Don't try this at home....

[James_Douglas]

I just spent the most trying 4 hours in a long time on this car.

The fluid drive unit has 8 not 4 studs to bolt it to the crankshaft. One is offset. Why it is off set who the hell knows as there are no balance marks with a fluid coupling.

The book tells you that you can get the coupling in and out by taking the lower bell housing off. This is correct. However, try putting it back in. That is when you are replacing the coupling with a new one.

You see, after 4 hours on my back trying to bench press 75 pounds I learned that the off set stud in NOT in the same place relative to the filling hole.

So after repeated tries to get the thing in, I finally summoned enough strength to hold the thing in place while turning it until I hit the correct alignment. My ares are still shaking as I write this.

Never again! Either take the floor pan out and block up the engine and remove the entire bell housing or have a shop do it...

Now time to rest and then head back down and get the clutch and trans in...

James

[greg g]

I feel your lactic acid build up. Many years ago I spent a Sunday under a Volvo 122s changing it from an automatic to a 4 speed. I had the parts car so everything should have been a bolt for bolt swap. However that was this issue with the pilot bushing As I didn't swap flywheels the one fromthe standard had some bad teeth. So I got the mounts fabbed, the pressure plate and clutch disc on and lined up with tool got the bell housing hoiste up and on the clutch linkage in and aligned. Then pulled the tranny up on my chest lined it up on the head less bolts in the bellhousing and pushed it in, thunk, wiggle wiggle thunk! I pulled the tranny down and decided to emery cloth the end of the input shaft. after about 9 or 11 test fits, 60 lb bench press I finally got a wiggle wiggle slide snick.

I drove that car hard daily and harder on weekends on road rallys and auto crosses for three years with my hand turned input shaft. It did sing a little on the second third shift but it was a personality thing. I can still remember the pain in my arms and shoulders.

[Don Coatney]

James;

I feel your pain. Believe the holes are off set for a balanceing issue but not 100% sure. I did mark the position on my crankshaft and flywheel (used a paint stick and a center punch) should I ever have to reassemble but if I replace either the crankshaft or flywheel these marks will mean nothing.

Like Greg I have had fun benchpressing transmissions. Worst (read heaviest) I did was a 1600 series International Harvestor truck. Did it outside in the driveway of my house by myself. I was 30 years younger then and did not think much about it. These days I spend more time thinking about an easier way to do things.

[Chester Brzostowski]

Jim,

Actually I had purchased a transmission jack a couple of years ago. Needless to say I did the transmission in my P15 and the 29 Modal-U with the same heave ho method. One of these days I am going to try the transmission jack. The only thing I have found to rid yourself of the type of frustration you reported is when the job is finally done to indulge in copious amounts of cold beer.

Chet…

[Don Coatney]

The only thing I have found to rid yourself of the type of frustration you reported is when the job is finally done to indulge in copious amounts of cold beer.

Chet…

Chet;

Guess I learn something new daily. I was not aware it was a requirment to wait until the job was done to indulge in copious amounts of cold beer:confused:

[Ed Griffin]

If anyone reads this and has their motor and tranny out of the car but now know they will have to find how to line up the holes, try this. Take some paper and put it up to the holes and mark them as well as markng a place on the paper that shows the top. Then align the marks to the fluid drive and mark the top of the fluid drive where ever it may be according to your paper. This will set you up for your offset.

With the motor sitting on the floor, a stand (not the engine stand), etc.. use your engine hoist/ cherry picker to lift the fluid drive unit up to mount it. You'll need a saddle of some kind to hold the FD unit while hoisting it up. I made one out of a lawn tractor tire. Cut it once to open it up, threaded two broom handle size sticks through holes made on the ends of the cut tire. Then hooked up the chains to the sticks. Using the hoist is just an option but it can hold the FD unit up and in place much longer than my arms could.

I did the same thing you did James with it all out of the car and it still was not easy wrestling the FD unit. After so many turns trying to find the offset lineup, I made the hoist setup. Even then it was a pain trying to find the lineup and it hit me to just use the paper to figure out the offset. The way you did it had to be a killer.

[Merle Coggins]

Hmm. When I installed the fluid drive on my engine I don't remember dealing with any offset holes/studs. I was working on the bench yet at the time, but I don't remember fighting with anything. It went right on and I tightened the nuts. Maybe I just got lucky? Or the truck fluid drives are different?

Merle

[Don Coatney]

Merle;

Believe the issue is bolting the flywheel to the back of the crankshaft. I believe the fluid drive then bolts to the flywheel. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Merle Coggins]

I do believe Merle is charmed.

I don't know about that. But a guy's gotta get lucky once in a while.

[Chester Brzostowski]

Chet;

Guess I learn something new daily. I was not aware it was a requirment to wait until the job was done to indulge in copious amounts of cold beer:confused:

Don,

I have learned over the years that it’s better to finish the job before tapping the keg. Of course, like the transmission jack.., I don’t always follow my own rules.

Chet…

[James_Douglas]

You guys want to know how my day has gone...

Just ask about the how when torquing down one of the clutch cover bolts it never took a good torque. The torque reading is supposed to be between 30-35 Pounds.

It snapped in two. Grade 8 bolt. Fun fun fun...

James

[Normspeed]

James, ain't it awful the moment you realize, this thing should be putting up more resistance by now......ooooops! #$^*&(%$%%!