Transmission reinstall methods

[tanny]

Any suggestions that will make reinstalling the tranny by myself easier? The Z is on jackstands just high enough to get the tranny underneath. I've only installed the tranny with the engine out of the car, so this looks like it is going to be way more difficult if not impossible. I do have the clutch alignment tool, but even with the engine out of the car, those tools are mediocre at best. I have a small floor jack but no tranny jack. I can bench press the tranny up into the tunnel, but can't hold it there for very long. Any suggestions(no cost) would be appreciated. Thanks, Victor.

[Z Kid]

A piece of rope and a big bar, or better yet some old seatbelts, one bit goes around the guts if the tranny and through the gearstick slot to hold it there and the other around the bellhousing and onto the bonnet catch. through the catch part. It worked alright for me, a bit of fiddling to get it right though.

Good luck, you really need a second person, even if they are just there to wiggle bits and pieces and slip the first couple of bolts in.

[panchovisa]

I just did mine by myself last week. One jack onder engine (let it sag just a bit) and then slide tranny on cardboard under car, put tail end on 4x4, then front on 4x4 (repeat until high enough for bigger 2nd jack), Jack up tranny, gradually slide forward to get shaft thru clutch. Then start long top bolts a few turns. Then shove it onto dowel pins and start bottom bolts. Adjust angle of engine/tranny to be inline and tighten it on.

Photo:

http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=10248&password=&sort=2&thecat=500

[tanny]

Zkid,

Hadn't thought of suspending it that way. Do you just put the rope through the stick shift hole, get it to approximately the right height, then tie the rope to a length of wood or metal across the shifter opening? I'm a bit confused as to why you would tie a rope to the hood catch and where is that rope attached to the tranny? I will try to get my son to help. Thanks, Victor

[abas]

No help here I'm afraid here, but all I can say is if someone the size of Z-kid finds it tough going then I have no chance.:classic:

Andrew

[Z Kid]

The rope through the hood catch was to hold up the front part of the transmission, so you could just push straight forward once all your heights were right. I had it all lined up, then just shoved forwards and put in one top bolt to hold it all in place. It worked ok, but it meant the job took far longer than it should have. Also had a few false starts as on the forward shove, my rope would slide downt he bellhousing and mean the tranny was at an odd angle. Normally for a slab of beer, a few mates can be persuaded to help, and you can make a night out of it.

Good Luck

Chris

[sblake01]

A transmission jack or at least a transmission adapter for your floor jack is an indispensible investemt. Mine tilts, swivels and rotates making trans installation a one man job. Like they say, let the tools do the work.

[2-4-T-Z-MAN]

Jack the car high enough to place the tranny on a floor jack.

Make a small cradle out of 2x4's, about 10"x10". Make the cradle

by crisscrossing two 2x4's on top and 3 on the bottom. They should be square to one another.

The center 2x4 on the bottom can be bolted to the floor jack.

Place the tranny on the cradle, roll it under the car.

You might want to secur the tranny to the cradle with some rope. I didn't as it sat fairly stable in the cradle.

Make sure the clutch assembly is lined up correctly.

Jack up the tranny so that the imput shaft is lined up to the clutch assembly.

Now comes the fun part .

Unless you are very lucky, the splines will need to be finessed into the clutch.

But with a little jiggling they will mate up.

Bolt the bell housing up.

Jack up the tranny for the tranny mount.

Button up every thig else and go for a ride.

Good luck !!!!

[Bambikiller240]

At my (51) age, I said screw it with wrestling the trans and spent the measley $20 to rent a transmission jack. Made the job easy. Slide the trans under the car, then (from behind the trans) slide the trans onto the jack and secure it. Raise the trans via the jack and wiggle it forward until the input shaft slides into the pilot bushing. Bolt it up.

Jack rental was less than $20 for 4 hours and I had it back to the rental yard in 2 hours. No Strain, No Pain!

[tanny]

That sounds tempting. Of course it would be nice to have my own cradle if I have to do it again(If the tranny turns out to be a pile of !&*#). Thanks.

[tanny]

Made the cradle and it worked fine. Used the 4 speed sleeve and bearing and shifter as suggested in my other post and everything worked perfectly. All the synchros seem to be fine so am quite satisfied with my junkyard tranny. Cruising is way more enjoyable now that my tach and my ears say that I have dropped approximately 800 RPMs at 60 mph. Have a 3.90 rear end. On a side note, when I was taking the old tranny off, I noticed that a significant oil leak had developed coming down the shield in front of the tranny. I just assumed it was the rear main because there was no oil leaking from the front tranny seal. So I ordered a Reddi seal(expensive, but they work really well) and then removed the clutch to do the replacement. Problem was I hadn't noticed(typical of me, very unobservant, much to my wife's chagrin) that there was no oil on the inside of the tranny shield, and on closer inspection the leak was caused by some really loose rear oil pan bolts. As usual, my brain started with the most complicated solution and slowly worked its way to the least complicated, very inefficient and aggravating, but I learn things I normally wouldn't. Anyway thanks to everyone for their help. Victor.

[abas]

2-4-t-Z- man's cradle solution sounds like a winner.

Tanny,any chance of some pictures of the cradle for reference?:classic:

regards

Andrew