C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

[Wayne M.]

O.K, my '65 is up on jack stands; I've removed driveshaft and shifter assembly, shifter mounting plate (to the tailshaft housing), exhaust hanger, rear motor/trans rubber mount, and the bracket (to the frame) that supports the mount.

The '63 shop manual says to replace the upper two trans-to-bellhousing bolts with guide pins; then remove lower 2 bolts and slide the trans straight back on the guide pins until trans is free of splines in clutch disc.

The '65 shop manual (supplement to '63) says nothing about guide pins, but says to slowly lower the rear of engine until the tach drive cable of the distributor just clears the firewall ledge. Slide trans rearward out of the clutch, then tip front end of trans downward and lower to remove.

Why no mention of guide pins for '65 ? Is the lowering of the rear of the engine necessary ? Any other tricks / suggestions ? TIA

[Bill Dangora]

Re: C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

Wayne, My 69 manual agrees with the 65 manual and that's how I removed mine without any problem. It might be nice to have the guide pins there as insurance. You will definitely need the guide pins to put it back in. Bill

[Duke W.]

Re: C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

The trouble with the '63 Shop Manual procedure is that you can't get the gearbox far enough back for the pilot to clear the bell housing, so I supported the trans and unbolted the bell housing, then dropped it along with the box. Meanwhile the engine was supported firmly at the rear of the pan. They probably revised the '65 manual because the '63 manual procedure didn't work. Another thing to remember is that your Muncie is a little different than my T-10, but not by much, so you'll either have to drop the engine or drop the bell housing. The only problem with dropping the engine is that you might stretch something, so consider just dropping the bell housing. Aren't Corvette clutch jobs fun!

Duke

[John Bauer]

Re: C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

Wayne, I assume that you are supporting the rear of the engine with some type of jack under the oil sump(using a block of wood to distribute the load). Once the 4 trans to bellhousing bolts are removed, slide the trans back rotating it if necessary. The input shaft probably won't clear the bellhousing, so you will have to lower the engine via the jack. Just be aware of the distributor to firewall clearance. Now tilt the front of the trans down and it should clear everything. A helper working the jack would be nice. Guide pins shouldn't be required. Be advised, trans comes out easier than it goes in. Still, it is not a difficult job, just hard on the old back.

[Gary Schisler]

Re: C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

I agree with Duke. When I first rebuilt my 66, I took the transmission out with the engine. Later, when I found out that certain non-essential parts, like the clutch push rod, were the wrong length and contributing to my transmission slipping, I got to re-pull the transmission. As Duke said, I found it easier to undo the bell housing bolts completely, and using a combination of sliding the transmission back and rotating it to clear all of the hardware, worked best.

[Dave #24235]

Re: C2 4-sp Trans Removal w/motor in car

I always disconnect the tach cable from the distributor and remove the 2 rearmost motor mount bolts on each of the (front two) motor mounts and loosen the one remaining bolt on each of the mounts so that I don't twist the motor mounts too badly. I made a small U shaped fixture to straddle the rear of the oil pan (out of 2x4 and plywood) which is mounted on a sizzors jack for max adjustability and stability. I don't usually pull the clutch housing or use guide pins. Once you slide the trans back and begin lowering the front of it (I hope on some kind of jack),lower the back of the engine with the nose of the trans till they separate. When I was young and stupid, I removed and replaced the trans without a jack, then I used a plain hydraulic floor jack for years - but am too old and tired now - so I bought a cheapo trans jack a few years ago. Keep an eye on the fan. I remove mine to keep it from even touching the shroud. I have r&r'd Vette Muncie's, and Warners dozens of times with no damage to me or it, but it does get tedious without the right tools, so consider borrowing jacks and making a chap fixture to save dents in the expensive oil pan.