP10000]

1995 AAZ

So I just replaced my clutch (one of the anti-shudder springs popped out of the old one and was machining its way through the bellhousing) and now the starter is not engaging correctly.

After putting everything back together, I hit the starter and there is a very loud grinding accompanied by the engine turning over very slowly. I stopped immediately and went to check it out and the engine/starter was locked solid. Couldn't turn it by ratchet or by rocking the car back and forth in gear. After I pulled the starter out, the engine turned over normally by hand. the little bearing on starter shaft was slightly askew, I was able to pop it back into place with my fingers.

Put the starter back in again carefully and tried starting it again, this time the starter just grinds loudly and doesn't even turn the engine. The starter pinion looks great, the flywheel only shows a little shiny stuff on the face of the ring gear in one place.

I suspect the transmission is not perfectly concentric with the crankshaft, and hence the starter/flywheel alignment is off. My engine doesn't have the hollow dowels in the bellhousing bolt holes, is there a trick to getting the alignment right without them?

Thanks,

Brian

[R.O.R-2.0]

kinda important to have the alignment dowels. it makes sure everything is lined up (bearings, shafts, seals that sort of thing) since vws dont have a pilot shaft bearing, they gotta be lined up real good..

[BP10000]

I tried to when I put the engine in, but they didn't fit. It seems there are some in the engine-side holes that have been cut off flush, and there was nothing I could do to get them out. The engine did spend some time in a toyota pickup, allegedly.

In the end I loosened the engine/trans bolts, hit starter a couple times, and it aligned itself...

I figure the flex in the clutch disc will take care of a small misalignment, right?