I'm trying to shim the clutchbell on my 8ight. I bought a clutch shim kit with a previous OFNA buggy I had, and i've tried every possible combination of shims I have, but I just can't get it right.

Right now, the clutchbell is as close to the flywheel as i can get it without it touching. I think this is right so dirt and crud don't get in there??? When I shimmed it and tightened the screw on the other end, the clutchbell had a little bit of play. I put in another shim (the thinnest one I had and it's very thin), and retightened it. Now the clutchbell doesn't spin freely. It will spin for about 1 second if I spin it with one finger while holding the flywheel.

Is it better to have a little bit of play in the clutchbell, or should I leave it how I have it??

First shim the clutch bell so it doesn't touch any of the posts on the flywheel that you install the clutch shoes on, and the bell spins freely. Next, when you shim the outside of the clutch bell, you want to have .5mm of play when moving the clutch bell toward and away from the flywheel. If it has no play, it will bind when the clutch assembly heats up and the metal parts expand. Too much play and your clutch bearings will prematurely crap out.